Dear Austin Music Lovers and Supporters,

After nearly three years without open-to-the-public HAAM Day concerts, the entire PNC Bank team is excited to be a part of powering this year’s live and in-person HAAM Day. HAAM successfully pivoted at the onset of the pandemic, reinventing its longstanding signature fundraiser through virtual and broadcast platforms. This year, we’re putting the “live” back in live music with a return to hundreds of performances throughout the Austin metropolitan area.

Not only are our musicians an essential part of Austin’s cultural identity as a city, but also an important economic engine, drawing in more than $2 billion dollars each year.

HAAM is doing everything it can to provide assistance to musicians during these difficult times, including adding a focus on basic needs care. Austin’s artists already live in a very fragile music ecosystem…as our artists who make Austin “The Live Music Capital of The World” continue to recover from the last two years of pandemic work stoppages. With continued uncertainty in the live music economy, the last thing we want is for HAAM members to have to choose between eating and accessing healthcare.

PNC Bank sees the value that HAAM provides to the greater Austin community, and we are proud of our partnership with HAAM, supporting HAAM Day and HAAM events throughout the year that will bring additional healthcare services to Austin musicians.

HAAM Day has an ambitious goal of $850,000 this year, so your donations are imperative to the organization’s continued success!

In 2005, Robin Shivers founded HAAM to address the previously unmet healthcare needs of low-income working Austin musicians. The organization was designed to leverage collaborations across community resources and between its musicians, healthcare providers, and the Austin community. These crucial partnerships are what makes HAAM Day so successful and such an important event across town.

It is our responsibility as a community to give back to our local artists and provide the support they need and deserve. And it’s our responsibility as Austinites to give back to the creative community which brings us joy and entertainment every day, 365 days a year. Engaging with organizations like HAAM helps foster and nurture Austin’s unique, creative culture, and take care of the musicians that make our city “The Live Music Capital of the World.” We hope that you will join us in supporting one of Austin’s most valuable assets - its musicians. Get out and shop, eat, drink, and enjoy live music on September 13, 2022!

Please join me, PNC Bank, and hundreds of Austin musicians and volunteers at participating locations and help us reach our goal of raising more than $850,000. With your HAAM Day donations and support, HAAM will continue to expand services and meet the needs of Austin’s working musicians so our beloved live music scene can continue to thrive. Together, we can ensure Austin continues to be the “Live Music Capital of the World!”

Thank you for supporting the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians.

Sincerely,

Dillan Knudson, PNC Bank, 2022 HAAM Day Committee Co-Chair