More than 20 years ago, the Rotary Club of Edmonds Daybreakers started an event that has become a popular tradition around Memorial Day; The Edmonds Jazz Connection.
The Jazz Connection was set up to feature the talents and skills of our area’s younger jazz musicians and has showcased the bands, small groups and vocalists of middle, high school and college students. Most of these performers were Puget Sound Area groups, but the event also hosted musicians from as far away as Spokane. Students performed all day on a Saturday at four locations in downtown Edmonds.
The event was last held in 2019, but in 2020 and 2021, the COVID pandemic has brought it to a halt. The Daybreakers hope to be back with the Jazz Connection in 2022, so stay tuned.
One of the goals the Jazz Connection had each year was to raise money through the event for scholarships for local students in need of help with college costs. Over the years, Jazz Connection attendees, patrons and sponsors have helped fund this effort. Although the event won’t be held this year, organizers would still like to award scholarships for college students who have graduated from local high schools in 2020-21.
The Edmonds Daybreakers Foundation has raised and donated over $51,000 since July 1, 2020 to support local and international programs, including:
Boys & Girls Club
Holly House
Veterans Memorial Wreaths
Vision House
Edmonds Food Bank & Toy Shop
Kidstock
Waterfront Center
Scriber Lake H.S. Graduates Scholarships
Washington Kids In Transition
Harvest Against Hunger
Edmonds College COVID Relief Fund
In addition to these local efforts, two international service project were funded in partnership with Rotary Clubs in Washington, D.C. and Maechan, Thailand through the SE Asia Foundation.
The Daybreakers want to be sure that scholarships are also funded. Follow the link at www.daybreakersrotary.com/donate to make your donation and specify that it is for the Daybreaker Scholarship fund.
It’s one more opportunity to do some good in the world, which is what Rotary is all about.
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