Our Mission
Healing Through Music
Curatus Per Musica:
Healing Through Music
Our Mission is to improve the lives of injured Veterans, First Responders and their families by uniting a diverse group of creative people and mobilizing them to use their talents to raise money and perform outreach to improve the lives of those who have sacrificed so much for us.
Wonderful things happen when you help us!
5
Countries have hosted Jams worldwide, including Iraq and Afghanistan, with our flagship event held annually in Chapel Hill, NC.
$600,000+
Raised so far in support of veterans, first responders, and their families.
19
Years in support of the NC Fisher Houses.
90+
Iron Pickers who play through all 12 hours of the Marathon Jam. Help us reach 100 this year!
We Support
The Fisher House Fort Bragg/Fort Liberty
The Fort Bragg/Fort Liberty Fisher House helps hundreds of families annually at one of the largest military bases in the country. Since 2015, the Marathon Jam has donated more than $30,000 to the Fort Bragg/Fort Liberty Fisher House.
Donations to The Fisher House provide warm beds, hot meals, and safe spaces for families of injured soldiers and veterans, so they can focus on the most important thing: healing.
The Fisher House Camp Lejeune
In 2015, we started supporting The Fisher House at Camp Lejeune. Since then, the Marathon Jam has contributed over $20,000 to help the families, soldiers, and veterans at the Camp Lejeune Fisher House.
We’re proud to support both Fisher House locations in our home state of North Carolina.
Supporting Vets Through Music at the VA Hospital
As Marathon Jam became more successful, we began to look for ways to utilize the resources at hand to make Marathon Jam more than just a one-day-a-year event. By mid-2014, Marathon Jam began providing musicians for the VA Hospital in Durham, North Carolina an easy, informal evening of music laced with conversation and humor. This formula proved to be very successful and thus many warm and genuine friendships began that continue to this very day.
Since that time and with the help of the amazing Marathon Jam Hospital Volunteers, Marathon Jam now provides outreach to veterans in Fayetteville, Durham, Kernersville, and Salisbury.
Join Our Mission
“Quite simply, the mission of Marathon Jam is to make life better for Injured Soldiers, First Responders and their families. We use music to help and to heal. It is the core of who we are and what we do.”
— John Santa, Marathon Jam Founder
More About Marathon Jam
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Iron Pickers
At the end of every Marathon Jam, we bestow the coveted black T-shirt and title of “Iron Picker” on the musicians who play and sing the entire 12 hours of the Jam. The logo/motto “curatus per musica”, healing through music, is on the front of the shirt over the heart and shows the care and the spirit of what they do.
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Quilts of Honor
One of the most emotionally powerful things we do at the annual Marathon Jam is to wrap deserving Veterans, First Responders and their families. We have wrapped soldiers in wheel chairs, soldiers with PTSD, and people from all branches of service, from the Coast Guard to 911 Operators.
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The POW/MIA Guitar
Made by Veterans at the CF Martin shop in honor of the POW and MIA soldiers of the United States military, the POW/MIA guitar is awarded to a deserving musician each year who’s given a special assignment.
Gold Certified on Guidestar
Guidestar is a charity rating organization. We’re proud to be rated gold, one of the highest levels of financial transparency.
It shows how much Marathon Jam is committed to doing things for veterans, 1st responders, and their families with complete openness and getting a high level of donations to them in meaningful ways.
