Jazz in the Village. BlackburnNews.com file photo. Jazz in the Village. BlackburnNews.com file photo.
Sarnia

Jazz & Blues In The Village celebrates 15 years

Jazz and Blues in the Village opens Friday, September 14 and continues Saturday.

Moondog Howlers takes to the stage at 7:30 p.m. and then Spencer MacKenzie belts out the blues at 9:30 p.m.

Spokesperson Connie Ellis said every year the music festival, at McGibbon Park near the Locheil Kiwanis Community Centre, raised between $10,000 and $15,000.

The money is used to help organ transplant recipients with financial and emotional support.

"We can help them with rent or other expenses when they're trying to maintain two houses," said Ellis. "For example, post lung transplant, they usually have to be in Toronto for three months so that's quite the added strain of trying to maintain two households. We try to help them out financially in any way we can."

One of the things they're most proud of is the increase over the past 15 years in the number of people signing their donor cards.

"When Jazz and Blues started 15 years ago, the number of registered donors in Sarnia was about 28 per cent. Now Sarnia's at around 50 per cent and the county a little higher than that."

More information can be found at www.jazzinthevillage.com.

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