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Heavy Charity: Incubus’ Make Yourself Foundation

Heavy Charity: Incubus Make Yourself Foundation
Interested in rocking out for a good cause?  American rock and metal band Incubus is.  Perhaps best known for their string of hits in the early 2000s, including “Drive” and “I Wish You Were Here,” Incubus has been an American rock staple for over twenty years.  The band has a massive following, and recognizing their fame as an effective platform to promote global and social change, Incubus founded the Make Yourself Foundation in 2003.

Since the Foundation’s beginning in 2003, it has raised over $1.6 million for various charitable organizations and causes.  Proceeds from the bands record sales, show tickets, and merchandise sales go directly to the Foundation.  In this way, Incubus connects its fans with the organization’s good deeds.  Going in further in connecting fans with charity, Incubus encourages fans to create their own profile on the Make Yourself Foundation’s website.  This profile acts as both a social networking tool for music lovers, as well as a fundraising campaign profile.

The Foundation has supported numerous charities over the years, including the American Red Cross, UNICEF, Music for Relief, and Carbon Neutral.  Its work with the Red Cross began in 2004, when in its early stages, fans involved with the Foundation raised over $100,000 for the Tsunami relief fund in Asia.

Incubus is an incredibly green and environmentally conscious band.  In 2007, the band partnered with Carbon Neutral to offset the carbon emissions let off by the tour.  This included planting trees and donating money for the research of alternative energy sources.  Current environmental causes supported by the Make Yourself Foundation include Carbon War Room’s “Ten Island Renewable Challenge” and the Ocean Conservancy.

Brandon Boyd, Incubus’s lead singer, states on the Foundation’s page that “It has always been my observation that to live by example is the most admirable way to walk the earth!”  The Make Yourself Foundation indeed sets an example of charity and advocacy for all to follow.

Taylor Diamond

Sources: Make Yourself Foundation, Paste Magazine
Photo: Giphy.com