Jake Owen on His Foundation, the Flamingo Events, and Growing Up in Vero Beach

Country artist Jake Owen grew up in Vero Beach and started the Jake Owen Foundation there in 2010. It has since grown into a national organization supporting more than 40 beneficiaries a year and raising over $8.5 million to date. He joins The Current to talk about how it began, why he expanded from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital into local causes so residents could see the impact at home, and how he and his board decide which organizations to support. Owen also shares the story of the water skiing injury on the Indian River that ended his plans to play college golf and led him to pick up a guitar instead. He walks through the Flamingo, the foundation’s marquee weekend running November 12 through 15 in Vero Beach, talks about the artists who have played it over the years, and explains what people can do to help if they cannot attend. For more conversations with the people shaping Florida’s Treasure Coast, visit treasurecoast.com.