Landon's Legacy

The Landon Korabek Foundation was established to remember Landon who died unexpectedly at the age of 17 in 2010.  His unfortunate death was caused by a prescription drug overdose by combining Vicodin and Xanax. 

Landon was our son and a student at Palm Harbor University High School. He was a talented athlete, a bright student, and an extraordinary guitarist. He was full of life and love. His future was bright with possibilities. Sadly, there is no future now for Landon.

Landon was not an addict, he was a teenager. Like so many others, he did not understand just how lethal prescription drugs can be. That message needs to be spread.

Family and friends established the Landon Korabek Foundation and OneLove JamFest to celebrate Landon’s life and shine a light on the prescription drug abuse epidemic. While obviously bittersweet for us, the OneLove JamFest event gives us the opportunity to turn a tragedy into a force for good. 

NOPE’s mission is to diminish the frequency and impact of overdose death through community education, family support and purposeful advocacy. We chose the NOPE Pinellas Task Force for obvious reasons—they take the message regarding the dangers of prescription drugs into schools to students, parents, and teachers. The cornerstone of the NOPE mission is the high-impact, multimedia presentation that is delivered to middle and high school students.

Proceeds from the JamFest support NOPE’s goal of prescription drug abuse education and awareness. The money supports school presentations, creates student and parent brochures and benefits the annual candlelight vigil. Our donations have also enabled NOPE to achieve their goal of creating college scholarships for Pinellas County students who have actively participated in programs that raise awareness and promote abstinence from drugs and alcohol. 

 In total, OneLove JamFest has raised over $159,000 for NOPE.

Beginning in 2018, we will donate a portion of OneLove JamFest’s proceeds to the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation (Foundation), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that produces the annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday music festival and various annual activities and initiatives supporting its mission. We chose the Foundation to be able to share Landon’s love of music with other youth in our community.   Music provides the opportunity to build confidence, pride, knowledge, friendships and pure joy.  

Clearwater Jazz Holiday (CJH) is Pinellas County's signature music festival with a nearly 40-year tradition of diverse, world-class performances and significant, sustained cultural and economic impact. CJH spans four days and nights every October and is situated on the waterfront in beautiful downtown Clearwater, which unique setting accommodates thousands of attendees each year.

The growth and success of the festival enables the Foundation to deliver a year-round, impactful, cultural presence with innovative programs, special funding, creative learning experiences, exciting performance opportunities, and a diverse, vibrant social community all year long. These initiatives promote personal and community cultural development, inspire music and jazz appreciation, encourage post-secondary education/careers in music, make arts accessible, and increase cultural awareness and understanding through year-round social and educational outreach opportunities.

The following programs are just a few of the the varied year-round activities and initiatives:

·       CJH’s popular History of Jazz Education Outreach Program - an interactive, musical presentation by local, professional musician mentors offered to local schools and special groups at no cost;

·       CJH’s My Journey with Jazz Program - a music mentoring project complementing after-school and summer programs in underserved communities, consisting of four, interactive sessions in which an educator and special guest musicians deliver an overview of jazz history while describing how jazz and music have positively influenced their lives. Students learn about music from various eras, influential figures, important locations, social issues, jazz music’s contribution, and are inspired to play an instrument. There is a strong focus on developing a sense of pride around jazz's unique American heritage. The program culminates with a special performance involving professional musicians designed to tell the story of jazz with active student participation; and

·       CJH’s Young Lions Jazz Master Sessions - a one-of-a-kind instructional experience connecting jazz students with university jazz educators and jazz professionals and involving ensemble performances, group clinics, and instrument-specific break-out workshops.

Specifically, a portion will grow the reach of CJH’s My Journey with Jazz Program and History of Jazz Education Outreach Program in 2019.

 In total, OneLove JamFest has raised over $35,000 for Clearwater Jazz Foundation.

From 2011 - 2017,  we donated a portion of OneLove JamFest's proceeds to the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts in memory of Landon Korabek.  We chose the school to honor Landon’s love of music, ensuring that Landon’s song will live on to be sung by others. 

Our donation provides education and training for aspiring musicians. Specifically, we fund a scholarship in Landon’s name that provides one year of private music lessons for deserving students at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Funding in 2013 was also used for three music scholarships to a summer music camp in Washington D.C. where students had the opportunity to play for First Lady Michelle Obama.

In total, we've presented $51,000 to the Hoffman Institute for music scholarships.