STOMP-ing the Blues Out of Homelessness

Finding a way to support the most vulnerable people in the community can be a tough act to continue, but for the last 15 years, Jim and Paige Payne have found ways to support many local charity organizations for the unhoused through the power of music.

By day, Jim Payne is the director of business development at Choice Escrow & Land Title, and his wife, Paige, who founded the original Choice Escrow in 1988, is the branch manager and owner. But in their time off they're devoted to helping Springfield's unhoused neighbors. The Paynes first got involved in supporting the unhoused community in 2008, serving folks at a walk-in shelter called Bill's Place. Over time they saw the number of folks they were serving continue to grow and realized just how much it cost to serve people on a regular basis. Then, in 2010, a local DJ, Bob Martin, reached out to Payne about a property title question, but the two got sidetracked with a bigger idea. "I told him, 'I need to figure out how to make some money, and I think a music festival would be great,'" Jim says. "And he said, 'That sounds like a great idea!' And that's sort of how it all came together."

From there, Payne worked on getting the festival registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and worked with Martin to book the first STOMP the Blues Out of Homelessness charity music festival. The proceeds from the festival go to support a number of local organizations, and Jim notes that as of 2023, the festival has raised more than $260,000. Organizations include Women in Need of the Ozarks, the Drew Lewis Foundation and the Ozark Food Harvest, as well as youth-oriented programs such as Rare Breed, Laura's Home, the Darr House and the Youth Connect Center.

"We're not giving a million bucks, and we're not giving away $50,000 to everyone," Jim says. "But $1,500 here and $2,500 there really goes a long way to support these programs."

Now celebrating its 15th year, the festival is still going strong. Payne says festival attendance is generally between 850–900 people, reaching highs of around 1,200 people for two years with headliner Samantha Fish. This year's fest at the Vietnam Veterans American Legion Post 639 on June 13 features Anders Osborne, Chase Walker, Marcus Trummer and the Brenda Meyer Band.

In terms of other business leaders looking to get involved in the community in a similar way, Payne notes that the best place to start is coming from a place of empathy and finding an organization that speaks to you.

"There's a variety of organizations out there where you can jump in and volunteer, even just one day, to get a sense of what they really do," Jim says. "There's ample opportunity, and there's so much need in our community for people to get out and help."