Most Lollapalooza patrons would recognize the name “Perry” as the name of the infamous DJ stage, with its blinding LED screens and flashing strobe lights. But what most EDM and pyrotechnic enthusiasts do not know is that the Perry stage is named after Perry Farrell, the creator of the 26-year-old Chicago music festival and frontman of the band “Jane’s Addiction,” which still attends the festival every summer. What many festival goers fail to recognize is Ferrell’s dedication to bettering Chicago’s community and others nationwide.

When Lollapalooza was first introduced in 1991, its mission was to be “a place where music fans can learn more about how to help the world around them,” as the Lolla Cares page of the festival’s website says. Each summer, organizations are brought in to be represented at the festival alongside the bands and food that are often the main attraction. Most of the groups represented have ties to music, but many address issues such as voting, healthcare, and equality.

This year the Lolla Cares team selected ten organizations, all of which use the power of music to bring awareness to local and global issues. Two organizations–“Headcount” and “Rock the Vote”–provided resources to help register voters and encourage younger people to stay engaged politically. While the festival does not outwardly have any political affiliations, it is easy to infer that it is a left-leaning crowd based on the chosen organizations.

“Our Music My Body” is an organization that educates music lovers about sexual harassment to ensure that everyone at festivals feels safe. Another represented non-profit was the “Love Hope Strength Foundation,” which offered on-site testing for festival-goers to be put in a pool of bone marrow donors. And these are only a few of the amazing non-profit organizations at Lollapalooza this year.

While I was at the festival this past summer, I had the opportunity to hear Farrell speak about the work that Lollapalooza does while at the Jane Says tent—a new addition to the Lolla Cares 2017 festival lineup. Synced up to the #Lolla phone app, festival-goers could participate in interactive quizzes, trivia games, and scavenger hunts around Grant Park to bring visitors’ attention to Farrell’s mission and the festival.

“We wanted to do some good for the community and really the global community, so we started working with certain non-profit organizations as well as giving away gifts to everybody,” Farrell said to a crowd of bright-eyed fans, most of whom were surprised and excited to see the festival’s founder and real-life-celebrity up-close and in-person.  “I want to do some good with the money that comes into the festival.”

The scavenger hunt had booths and stations located around Grant Park. One station, next to Buckingham Fountain, asked voters to select the most pressing issues facing our country. Near the Hydration Station, attendees were asked who they voted for in the election, and the count was surprisingly even between Trump and Clinton voters. (The next day they voted on what rockstar had the most iconic hair.)

Another way Lollapalooza gets its attendees involved is through the Rock and Recycle program, which has been around since the early years of the festival. Among sweaty dancers, people waiting in massive lines for food, and friends hanging out on lawns, festival-goers uncharacteristically ran around trying to fill green garbage bags picking up recyclable materials, encouraging everyone to help keep Grant Park clean with the incentive of winning prizes.

Lollapalooza is an amazing way to experience the vibrant city we live in and to listen to the music we love, but the festival is so much more than just that. It is a way to realize the power we hold when we all come together.