Gibson, Ford and country music artist Luke Combs recently teamed up to support American military veterans through Guitars4Vets, an initiative that provides veterans with guitars and a forum to learn how to play.
Combs recently delivered a Ford pickup truck filled with customized Gibson G-45 Standard Acoustic guitars wrapped with the Ford “Proud to Honor” logo to a group of veterans and gave them a lesson. A clip of the event was shown on the CBS broadcast of the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards show that was hosted by Keith Urban on Sept. 16.
More than a million veterans are afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder, and 22 veterans are said to commit suicide every day, but music therapy has been found to offer hope and healing to some of them. That’s where Guitars4Vets comes in.
The non-profit organization operates more than 110 chapters in more than 40 states, with the help of hundreds of volunteers. It has distributed more than 4,000 Gibson guitars for free and fulfilled more than 40,000 lessons over the past 13 years. Guitars4Vets’ website says a $200 donation can put a veteran through the program.
Proud to Honor is a military initiative by Ford to raise awareness, strengthen existing programs and create a more meaningful connection with service members.
Proud to Honor sells merchandise on its website. All of Ford’s profits from it are donated to Disabled American Veterans Charity (DAV) and Blue Star Families.
DAV was founded in 1920 and has almost 1,300 chapters that provide a lifetime of support for veterans of all generations and their families. It helped more than a million veterans and their families last year and assisted in them receiving more than $21 billion in earned benefits.
DAV also provides veterans with rides to medical appointments, hosts job fairs and provides resources so they can gain meaningful employment.
Blue Star Families was founded in 2009 by military spouses to connect military families with their civilian neighbours to create strong communities of support. It has 11 chapters used by more than a million people annually and has helped military families access more than $83 million in benefits.
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