Guitars 4 Vets helps veterans cope with PTSD through the therapeutic healing power of music. In our latest installment of Homegrown, join G4V Ambassador Lzzy Hale and Gibson Gives to find how you can help our heroes.
For more than a decade, Halestorm has toured with the likes of Alice Cooper, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, and Evanescence. Lzzy and the band are known for their extreme dedication to touring, often performing more than 250 shows a year.
Halestorm’s 2012 hit single “Love Bites (So Do I)” won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, beating out the likes of Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and Marilyn Manson for the award.
As an ambassador for Guitars 4 Vets, Lzzy Hale is working hard in conjunction with Gibson Gives to raise awareness for veterans with PTSD.
“[Veterans] have lost so much in order for us to live out our dreams every day,” says Lzzy Hale, Halestorm lead singer and Guitars 4 Vets Ambassador, “This is more than giving away an instrument, it is giving an outlet for peace and light in the darkness.”
Music for a Cause
Over 800,000 of our brave U.S. Veterans struggle with physical injuries, PTSD, and other sources of trauma. Fortunately, many of these American heroes are finding hope and healing through the wood and strings of an acoustic guitar.
Guitars 4 Vets is a network of dedicated volunteers and music professionals, which for over a decade has tended to the hidden wounds of war through the power of music. There are over 111 G4V chapters in 43 states which provide our veteran heroes with guitars, music and music lessons at no cost to them.
Participants in the 10-week G4V program receive individualized guitar lessons, along with group sessions which help veterans safely connect with others through the shared purpose of music.
A recent study of the Guitars 4 Vets program found that participants showed a 21% improvement in PTSD symptoms, and a 27% decrease in depression symptoms. See the full outcomes of the study here.
How You Can Help
Guitars 4 Vets cannot fulfill their mission alone–it’s through the help of ambassadors like Halestorm, sponsors like Gibson Gives, and supporters who help make healing happen for our hero veterans.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 has prevented Guitars 4 Vets from conducting in-person learning sessions, but the organization isn’t giving up without a fight. In this time of social isolation for our veterans, G4V is keeping this valuable program alive through teleconferencing apps and distance learning techniques.
Whether you’re stationed at home or abroad, here are some ways that you can help G4V continue to provide for our valued veterans.
- Donate new and used music equipment. Acoustic and electric guitars can be donated via your local VA by contacting donations@guitarsforvets.org or by calling 1-855-448-4376.
- Sponsor a Veteran. It costs $200 to sponsor a veteran through the program, but a donation of any amount is greatly appreciated in helping our veterans find healing.
- Are you an experienced guitar player or tutor? Donate your time to G4V by recording a brief guitar lesson and sharing it online through the Guitars 4 Vets #Bandtogether challenge. Alternatively, you can volunteer here.
Armed Forces Entertainment
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Check out the rest of HOMEGROWN video series, with exclusive at-home performances from your favorite AFE tour Veterans including gnash, Operation Song, and Chris Kroeze.
