For country star Zac Brown, founder and lead singer of the Zac Brown Band, there is no greater goal than raising awareness for America’s veterans.
Before every show he plays, Brown, 45, meets someone who has served the country — and often makes a point of bringing them onstage to honor them and hear their story. Memorial Day weekend was no exception. Before his performance in Norfolk, VA, at the May 26 Patriotic Festival, Brown met with USMC Sgt. and veteran Michael Henley.
Henley, a Floridian who enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating from Florida State University in 2017, said he spent his deployment with the 1st Radio Battalion at Camp Pendleton and then went to the Philippines in 2022 in support of the Special Operations Task Force operations 511.2. He told Brown that when his military service was over, he was aiming for a career in the federal police.
Brown’s tradition of meeting and honoring veterans during his shows is part of the larger work he does with Vets. He also works closely with Hope for the Warriors, a non-profit organization that provides assistance to combat-wounded military personnel and their families.
Zac Brown.
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Brown, a former camp counselor, is also the founder of Camp Southern Ground, a nonprofit organization that provides weeklong summer camps for children ages 7 to 17 who come from military and veteran families.
The camp, located in Fayeteville, GA, also offers Warrior Family Camps and Warrior Weeks aimed at giving vets tools to manage their lives after service.
Brown, who has five children with his ex-wife, jewelry designer Shelly Brown, is currently embarking on a summer tour of North America.
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Zac Brown.
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The shows will continue to highlight and honor veterans.
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Meanwhile, Zac Brown Band member John Driskell Hopkins will also continue to raise awareness and funds to fight ALS — the neurodegenerative disorder he was diagnosed with in 2021.
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In 2021, Hopkins told PEOPLE that he and his wife Jennifer started Hop On a Cure (hoponacure.org), a foundation dedicated to raising funds to find a cure for ALS.
“Our vision is clear,” Hopkins said. “We need to do everything we can to raise funds for a cure for ALS.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education