The sound of Charlie Daniels’ fiddle will no longer echo throughout Allen Arena, but the money will continue to roll in for Lipscomb’s veteran scholarships.
On Aug. 12, the Charlie Daniels Band’s 40th anniversary Volunteer Jam will take place at Bridgestone Arena. Profits from the event will go toward The Journey Home Project, a non-profit organization that connects donors to veterans, and The Predators Foundation, a charity organization that uses fan fundraising to help the community. A portion of The Journey Home Project’s proceeds will fund Lipscomb’s Scholarship for Heroes program.
“Charlie Daniels is a huge veteran supporter, and he loves Lipscomb,” said April Herrington, director of Lipscomb veteran services. “He had a concern with the fact that we were moving it from campus, but once he realized that it was going to support us even more than it had, he was thrilled about the event.”
Herrington said she hopes to increase the cap on the scholarship with the bigger venue.
“All in all, I think it’s a great move, and I think it’s going to benefit our program a lot,” Herrington said. “It’s going to be a lot bigger than it could have ever been on campus.”
Charlie Daniels poses with Lipscomb’s veteran students just before the benefit concert in 2014.
From 2010 to 2014, Daniels partnered with Lipscomb to host his Scholarship for Heroes concerts to benefit Lipscomb’s veteran students and their dependents with tuition cost. Last year’s event rewarded over $52,000 to veteran students.
First-year nursing student and veteran Rachel Lanahan is a recipient of the Scholarship for Heroes.
After eight years of medical work in the military, Lanahan was offered an intelligence job that involved flying unarmed aircraft oversees. After a few years, she said she missed nursing and decided to come back to school to get her degree.
“Once a month, I go do my drill weekends at the guard base here in Nashville,” Lanahan said. “I fly the [General Atomics MQ-9] Reaper, an unarmed aircraft, which is completely different than nursing.”
In addition to the scholarship, veterans were able to attend the Lipscomb concert for free and meet Daniels.
“Last year I had to bring my daughter, and I have a picture of my daughter, me and Charlie Daniels and him giving her a high five,” Lanahan said.
This summer’s Volunteer Jam will feature special guests Billy Ray Cyrus, Kentucky Headhunters, Montgomery Gentry, the Outlaws, Lee Roy Parnell and Travis Tritt. Tickets will range from $17 to $40 for general admission and $500 for corporations and sponsorships.
Additional reporting and photos by Erin Turner