By DUSTIN ROW

Hi friends. Well, we had another hugely successful event this past September at our new venue, Bolm-Schuhkraft Memorial City Park in Columbia.  Nearly 4,000 people showed up, raising just shy of $62,000!  We want to thank you all for coming and also thank Columbia for being a very gracious host.

Since Songs4Soldiers’ inception in late 2013, 25 veterans and three veteran organizations have been helped. We have spent over $55,000 dollars on many needs such as bills, groceries and home improvements. Thank you so much for your support. Not all of the veterans allow us to share their stories on the internet or in the paper, but we can always share what we did for them.  Below are several stories since our last column.

One of the highlights from the concert every year is the final band of the night, SUPERJAM. Their drummer, Ken, a Navy veteran, has been battling cancer for several years now.  Ken has insurance, but as we all know, sometimes that isn’t enough when facing a serious medical issue. This past summer, all of Ken’s fellow musicians from around the area threw a benefit for him at Mile 277 Tap & Grill. Songs4Soldiers was pleased to put $500 toward Ken’s outstanding medical bills.

Catherine, a medic in the Army and an Iraq War veteran, recently came under some hardships while putting herself through nursing school.  Songs4Soldiers was happy to pay for an outstanding bill for her.

Justin, an Air Force veteran who also served in Iraq, needed help with a security deposit for permanent housing. Songs4Soldiers was has happy to pay his security deposit and a month of advanced rent. Several of us from the S4S committee also drove over to Missouri to move Justin and his family into their new apartment. Thanks to Above and Beyond Kitchen and Design and realtor Mandy McGuire for the box trucks.

Army and Iraq veteran Sheamese recently started school to be a dental hygienist.  However, her school was in Kansas City and she needed help moving from St. Louis.  She traveled there to start her first semester, but had to leave her stuff in St. Louis because she didn’t have the money or help to move it.  Thanks to Josh McGuire and his moving company, McGuire Moving and Storage, her stuff was loaded up and sent with an already outgoing moving truck to Kansas City.  There, her stuff was stored by one of Josh’s fellow moving companies and later moved to Sheamese’s apartment once it was ready. McGuire Moving and Storage did not charge Songs4Soldiers a dime. Thank you, Josh.

Latoya, a hard-working, single mother and Iraq veteran, needed decent clothes for her children. Songs4Soldiers was happy to send her to fellow veteran organization H.E.R.O.E.S. Care in Fenton, Mo.  H.E.R.O.E.S. Care has an amazing warehouse with every kind of household item you can imagine. They help all veterans with basic everyday needs.

Recently, a veteran reached out to us for help with an outstanding Ameren bill. This veteran also has a long commute to and from his job and badly needed new tires for his vehicle. We were happy to get him caught up on his bill and provide all new tires for his truck.

Marcus, a Navy veteran, contacted us to have power restored to his apartment in St. Louis. His young daughter resides with him and they were in desperate need of food. Songs4Soldiers had their power turned back on and also gave them $200 worth of groceries.

Jeremy, a Marine veteran who fought in Fallujah and Ramadi, Iraq, has been struggling to keep up with bills from a long period of being unemployed.  He is now working, but has had a hard time getting ahead. His family needed help getting their food supply stocked up. Songs4Soldiers was happy to get them $300 worth of groceries.

Songs4Soldiers has veterans coming in almost weekly. Thank you so much for your support and trust in us as we help those facing tough times.

Many of us are so lucky to have a warm house, healthy children, food in our pantry and gas in our cars. It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily grind and lose sense of what is really important. Always remember that there is somebody else who has it worse than you.

Thank you all once again for your donations and coming to our benefit concert.  Also, thank you to the Republic-Times for giving us the platform to share these stories with you.

Until next time, take care.