For the second year in a row, Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Daniels will speak and perform at the Veteran Impact Celebration, set for Thursday, June 27 in Murfreesboro, TN. The fundraiser benefiting MTSU’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center (Daniels Center) will be held at The Grove at Williamson Place off Medical Center Parkway near Interstate 24 from 6-9 p.m. The event is a salute to MTSU student veterans and their families and also serves as a fundraiser for the Daniels Center’s Transition Home Office, which assists students with their transition from college student to job search to career placement.
“I want to personally thank the good people of Middle Tennessee for supporting our event and our efforts again this year,” says Daniels. “We promise that the money you spend with us will be used for the needs of those who have laid their lives on the line for our freedom.”
The private event features dinner, a VIP meet and greet/photo op with Daniels as well as additional speakers, including retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith M. Huber, MTSU senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives. MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee also will attend. Additionally, rising artist Rachel Lipsky will perform.
“This will be an incredible night of music, recognition and appreciation,” Huber says. “We will celebrate the impact of our veterans and their precious families as they continue to serve our nation, now out of military attire, as leaders in our communities and workforce.”
The Daniels Center is the largest and most comprehensive veterans center on any Tennessee higher education campus. It enables the campus’ 1000-plus student-veteran population to have a one-stop shop to meet a variety of academic needs. The 3,200-square-foot center is located in the Keathley University Center, right in the heart of the MTSU campus. The center is a place for MTSU’s student veterans to study, to gather and to get help from fellow veterans, who serve as peer advisers and sponsors. The Transitioning Home Office assists student veterans — or any student — in making the transition from being a college student to getting their career underway.
Individual tickets are $200 or $300 for a two-ticket combo. A limited number of tickets remain and are available for purchase at www.mtsu.edu/veteranimpact.
Last year’s inaugural event raised more than $170,000 for the Daniels Center. Daniels’ veterans non-profit The Journey Home Project donated $100,000.
The Veteran Impact Celebration is sponsored by The Journey Home Project, Nashville-based Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical, Censis Technologies Inc., Dollar General and Steel Barrel Brewing Company, The Grove at Williamson Place, Stones River Total Beverages and Mission BBQ.