Charlie Daniels’ Volunteer Jam to raise money for Lipscomb veterans

Charlie Daniels’ Volunteer Jam to raise money for Lipscomb veterans

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.” 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...

Scholarship for Heroes Tour boasts a big performance

Charlie Daniels may be sending the devil down to Georgia, but he’ll be back in time to headline Tuesday’s Scholarship for Heroes Tour. “It’s an amazing night,” April Herrington, the assistant director of Lipscomb’s veteran services, said. “You’ll get to see Charlie Daniels perform. I know a lot of the students here are probably not familiar with Charlie Daniels, but he is a great supporter,” Herrington said.  “He has been on this walk with us for four years. Ever since we started, he’s been right behind us to support us.” The concert series first started four years ago as a way to recognize Lipscomb’s Yellow Ribbon students. “That was the original start of the Charlie Daniels concert,” Herrington said. “Then it was called Operation Yellow Ribbon. Now, it’s been changed to Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes.” “The concert raises money for scholarships to help pay for students who were not 100-percent eligible for free tuition. The money goes toward them to help supplement their cost so that hopefully, when we raise enough money, they can go to school, tuition free as well.” Herrington said donations of over $30,000 were collected at last year’s concert and Lipscomb was able to award 10 scholarships for the current year. They hope to raise even more Tuesday night. There are approximately 175 yellow ribbon students, so every little bit helps. A reception will be held Tuesday night before the concert for veterans and sponsors. The veterans will also have a special meet-and-greet session with the artists before the big performances. “We have several great performers coming,” Herrington said. “Basically, the concert is going...