by Logan Butts | Mar 26, 2014 | News Slider
Although Tuesday began with the chill of unexpected snow flurries, it ended with Charlie Daniels and a group of his high-profile musician friends heating up Allen Arena. The fifth annual Copperweld Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes concert — the first installment of which was held in spring 2010 — raises funds for Lipscomb University’s Yellow Ribbon Enhancement Program. The program allows post-9/11 military veterans, as well as their family members, to pursue undergraduate or graduate degrees from Lipscomb, either tuition-free or at greatly reduced costs. All proceeds from the concert go towards the scholarships of the more than 200 Yellow Ribbon students at Lipscomb. “War was very real to me,” Daniels said, “I realized that only two things protect America, and that’s the grace of God and the United States military. It’s that way then, it’s that way now, and as long as there’s an America, when these folks go and lay their lives on the line for us and come back, we owe them. I don’t view [the concert] as something glorious that I do, I view it as it is my duty.” Lipscomb students, Nashville music fans and a flurry of other folks poured into Allen Arena to see Daniels and his band, Kellie Pickler, Clint Black, The Grascals, Lee Greenwood, the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters and the American Hitmen. The host for the night was Music City broadcast personality Storme Warren, described as the “Dick Clark of Nashville” in a profile by The Tennessean morning newspaper. Director of Veterans Services Jim Humphrey, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, provided the invocation. Humphrey, also associate dean of students and the head of Lipscomb Security, will be leaving the...
by Kyrsten Turner | Feb 7, 2014 | News Slider
Music legends are heading to Lipscomb this spring for the fifth annual Copperweld Charlie Daniel’s Scholarship for Heroes event. The concert, which will be on Tuesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. in Allen Arena, will feature performances from Charlie Daniels, Kellie Pickler, Clint Black, The Grascals, the American Hitmen, the Navy Band Sea Chambers and other special guests. The Charlie Daniels Scholarship for Heroes tour is a benefit to raise funds for American veterans’ education. The event was started in March 2010 by Daniels to promote the Yellow Ribbon education program. Lipscomb participates in the Yellow Ribbon program at the highest level, offering free tuition for eligible military veterans and their families. Veterans may pursue an undergraduate degree through the program. Specific master’s programs are also available tuition-free. Servicemen and women, veterans and their families are invited to the concert as guests of corporate sponsors. In Lipscomb’s press release about the event, Jim Humphrey, the associate dean of campus life and director of veterans services, thanked Daniels for his support of veterans and the Yellow Ribbon program at Lipscomb. “We appreciate Charlie Daniels and his organization as well as those artists who have joined us for this event the past five years,” Humphrey said. “The awareness and funds that they raise for our program are impacting the lives of our veterans and their families in significant ways.” “Our veterans know that freedom isn’t free, but we think their education should be,” Humphrey said. “At Lipscomb we have a very unique opportunity to help open doors for our veterans through higher education.” Tickets are available to the public through to the generosity...
by Anne Paquin | Mar 6, 2013 | News Slider
At the ioStudio Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes Tour Tuesday night in Allen Arena, the stars performed on stage to give their thanks to Yellow Ribbon students who have fought for their freedom. In this video, the musicians were given the opportunity to speak directly to veterans, thanking them for their service. Artists include Charlie Daniels, Chris Young, Jason Aldean, Keni Thomas, Mark “Sparky” Matejka from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jamie Johnson and Terry Eldridge of The Grascals and Lee Greenwood, as well as the evening’s host, Storme...
by Cory Woodroof | Mar 6, 2013 | News Slider
A packed house rocked out to free music for a great cause in Allen Arena Tuesday night as country music legend Charlie Daniels and a host of others headlined the annual ioStudio Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes Tour. In its fourth year, the show, always led by Daniels, helps benefit the Yellow Ribbon initiative, a program that pledges to help post-9/11 GI Bill veterans receive an education with little-to-no cost at Lipscomb University. This year, there are around 200 Yellow Ribbon students that attend school. Alongside Daniels, The Grascals, Chris Young, Keni Thomas, Bleach and surprise guest Jason Aldean all played a mix of current hits and classics in order to give the Yellow Ribbon students in attendance an exciting night to remember. Before the show, Daniels met with the Yellow Ribbon students and posed in a group picture. Daniels said that the veterans are brave individuals who endure daily strife all for the ultimate aim of receiving an education. “It takes something that a lot of people don’t have to get out of a bed, to turn off the pain medicine and to walk into a situation where you’re trying to better yourself,” Daniels said. “Just the act of getting out of bed every day is a bigger job than most of us can ever even imagine.” To Daniels, the Yellow Ribbon students – and all those who serve in the military – may have different stories, but all deserve to be recognized in the highest regard for their service to the country. “Everybody’s story is different, but everybody’s got one, and everybody has really struggled to be...
by Kyrsten Turner | Mar 4, 2013 | News Slider
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...
