Working with injured or traumatized veterans, our team members come to understand the depth of their struggles in ways that many never witness and few can imagine.

Some of their injuries are painfully obvious. Others are harder to identify, hidden away in the shadows of mental and emotional damage. Injured veterans from past conflicts were often dismissed or ignored, told to “buck up” and get over it. But in the last 30+ years leaders in our medical communities have awakened to the fact that a body is more than just muscle and bone. It is also mind and spirit, a complex mix of physical and mental. To be treated effectively, we need to understand that treatment for these veterans must encompass all of these factors.

“You can mend the wound, but you must also mend the deeper hurt,” says Freedom Sings USA co-founder Bobbie Allison-Standefer. “Most of the vets that come to us have been treated by doctors and are on a physical track to recovery. Which is important. But they also need the support of their brothers and sisters –a community of fellow veterans– to help them open up and begin to heal their mental and emotional injuries.”

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To donate for Giving Tuesday, please CLICK HERE.

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As part of that recovery process, Freedom Sings USA brings together course instructors, military veterans and award-winning songwriters to meet, discuss and work together to address emotional wellness. Through group sharing, songwriting and creative expression, veterans who attend our courses have found a way to reach better emotional balance. Their challenges can be persistent, but their classmates are there for them.

According to Allison-Standefer, the Freedom Sings program doesn't subscribe to the novelty or a one-off approach of other programs.

“This program and the wellness of our veteran classes is about taking on each day and building for the next. It's comprehensive, it's on-going and we don't take shortcuts,” she says. “We are here for our vets beyond writing a song, beyond the classroom setting. We are here to provide them with a place where they can commune with other vets and always find somebody – often a roomful of somebodies – who will listen, understand and help them through the ups and downs of the healing process.”

As we near the end of the year and approach “Giving Tuesday” (Nov. 30), we ask that you remember our vets, keep them in your thoughts and prayers, and donate to a charity that truly has their backs. There are several respected veteran-focused charities to choose from. Please choose one that you feel can make the most difference in the everyday lives of our nations heroes.

To donate for Giving Tuesday, please CLICK HERE.

For more information classes and programs, see our CLASS SCHEDULES or contact us at Info@FreedomSingsUSA.org.

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