Veterans and the public enjoyed a twelve hour rock festival on Saturday. AMVETS sponsored and hosted the second annual event, hoping to exceed last year’s proceeds in order to donate to Resurrecting Lives Foundation, an organization devoted to treatment, research and advocacy of traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
Last year, AMVETS Post 26 in Mansfield raised $18,000 that they were able to donate to the foundation. Resurrecting Lives Foundation was founded by Dr. Chrisanne Gordon in 2012. Currently, she is Medical Director of Rehabilitation Services at Memorial Hospital of Union County in Marysville, Ohio. Her special interest is researching TBI and helping patients find jobs through the Resurrecting Lives Foundation.
AMVETS charged five dollars at the door for anyone over the age of 13. They invited numerous bands: Mark King and The Roadhouse Band; House of Cane, featuring Hurricane Will Beeman; The ultimate James Brown Tribute Show and Revue; All Start R&B Revue; The Getaway Band; The Bullit Band and Montage Band.
The post was able to send five local men to New York City’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine for further research in this field. All their expenses were paid and they were able to get MRIs of their brains. According to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1.7 million people sustain TBI annually, and of that population, 52,000 result in death. But TBI is not just a veteran’s problem.
Much research is still needed in this field of study. Veterans are more at risk than a civilian because of their exposure to dangerous situations. This is why AMVETS and other veteran advocacy groups hold fundraisers for these types of post traumatic diseases.
“We want to try and prevent another agent orange,” said Commander of Post 26 Don Robson. He served 10 years in the Navy and remembers agent orange in the Vietnam war causing major problems for veterans. “It took them 20 years to figure out that stuff [agent orange] was bad. We don’t have 20 years to do that. These guys don’t know what’s wrong with them,” he added.
“This is a good organization to be a part of,” shared Chairman Dean Krance. “It was started by World War II veterans. The community is very supportive of us.”
AMVETS’ Rock n’ Roll Festival on Saturday was the second annual and they don’t plan on stopping. Next year they will continue to do the same thing. In the meantime, they meet monthly, do community service projects and have parades and memorial services.
“We have about 1,700 members. We’re a tight knit group and it’s good to have so much support for veterans. I am so appreciative to Mansfield for being so giving in such hard times,” said Krance.
For more information on events they hold, visit their website or call 419-529-6026.
