Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
The second annual Freedom Fest raised an unexpected $4,000 to go to support veterans, thanks to a large turnout and inspiring speech from a 26-year Navy veteran.
“I thought it was going to be big, but didn’t expect to have this turnout,” said Chris Shannon, organizer of the event.
The event drew people from the Platte Valley and elsewhere July 5 with live country music, a pig roast and cold beer. But the entertainment was not the reason people came, Shannon said.
“The music wasn’t secondary per say, but it wasn’t why everybody was there,” Shannon said.
Shannon said people came to support veterans who suffer from traumatic brain injuries or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Those who came collectively donated about $4,000 to Wounded Warrior Homes,a not-for-profit organization that offers affordable transitional housing to veterans with traumatic brain injuries or PTSD.
“The people really came together on this,” Shannon said.
Part of the event’s success has to be attributed to Mike Langley, a 26-year Navy veteran who suffered from PTSD.
After sitting through about half of Freedom Fest’s entertainment lineup, he approached Shannon explaining he wanted to help. Langley, without rehearsing, took the stage to explain his own struggles and the effects PTSD can have on a person.
“PTSD is really real and traumatic,” he said in his speech. “I lived through this a little. When I came back for about nine months I was a hot mess.”
After his speech, Langley held up a bucket. “This bucket is a lot heavier than the money in it,” he said.“This is an amazing cause where we can help.”
That bucket quickly filled and raised about $800 to be donated to Wounded Warrior Homes.
That $800 combined with donations made to girls selling Wounded Warrior Homes wrist bands and beer and pig roast sales all equated to the unheard of $4,000.
“I went into the event hoping I would be able to raise $1,000, so it was pretty successful,” said Bobby Chitwood, celebrity spokesman for Wounded Warrior Homes who helped put together the event.
Chitwood said compared to other fundraisers he helped facilitate, Freedom Fest did very well.
“In Casper we raised about $1,800,” Chitwood said. “So to raise $4,000 here is just staggering.”
Shannon said he was very pleased from the outcome, and thanked everyone who made it possible, including the Wyoming Arts Council and Wyoming Visitors Council for their grant money.
Shannon said he wants to help the event grow further in the future.
Reader Comments(0)