Working off the theme of ‘The Healing Power of Music in the Hands of Heroes,’ the Guitars 4 Vets program is focused on teaching veterans how to play guitar and then, providing them with one of their own.
Doug ‘PC’ Boele, the local Chapter Coordinator, is a member of the Escalon American Legion Post 263 and recently was in Oakdale to receive a grant for the program.
Funding came from a $1,000 donation from the Stanislaus Senior Foundation and requesting the grant on behalf of the program was longtime Oakdale resident and community activist Mickey Peabody.
“PC is a great guy and he just wants to help,” Peabody noted.
Boele was excited to receive the funding, pointing out that the money will purchase five guitars for veterans who complete the program of guitar lessons. It is a 10-week course, he said.
“After they finish the course, about week eight I’ll notify the home office and they’ll start sending out the guitar that they’re (veteran) going to get to keep for free,” Boele explained. “It’s something they can start with.”
On hand to make the check presentation on Friday, Feb. 21 was Sally Bolger, a board member of the Stanislaus Senior Foundation.
“We help seniors in need, all kinds of different projects,” Bolger said. “This one was definitely something that Billie (Scott), our president, felt strongly about … we thought nothing better than senior vets that we would want to help.”
“We thank you so much; that was a very generous donation,” Boele told Bolger.
Both Boele and Bolger also praised the initiative of Peabody as getting the process started, as she sent out the letter to the Foundation board seeking funds and detailed what the Guitars 4 Vets program does and how it works.
“I asked him ‘what do you need’ and he said the guitars were $200,” Peabody recalled of a conversation with Boele. “And I thought, well I will write it for one guitar.”
A founding member of the Senior Foundation, Peabody said she was encouraged to increase the request by a former president of the Foundation, jumping from the original $200 to $1,000 in order to provide multiple guitars for program participants.
Guitars 4 Vets, G4V, is a national non-profit and has more than 100 chapters in over 40 states. It has been in existence since 2007 and is a 501(c)3.
“We have refined a guitar lesson program that provides veterans living with the challenges of PTSD and other injuries a unique alternative to healing,” a Guitars 4 Vets brochure states. “Our program features over 500 volunteers that deliver the mission at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities, community-based medical centers, Vet Centers, and Veterans Service Organizations.”
More than 8,000 guitars have been distributed to veterans through the program.
Now, with funding in hand, Boele is looking for more participants and more instructors so they can keep the program growing.
“We’ve been working on this since before COVID,” Boele added of bringing the chapter together.
He said he has had a couple of recreational therapists reach out to him, hoping to get veterans they work with enrolled in the program.
“I can guide them through (the lessons) but it’s up to them to practice,” Boele said of participating veterans. “We are looking for instructors.”
Currently, participating veterans meet on Mondays, in separate sessions, so Boele said it would be helpful to expand the instructional staff as hopefully more veterans become involved.
“This is all to help them,” Boele said of encouraging veterans to learn more about the program.
Additional information is available at ca.escalon@guitarsforvets.org
“People helping people, that’s what it’s all about,” agreed Bolger.
