events

Houston Charity, Guitars for Vets Collaborate to Offer Celeb-Autographed Instruments for a Cause

Houston Charity, Guitars for Vets Collaborate to Offer Celeb-Autographed Instruments for a Cause

Dennis Quaid-autographed 'Gordo' guitar by Tra' Slaughter

SEPTEMBER IS SUICIDE Prevention Month, and U.S. military veterans are a population that continues to bear disproportionately higher rates of suicide. Nearly one million veterans are afflicted with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and more soldiers have committed suicide since 9/11 than have died in actual battle.

These alarming statistics compelled the Houston nonprofit StellaNova Foundation, whose mission is to provide funding for local organizations that support mental health care, to partner with Guitars for Vets (G4V) as the beneficiary of the charity fundraising event “Operation: Stars, Stripes, and Strings.” The Foundation aims to raise $50,000 during “Operation: Stars, Stripes, and Strings” in support of activating G4V’s Houston chapter.

On Sept. 20, a collection of celebrity-autographed and artist-adorned guitars will be available online to purchase at three different donation levels. The donated instruments include autographed guitars from Alan Jackson, Paul Rodgers, Night Ranger, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds; a BuzzFest guitar signed by Bush, Godsmack, Live, Our Lady Peace and others; six guitars hand-painted with Houston artist Tra’ Slaughter’s interpretations of movie roles played by Houston Dennis Quaid, who autographed all of the guitars; and an acoustic guitar autographed by Latin Grammy winners Banda Los Recoditos.

Donors at other various levels can also purchase works by Houston artists Taft McWhorter, Joni Zavitsanos, and Deasa Turner. You can check out the guitars in person on Sept. 22 from 11-5pm at Christian’s Tailgate, and Sept. 28 at 1pm at Hardy & Nance Studios.

Founded in 2007, G4V provides veterans free in-person and online guitar instruction and a new acoustic guitar and guitar accessory kit through programs run by volunteers in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs health care systems and community-based outpatient clinics. The nonprofit organization operates more than 150 chapters across the nation with the help of over 1,000 volunteers. Thanks to the StellaNova Foundation, Houston veterans will soon benefit from these resources.

“The outpouring of support from the music industry and Houston’s arts community has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Doug Harris, Executive Director of the StellaNova Foundation. “It seems there are no ‘politics’ when it comes to helping our veterans and people have gone out of their way to get us what we need to engage donors.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Dennis Quaid-autographed 'Ronald Reagan' guitar by Tra' Slaughter

Deasa Turner's 'Barbie' guitar

Dennis Quaid-autographed 'Jerry Lee' guitar by Tra' Slaughter


Related Articles Around the Web
Art + Entertainment
promoted

With Expertise in Blondes, Extensions and More, the Janelle Alexis Team Is a Go-To Salon

Al Torres
With Expertise in Blondes, Extensions and More, the Janelle Alexis Team Is a Go-To Salon

YOU CAN'T LIMIT Janelle to one title – Hairdresser. Her career and business has been established and built on a strong foundation. Using her two business degrees + one more in-process, this enables Janelle and the team to deliver not only a customer-focused experience, but a foundationally solid business. There is much more than meets the eye, and in sharing a little bit about Janelle, she was not only an international hair extension educator for over 14 years, but brings extensive expertise to blondes. She rounds this out with her previously launched namesake cosmetic line, which is a perfect complement to her belief that “Beauty is our Business”.

Keep Reading Show less
promoted

Fall Philanthropy Report: Easter Seals of Greater Houston ‘Impacts Where People Need Us the Most’

What year was your organization launched? Founded in Houston in 1947, as the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center, the organization provided services to individuals with disabilities living in Houston and Harris County. In 1989, the organization changed its name and greatly expanded its services to meet the needs of its clientele. Today as Easter Seals Greater Houston, the organization provides multiple outstanding service programs to children, adults, veterans, and service members with all types of disabilities and their families in Harris and sixteen surrounding counties.

Keep Reading Show less
promoted

Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

Keep Reading Show less