CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Wounded Heroes Day in Charlotte, NC, Gary Sinise & The Lt. Dan Band will perform a free concert on Sunday, April 21st, at 7 p.m. at the Revelry North End. Hosted by The Independence Fund, the concert celebrates the 4th annual Wounded Heroes Day, which was signed into law in 2021 in honor of SGT Michael Verardo. The band is now a program of the Gary Sinise Foundation, which was established in 2011 by Actor and Humanitarian Gary Sinise- who has been a staunch supporter of veterans for more than 40 years- to support our nation's first responders, veterans, heroes and defenders.
The band, which was formed 20 years ago, uplifts veterans, first responders and their families through morale-boosting events and entertainment throughout the United States and the world. The band is named after Gary's iconic portrayal of Lieutenant Dan Taylor in the academy award-winning film Forrest Gump, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary later this year. To-date, the band has performed more than 560 concerts around the world.
North Carolina is home to almost 800,000 Veterans; more than 155,000 of those Veterans have a disability incurred in service to our nation. On April 24th, SGT Michael Verardo's Alive Day, North Carolina, observes Wounded Heroes Day. An Alive Day marks the day a service member nearly died in combat. Wounded Heroes Day honors SGT Michael Verardo and all wounded Veterans across North Carolina.
"The continued celebration of Wounded Heroes Day is an important milestone for the wounded Veterans in our state and helps acknowledge that freedom is not free," says Sarah Verardo, CEO of The Independence Fund. "Life for my family was forever changed on April 24, 2010, and this state recognized day is a meaningful way we can honor the sacrifices of so many of our local friends and neighbors who have experienced the same."
Tickets and VIP packages for the concert can be reserved at WoundedHeroesDay.org. For more information on the Gary Sinise Foundation, visit www.garysinisefoundation.org.
ABOUT THE INDEPENDENCE FUND
Founded in 2007, The Independence Fund (501c3) is committed to serving United States Veterans by providing innovative programs and services to support the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual independence of servicemembers, combat Veterans, their Caregivers, families, and those Allies who served in combat alongside American troops, through innovative mobility and adaptive technologies and therapies for combat Veterans; suicide prevention; caregiver and family support; and Veteran advocacy with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, other government agencies, federal and state legislators, and other partners.
ABOUT THE GARY SINISE FOUNDATION
Gary Sinise is an award-winning actor and humanitarian, best known for his roles in CSI:NY, Apollo 13, and his Oscar-nominated performance in the film Forrest Gump as the wounded Vietnam veteran Lt. Dan Taylor. An advocate for our nation's defenders since the 1980s, after 9/11 Sinise began a tireless crusade to support America's military and first responders around the world with handshake tours and concerts with his band, the Lt. Dan Band. In 2011, he established the Gary Sinise Foundation as an extension of those efforts. Today, the Foundation is building custom homes for severely wounded heroes, honoring and supporting the families of our fallen, providing essential equipment and training for first responders, improving the mental wellness of our defenders, and so much more. For more information and to support, visit www.garysinisefoundation.org.
Media contact: TIFcommunications@independencefund.org
SOURCE The Independence Fund