Easter Seals joins Lady Antebellum and ABC News welcoming veterans home
by Rachel
Lady Antebellum giving a private concert honoring veteran Tommy Haire.
It happens every once in a while in our office — someone comes back from a mission-fused experience and cannot stop gushing about our wonderful client families and about how much they love working here. I had one of those “my job totally rocks” days when I accompanied Sgt. Tommy Haire and his family to a private Lady Antebellum concert in Chicago. Singer Hillary Scott explained that the country music trio wanted to give back to our veterans and honor them through music.
The Haires are such a sweet and deserving family. I had so much fun getting to know them and it was touching to see them recognized and thanked by celebrities!
I’m a huge country music fan. I was starstruck to meet Lady A, and the coolest thing of all was to personally thank them for everything they’re doing for veterans.
To kick off the holiday season, Lady Antebellum toured local markets, giving private radio concerts to an Easter Seals-connected veteran and his or her family. It’s all part of ABC’s annual “Home For the Holidays” campaign to showcase the talents of veterans currently working or aspiring to work in the entertainment industry. And it helps support Disney’s company-wide “Heroes Work Here” initiative, which served as the foundation for a recent veterans-hiring event at Walt Disney World.
With the help of Easter Seals’ partner Veterans in Film & Television (VFT), ABC chose five scripts written by veterans that describe what being home for the holidays means to them. The stories have been shaped into short films that will premiere each Monday.
The theme of coming home for the holiday season is a theme that hits close to home for Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott. Her best friend’s husband serves in the Navy, and he recently came home to surprise his wife and their son for the boy’s first birthday.
The band recorded a cover of Kenny Loggins’ “Celebrate Me Home” for the campaign and is performing it in sets for Easter Seals veterans and their families in select markets.
Gathering to celebrate and reconnect with family and friends for the holidays is a highlight for all. Be sure to recognize our veterans and thank them for their service — not just during the holiday season, but all year long!<