SALUTE TO SERVICE: GARY SINISE FOUNDATION

While their efforts are nationally known, the Gary Sinise Foundation is an organization that has benefitted many military service members and their families in the Clarksville-Montgomery County area. Recently, the foundation moved its headquarters to Nashville, bringing it closer to our city, and the hundreds of families of fallen service members, veterans, and first responders in Middle Tennessee who are the core of the foundation’s mission. Since its founding in 2011, GSF has organized events for families of the fallen, offered grants for first responders, served meals to active-duty soldiers, and even adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans. As the name states, the foundation started with award-winning actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise. The general public’s response to his role of Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump was a large part of his desire to begin helping those left in the wake of war — be it the soldiers, the wounded or disabled, and the families of those who never made it back home. “That’s the mission — that’s Gary’s vision,” Jim Ravella, GSF’s vice president of programs, told VIP Clarksville. “It was his connection with the military through his father, his in-laws, and his uncles that served and sacrificed, and his experience of watching the Vietnam war unfold in the nation, and to his family.” One of those events is Snowball Express, which began in 2006 as an annual, free event for children of fallen military heroes as its own nonprofit. In the event’s early years, Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band would return year after year and play a concert for the families of the fallen in attendance. Snowball Express then became a program of GSF in late 2017, and it has since turned into an annual trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for families of the fallen. By partnering with American Airlines, GSF brings those children and their surviving parents or guardians together from all over the country for a four-day experience filled with fun and entertainment in a warm, emotionally safe, and inclusive environment. But that’s not all the foundation does — they also offer support to wounded veterans and their families. For over 10 years, GSF has provided mortgage-free homes for wounded veterans, and in turn, giving them back their freedom and independence. In fact, in March of 2022, the Gary Sinise Foundation gifted a wheel-chair accessible home to a wounded 101st Airborne Division veteran and hero right here in Clarksville, U.S. Army Sergeant Christopher Kurtz. In the ClarksvilleMontgomery County area alone, around 150 children and veterans have benefited from the foundation’s programs and outreach. As for the first responders, Ravella said the impact of 9/11, and the personal effect it had on Gary Sinise, also expanded the foundation’s focus to include those protecting us at home. Many of their event offerings are also extended to first responders and their families, but one unique program is First Responders Outreach, which provides funding for equipment and training for volunteer fire departments across the country. “Those departments sometimes are not as well funded as your Nashville or larger city departments, and we help them with gear and things they need to help do their job,” Ravella told VIP Clarksville.

But at the core of each of these missions, is a desire to help those who’ve given so much in the name of our country and safety. “Everything about what Gary does at his core I believe is that he wants to make people know they’re not forgotten and appreciated, and to know that the sacrifice they make every day matters and that people care,” Ravella said. “We express the nation’s thanks through the foundation. In a way, we become the conduit for the people.”

To get involved with the Gary Sinise Foundation or to learn how to become a volunteer, please visit https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/ for more information.

In May, the program held its first annual scholarship and award ceremony. Thanks to the generosity of one mentee’s parent who donated the funds to cover the trophies, Parsons and the mentors were able to celebrate the boys’ achievements over the year. “Seeing their gratitude coming up to receive those awards — we gave them medallions to put over their heads — and they got certificates.” The boys received awards like Best Artist, Most Creative, and Best Personality. Some awards were based on the amount of volunteer work the boys did over the year. They also took the Oath of the Young Kings in front of their families, and some received college scholarships.

But in order for the mentorship program to continue, Parsons and Bragg said they need sponsors and mentors from the community. “We are looking for mentors. We want people to join us — dedicated people that are willing to help us,” Parsons said. “And along with trying to run a program, we need financial support. We’re looking for sponsorships and funds,” Bragg added. Every time the program meets, there is a meal served and currently the program has about 20 members that show up to every meeting. Parsons, Bragg, and the other organizers currently cover those expenses out of pocket.

All school-age boys are welcome to attend the free mentorship program, which is hosted from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of each month at Emmanuel Family Life Center at 303 Fairview Lane in Clarksville. Those interested may sign up for orientation, but Parsons encourages anyone that’s interested to just stop by and check out the program first.

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