Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Daniels will attend and perform at the second Veteran Impact Celebration in Murfreesboro starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 27.

The fundraiser, benefiting MTSU‘s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, will be held at The Grove at Williamson Place off Medical Center Parkway near Interstate 24.

The event will highlight corporate and community leaders who have supported and invested in the Daniels Center and its Transition Home Center for student-veterans and military family members. Including $100,000 from sponsor The Journey Home Project, the inaugural Veteran Impact Celebration raised more than $170,000 for the center.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie Daniels performs in June 2018 during the first Veteran Impact Celebration at The Grove at Williamson Place. Daniels is scheduled to be a part of the event, which will be held Thursday, June 27. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)

Tickets are limited but some are still available for the event, which is being held on the Thursday before Independence Day. Individual tickets are $200 or $300 for a two-ticket combo and are available online at www.mtsu.edu/veteranimpact.

“I want to personally thank the good people of Middle Tennessee for supporting our event and our efforts again this year,” said Daniels, who is The Journey Home Project’s chairman of the board. “We promise that the money you spend with us will be used for the needs of those who have laid their lives on the line for our freedom.”

Keith M. Huber

Rachel Lipsky

The private event features dinner provided by Mission BBQ, a VIP meet and greet/photo opportunity with Daniels, a silent auction, music by country entertainer Rachel Lipsky, as well as additional speakers, including retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith M. Huber, MTSU senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives and a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee also plans to attend.

“This will be an incredible night of music, recognition and appreciation,” Huber said. “We will celebrate the impact of our veterans and their precious families as they continue to serve our nation, now out of military attire, as leaders in our communities and workforce.

“We will recognize the business leaders and organizations which provide opportunities and loyal support to our military,” he added. “We will appreciate the unparalleled commitment of MTSU to our veterans as well as the patriotic foundation of support — the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military family Member Center.

The Daniels Center is the largest and most comprehensive veterans center on any Tennessee higher education campus. It enables the campus’ 1,000-plus student-veteran population to have a one-stop shop to meet a variety of academic needs.

The 3,200-square-foot center is located in the Keathley University Center, right in the heart of the MTSU campus. The center is a place for MTSU’s student veterans to study, to gather and to get help from fellow veterans, who will serve as peer advisers and sponsors. The Transition Home Center assists student veterans — or any student — in making the transition from being a college student to getting their career underway.

The Veteran Impact Celebration’s title sponsor is Nashville-based Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical.

Censis Technologies Inc., The Journey Home Project and Dollar General are platinum sponsors. Supporting sponsors include Steel Barrel Brewing Company, The Grove at Williamson Place, Stones River Total Beverages and Mission BBQ.

For more information, call 615-904-8347.

Daniels, 82, a multi-award winner with a multiplatinum career who’s used his work as a platform to support the military, underprivileged children and others in need. He’s received numerous accolades over the course of his career, including induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame and becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

The Charlie Daniels Band has long populated radio with memorable hits and his signature song, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The band is scheduled to perform 100 concert dates this year. “Off the Grid — Doin’ It Dylan,” the band’s latest release, features 10 Bob Dylan songs.

Daniels helps to shine the spotlight on the many causes that are close to his heart. He’s a staunch supporter of the military and lends his time and talent to numerous charitable organizations, including The Journey Home Project, which he founded in 2014 with his manager, David Corlew, to help veterans of the United States Armed Forces.

For more information about Daniels, visit www.charliedaniels.com. For more information on The Journey Home Project, visit www.thejourneyhomeproject.org.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)

Attendees at the inaugural Veteran Impact Celebration in June 2018 at The Grove at Williamson Place in Murfreesboro enjoy the festivities. The event raised more than $170,000 for MTSU’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center. Tickets are on sale for this year’s event, which is set for Thursday, June 27.(MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)