Community Corner

Veterans Music Camp Reveals War Stories in New Light

Camp participants have a need met and a creative outlet to channel their experiences and emotions.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. – Former military servicemen and women will be encouraged to tell their stories like never before at the second Songwriting Camp for Veterans. The camp, a component of transition programs designed for military members and their families, will be held in Colorado Springs, Colo., January 19-23, 2012.

Hosted by LifeQuest Military Transitions, a nonprofit organization based in Colorado Springs, all costs for veterans are covered, including travel, accommodations and music camp activities. The mission of LifeQuest is to empower military service members with life skills that enable personal growth, promote leadership development and facilitate positive change during transition into, through and beyond military life.

“There is no program out there quite like ours because we’re built on the direct needs from active duty military units,” says LifeQuest Founder CW Conner. “Many nonprofits are reactive, but we are proactive – before they fall into harm’s way.”

The songwriting retreat, directed by Austin-based musician Darden Smith, is a follow up to the first camp held in July 2011 in Edwards, Colo. Smith gathered a team of professional singer songwriters to work with LifeQuest and nine servicemen and women who participated in the retreat. Songs written during the camp were eventually performed at the Faces of Freedom concert on September 11 at the World Arena in Colorado Springs. The songs are now available for purchase on iTunes, and those written during the January 2012 camp will complete a full album that is now in the planning stages. Proceeds from the recordings benefit the veterans and help fund LifeQuest’s programs.

“The retreat is like a revival of the soul,” says 2011 camp participant and former Army Combat Engineer John Wall. “We’ve been in such dark places, seen so much evil, that this weekend is an awakening. This is what soldiers need.”

For more information about the music camp, visit www.mylq.com.


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