“I am standing here today because of SongwritingWith:Soldiers.”

Sgt. Nikki Shaw shared these moving words as she introduced Half-Horse Town at our September SongwritingWith:Soldiers fundraiser, a song she co-wrote at a retreat with Darden Smith and Radney Foster. We want to share this video of Nikki’s speech because, in truth, her tribute belongs to all of you who have supported our efforts.

Thanks to your support (financial, artistic, emotional, social, culinary, and on and on), SongwritingWith:Soldiers has been able to invite service members into peaceful retreat and workshop settings where they have shared their darkest stories about combat and the return home with professional songwriters. Through an almost magical process, participants have transformed their private pain into creative expression. It is a process that, Nikki tells us, “saved my life.”

With your help, SongwritingWith:Soldiers is standing today, looking back at a remarkable first year devoted to our military men and women — and the power of creative expression. You have our deepest gratitude.

Have a Happy New Year, full of joy and music and new songs by soldiers!

You may view Nikki’s speech by clicking on this link. WATCH NOW

Listen to Half Horse Town here

Stay tuned for some new stories from our workshops — participants  talking about their own strengths and the strengths of each other!  (Like gratitude, kindness, humor… 🙂  Inspiring!