On November 12, 2011 the 8th Annual American Freedom Festival will take place at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. The festival honors the men and women who serve in the American Armed Forces, as well as the veterans who have sacrificed their time and lives for the betterment of this country.
One of the biggest world-wide missions of the American Freedom Foundation, organizers of the event, is to help alleviate the welfare and educational issues facing those wounded and disabled in action, as well as the families and children of the veterans killed in action in conflicts throughout the world. The Foundation has not been around for long, but in its short time has provided grants in excess of $750,000 to more than 30 military organizations.
This year is unique in that the American Freedom Foundation has partnered with SKYDEX and CareerBuilder to host a first annual Veteran’s Job Fair. The fair will be held from 9:00am to 3:00pm at the Patriot Center before the actual festival begins at 7:30pm. The job fair will bring in companies from the DC metro area and will serve as a vehicle for exposing otherwise hard-to-find employment opportunities to veterans.
Chuck Loeher, Vice President of CareerBuilder Government Solutions, thinks partnering with the American Freedom Foundation is not only logical, but also serves as a way to give back to those who have sacrificed so much for us. “CareerBuilder is excited about partnering with the American Freedom Foundation to support the employment of veterans. Our goal has always been to connect employers with the most qualified candidates, and this event is especially meaningful to us. We are honored to support the American Freedom Foundation and help our veterans on their next mission: transitioning into civilian careers.” In turn, veterans and active duty military will have the chance to speak with the companies, submit resumes and even interview for jobs. All of these services are free of charge, further underscoring the commitment of those involved to supporting our military families.
While the employment opportunities the American Freedom Foundation is providing are focused on veterans and active-duty military, the evening is a night of fun and great live music open to the all. A highlight of this year’s festival is a performance from Grammy-nominated rock band, Daughtry. The festival will be an early stop for the band before they set out on tour to promote their new album “Break the Spell,” which is set for release on November 21, 2011.
Daughtry will headline this year's Festival
This isn’t Daughtry’s first involvement in supporting our armed forces. In April 2010, Daughtry performed a private USO show for the troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Sergeant Major Jack L. Tilley, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of the American Freedom Festival is eager to have Daughtry perform. “We are very excited about Daughtry headlining our upcoming American Freedom Festival in Washington. This concert is to honor our military for their service and sacrifice while raising much needed funds and awareness for those charities that serve and support our veterans, service members and their families.”
There’s also a good chance Daughtry will be debuting fresh material from their upcoming album. Per a recent Tweet from front man Chris Daughtry, “It’s always cliché to say ‘this is our best stuff yet’ but SERIOUSLY I’m so proud of this record! We’re halfway done and it’s blowing my mind!”
The excitement of the evening’s festivities is equally matched by the events that are taking place during the day. The daytime will offer hope to those who are in need of employment and have had a difficult time finding opportunities, and the evening will be a fun celebration for those who actively serve and have served and a way for us to support them through our attendance.
Tickets at Ticketmaster.com. Discounted tickets for active military at the Patriot Center box office and ITT/ITR offices at the Anacostia Annex, Annapolis Naval Station, Fort Belvoir and OSD/JS Welfare & Recreation at the Pentagon. Patriot Center box office 888-583-6038.
