Grammy award winning vocalist LeAnn Rimes and DAV (Disabled American Veterans), a nonprofit that provides resources for our nation’s veterans, are collaborating this holiday season to celebrate our heroes home.
The partnership coincides with the release of Rimes’ new holiday album, Today Is Christmas. Rimes partnered with Grammy nominated recording artist Gavin DeGraw to record a new version of Kenny Loggins' hit song, “Celebrate Me Home” for the album, and the song’s music video includes heartwarming moments from real military homecomings.
Rimes and DAV are joining forces to honor veterans and their families in memorable ways throughout the holiday season, with the goal of bringing greater awareness to America’s 22 million veterans and those transitioning back to civilian life. As part of the collaboration, deserving veterans from across the country will get the surprise of a lifetime on stage at each of the 12 stops on Rimes’ upcoming holiday tour, where they will receive VIP tickets to her concert, a face-to-face “thank you” on stage with Rimes and a special holiday gift.
“DAV is delighted to partner with LeAnn Rimes on this timely opportunity to pay tribute and give back to America’s veterans in meaningful ways,” said Marc Burgess, DAV National Adjutant. “This partnership will help us reach new audiences and bring greater attention to the importance of providing a lifetime of support to veterans of all generations.”
The road home can often be a difficult one for service members who are making the transition to civilian life. They must overcome many challenges, including reintegrating with their families, dealing with the visible and invisible wounds of war, finding housing and searching for employment. Every year, DAV provides support to more than 1 million veterans and their families, helping them gain access to the benefits they earned and deserve, and connecting them with meaningful job opportunities.
“While Gavin and I were recording ‘Celebrate Me Home,’ we were reminded of the emotional homecoming videos we’ve seen over the years, and thought that connecting the song to veterans elevated the meaning,” said Rimes. “We thought of all the great work DAV is doing for transitioning service men and women and veterans of all generations and knew it was the perfect holiday partnership.”
Today is Christmas, which is being released through Kobalt Label Services, is now available on iTunes, Amazon, and all music retailers, with an exclusive version available at Target and Target.com that will include three bonus tracks. Rimes’ Today Is Christmas Tour is scheduled to kick off on December 4, 2015 in Tacoma, Washington. For additional information and to see upcoming tour dates, visit her website.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can support America’s veterans this holiday season, please visit DAV.org/Celebrate.
