No Result
View All Result
Military Families
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
 Military Families
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Military Families

Gary Sinise Foundation hosts star-studded event for children of the fallen

Donald Liebenson
by Donald Liebenson
December 18, 2020
Gary Sinise Foundation hosts star-studded event for children of the fallen

To protect the safety of the participating Gold Star families during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation pivoted Snowball Express's annual end-of-year event to a virtual celebration, offering a series of surprise celebrity guests, an entertaining opening ceremony, various resource groups designed to aid the families in the grieving process, and a special virtual concert put on by Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band.

Tweet

Since 2006, the Snowball Express has served to provide comfort and a sense of community to the families of fallen service members. Year-round activities across the country culminate in a grand, all-expenses paid excursion to Disney World. This year, when COVID-19 threatened to derail the annual event, the Gary Sinise Foundation, backed by its sponsors, A-list celebrities and hundreds of volunteers, engineered a virtual game plan that kept this inspiring joy ride on track.

“This has been a tough year for our nation,” said retired Gen. Robin Rand, CEO of the Gary Sinise Foundation. “Compound dealing every morning waking up to deal with the loss of a loved one with the pandemic. Gary wanted the families to know we were not going to forget them. He’s a genuine force of nature; his commitment to this community of our nation’s veterans and first responders is unmatched. So when we realized we had to pivot from an in-person event, he began reaching out to his connections made over the last 40 years. Gary is hard to say no to.”

Listen: Gary Sinise shares ways to honor America’s military veterans

Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band were frequent participants in the original iteration of Snowball Express. His foundation absorbed the program in 2018. Planning for a year of Snowball Express activities begins in January. In August, Rand said, the decision was made to cancel the in-person event out of concerns for the safety of more than 650 families and 1,750 Snowball Express-goers. “We quickly went virtual. The sponsors, entertainers and about 500 volunteers (including members of the original Snowball Express team) exceeded expectations.”

Held earlier in December, this year’s Snowball Express featured a “something for everyone” itinerary, including an opening night event streamed from the Museum of Magic hosted by David Copperfield and a dance party hosted by DJ D-Nice, a guided tour by Jay Leno of his classic and vintage car collection, a screening of the Oscar-winning documentary, “Free Solo” followed by a Q&A with climber Alex Honnold and a bedtime reading of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Kristen Chenowith.

Throughout the weekend, actors, musicians and entertainers, including Angelina Jolie, Mark Wahlberg, Tom Hanks, Patricia Heaton, Kaley Cuoco, Joe Mantegna, Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks, Olympian Simone Biles and Keanu Reeves, offered messages of love and support.

The Gary Sinise Foundation created a 3D interactive virtual walk-through of the Snowball Express Remembrance Garden with a flag representing a fallen hero from each of the 2,000+ Gold Star families in the program, providing an opportunity for the families to search and directly find the flag and placard honoring their loved one.

But the core mission of Snowball Express is not just to give the families a much-needed and deserved good time, Rand said. It is also about providing resources to help them cope with their grief (children are encouraged to messages of love to their fallen parent) as well as information on such topics as college tuition. Perhaps the most meaningful and moving portion of the weekend is the Remembrance Garden. This year’s garden was re-staged as a virtual event; participants were able to navigate online to find a flag with their fallen hero’s name.

It is these aspects of the Snowball Express weekend that offer the most lasting value to families, according to Peggy Riggen, the legal guardian and great-aunt of 13-year-old Joshua Ryan Blackwell, whose father, Justin R. Blackwell, was killed in action when his son was five-months-old.

“Snowball Express has brought not only fun,  but camaraderie, understanding, and a place to go to for help on questions that you just don’t know where to go to get the answer,” she said via email. “Josh and Allyson, my niece, developed great friendships with other Gold Star families and kids who understood what they were going through. They helped each other when they needed to talk, when they needed to grieve, when they needed to be angry or sad and lonely, and they could talk each other through it. I know that they found a lot of solace in that.”

This year’s Snowball Express was literally a “little engine that could” operation. Preparations for the Remembrance Garden along required volunteers to set up upwards of 2,000 flags, each with its own identifying marker.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of the Foundation staff,” Rand said. “It was all hands on deck, a lot of late nights and long hours. It goes to show you, give people a task and if they are passionate about the mission there are no limits to what we can accomplish.”

For more information on The Snowball Express and the Gary Sinise Foundation, visit garysinisefoundation.org.

Read comments
Tags: Gary SiniseGary Sinise FoundationGold Star FamiliesLt. Dan BandSnowball Express
Tweet30
Donald Liebenson

Donald Liebenson

Donald Liebenson writes about books and entertainment for The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair.com, Turner Classic Movies and other outlets. He lives in Chicago.

Related Posts

Gold Star Gamers
Military Kid

Gold Star Gamers offer healing through competitive gaming

1 month ago
Deployment
Military Deployment

6 ways to help children cope with deployment 

1 month ago
gunny claus
Military Kid

Q&A with Gunny Claus

2 months ago
9 simple ways to teach children about Veterans Day
Military Veterans

9 simple ways to teach children about Veterans Day

3 months ago
Mail train requested for military kid diagnosed with terminal cancer
Military News

Mail train requested for military kid diagnosed with terminal cancer

3 months ago
School liaison: Program growing to support more than transition
Military Kid

School liaison: Program growing to support more than transition

4 months ago

Ads

Military News, delivered to your inbox

Get a free copy of MILITARY FAMILIES delivered to your inbox each month

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER

GET RESOURCES

  • VETERANS TOOLKIT

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • CFC/NONPROFITS
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • PITCH US
  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2022 Military Families by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in Military Families Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in Military Families Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in Military Families Magazine!

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Military Life
    • Deployment
    • Relocation
    • Military Spouses
    • Military Kids
  • Education
  • Career
    • Transition
    • Entrepreneur
  • Veterans
  • Health
  • Money
    • Military Deals & Discounts
  • OFF DUTY
    • Travel
    • Beyond the Base
    • Food & Recipes
    • Book Reviews & Roundups
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
  • OPINION
  • About us
    • Submissions
    • Pitch us
    • Submit your story
    • Our story
    • Our team
    • Our writers
  • Magazine
    • Get Resources
    • Veterans toolkit
    • Get print
    • Get digital
    • Get the newsletter
  • Advertise
    • Get our media kit
    • CFC/Nonprofits
    • Publisher’s statement

© 2022 Military Families by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW.