Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobbie Allison-Standefer.
Hi Bobbie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
A couple of Nashville songwriters on a USO tour decided to take out their guitars and talk to soldiers and put their stories into song. They came back and Don Goodman, Grammy nominated songwriter (Ol Red, Angels Among Us, Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands) joined one of them at the VA Hospital Music Therapy program in Murfreesboro’s VA Hospital, the Alvin C York VA Medical Center) and did a 6 week program for veterans with PTSD and other trauma. The veterans loved it and felt it helped them alot, but wanted an ongoing program to keep supporting them. Bobbie Allison-Standefer, Chattanooga, TN, with a 25 year history in nonprofits and start up nonprofit, ran into them at a ranch in Columbus, GA she had helped start for therapy for soldiers and families. Don and Bobbie talked about bringing the songwriters to work with veterans in Chattanooga from the local Vet Center. A two day retreat in 2014 with professional songwriters working with veterans producing their stories into songs and an ending concert was born. The participating veterans supported starting weekly classes which grew to over 35 veterans coming weekly to a high tech classroom in Chattanooga. The program was heavily supported by John Taylor, a Purple Heart Vietnam veteran, and brother to Steve Smith who owns alot of lower Broadway. John managed the new talent coming into Nashville. John started Honky Tonk School for young musicians coming to Nashville to try to get a start in the music industry. Later after Don brought on another Grammy nominated songwriter, Steve Dean. to help with the new class in Chattanooga, they formed a nonprofit, 501c3, to service active duty military, veterans and their families with a unique model of ongoing classes where veterans go through the program and then can come back to class to watch and support new veterans going through the program. We call that Vet to Vet healing because they all understand each other and what they have been through. In 2020 after covid hit the classes came to be on zoom and the program became national with veterans from all over the country coming into class because of anxiety and isolation issues. We started doing two day retreats in Arkansas with the VA in North Little Rock which were very successful and then we went to Colorado to a rural area needing to help veterans there in Welcome Home Alliance for Veterans. From there the program started being recognized and cities and veteran organizations around the country started calling asking for retreats. We started training local songwriters at these retreats to leave a live program in place when they wanted one. We started a class in Murfreesboro when live classes came back with Don Goodman and he invited hit making Nashville songwriters to sit in on that by-weekly class. Honky Tonk School also sends their most talented up and coming musicians to work with the veterans to hone their songwriting skills. It is popular with those young musicians. It has become our hub and our most popular class. We still do a National zoom class weekly with veterans from Hawaii to Alaska coming to class. We did 12 retreats around the country this year and were in high demand for America 250. Now we are in 8 states and have 7 weekly and bi-weekly classes on zoom and live. We received the VAs Award this year from their Department of Innovation Ecosystem for working with their combat nurses and medics who are VA nurses now. We have two albums coming from that. You can hear our music on streaming platforms now. Because some of the songs are historical we have made some great educational videos and will work to get those in classrooms. We are on youtube at Freedom Sings USA. You can also go to our website: www.freedomsingsusa.org.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In a nonprofit money is always a struggle, but we have had great support from the veterans. Also we have the same struggles any nonprofit has. We always need more volunteers for events, etc. Since there now are other songwriters out there working with veterans we have been trying to establish the difference in our model of ongoing support after the song is written. Also there are always hoops to jump through with the VA and they have cut funding, so we are trying to help those VAs who want our program with corporate sponsors. We were going into studios to record the songs which took alot of money but now we can use AI for back up melodies and instruments. We do make sure all lyrics are original as well as the melodies and we prefer the songwriter’s actual voice on the song if the technology is there and they know how to use it. We now have a class without a songwriter weekly where the veterans use AI to keep getting those thoughts and stories out and they have a blast.
There are always struggles when putting on events especially if they are outdoors. Events are where we get the songs heard and the mission out there. We were just the honored charity at Tootsie’s Birthday Bash and also one of the honored charities at Gary Sinise’s Concert Rocking for the Vets in Illinois as well. Our Hunter Girl, who came in second on American Idol and has been with us since she was 18, opened for Gary Sinise and the Lt Dan Band. Expanding as fast as we have and dealing with Secretaries of States where veterans want programs has had struggles, but we have worked through those and have a great attorney who was a Marine, Martin Parsons.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I worked as a volunteer in the nonprofit world for 25 years and had helped someone else start a nonprofit when I met Don Goodman. There is no way I should know Don or Steve except that God meant for this to happen. I have my own business which I inherited from my brother but I specialize in the senior market and helping with Medicare and retirement. I run across alot of veterans, especially Vietnam veterans who have no idea about what benefits they are entitled to so I tell them how to access them and about our program if they are still having issues.
Freedom Sings USA without alot of money and just alot of people, especially veterans and their families believing in the program and telling us it has saved their lives, has expanded and been blessed by God. The program is recognized by the VA and we are invited in to VA rehab hospitals to work with disabled veterans. We have also become popular with rural cities who want to celebrate their veterans by having us work with some and then our hit songwriters do a concert for the city. The program has seen an amazing and unbelievable expansion just by word of mouth mostly. We are mostly a volunteer organization, but the volunteers are passionate veterans and their families who believe this can help other veterans come to emotional healing. We give them a the greatest purpose they have had since serving their country. They are serving other veterans who need help healing. Because of John Taylor we do Heroes Nights on lower Broadway either at Honky Tonk Central or Kid Rocks. We will be honoring John Taylor at a Heroes night this year at Kid Rocks on Nov. 11, Veterans Day starting at 6 with another Heroes Night and all veterans are invited. We will have some great music and entertainment on the second floor.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Never give up if you believe in your mission. There are bumps in the road but if you stay the course and pray alot you can succeed. I also feel we have had Divine intervention which has brought the passionate people who also believe in our mission. I also believe if you are doing good and trying to do good for as many people as you can reach, good will come back to you. We do not charge for our services to veterans.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://freedomsingsusa.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomsingsusa
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreedomSingsUSA/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/freedomsingsusa
