Concert draws crowd

The sprawling lawn in front of the Twin Oaks Mansion at Silver Springs State Park was awash with revelers on Feb. 3 for the first live concert back at that venue in seven years.

The Never Give Up On Country benefit concert was organized by the Travis Mills Foundation and featured entertainers Johnny & Heidi, Chris McNeil and Parmalee. A pre-concert block party offered contests, food trucks and more.

The foundation supports injured, or “recalibrated,” veterans and their families. Travis Mills coined the term “recalibrated veteran” after he lost portions of all of his limbs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. Through the foundation, veterans and their families can enjoy an all-expenses paid vacation to Maine, where they participate in adaptive activities, bond with other veteran families and enjoy rest and relaxation.

“There were about 1,000 red, white and blue loving concert attendees at Never Give Up On Country, and we couldn’t have been more grateful for each and every one of them,” said Molly Lovell-Keely, communications and marketing manager for the Travis Mills Foundation.

“The Travis Mills Foundation would like to thank Chase, our presenting sponsor. We would also like to thank the community at large for embracing the Travis Mills Foundation, its mission to support our nation’s post-911 recalibrated—or injured—veterans and its founder U.S. Army SSG (Ret.) Travis Mills,” Lovell-Keely added.

Ocalan Linda Bammann is a foundation board member.

“It was so much fun to bring a tremendous concert back to Silver Springs and for such a great benefit to our recalibrated veterans. Thank you to all who attended and contributed to the Travis Mills Foundation. Our mission is to ensure that no recalibrated veteran or their families ever live life on the sidelines. I believe we are making America greater one veteran at a time,” Bammann said.

To learn more about the Travis Mills Foundation, go to travismillsfoundation.org