Charlie Daniels’ Journey Home Project Donates $50,000 to Shepherd’s Men

He is best known for his fiddle playing, but Charlie Daniels is also quite the philanthropist. In association with his Journey Home Project, Daniels recently donated $50,000 to an organization that raises awareness about traumatic brain injuries and suicide among U.S. military personnel and veterans.

The donation was presented to Shepherd’s Men, a group of 14 veterans and civilians who made a 1,400-mile run from Boston, Mass., to Atlanta, Ga., to raise funds for the SHARE Military Initiative, a rehabilitative care project for soldiers returning from war with traumatic brain injuries. The 2016 Shepherd’s Run began on March 26 and ended on April 3, stopping in Gettysburg, Pa., New York City and Nashville, among others. Each member of the group ran the 1,400 miles wearing a flak vest with 22 pounds of added weight, which represents the average number of suicides that occur among U.S. veterans every single day.

“The men and women returning from today’s conflicts volunteered for our country, for all of us, and they return with battle scars that need our help to heal. Too many are pushed to the margins and take their own lives while the rest of us enjoy the freedom for which these veterans fought," says Travis Ellis, civilian founder of Shepherd’s Men, in a press release. "The physical challenge of our run is nothing compared to the challenges faced by our veterans."

The Journey Home Project was founded by Daniels, David Corlew, Ed Hardy and Joe and Mercedes Longever in 2014 to partner with organizations that assist veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Part of the recent $50,000 donation was raised at Daniels’ 40th Anniversary Volunteer Jam, held at Bridgestone Arena in August.

“The Journey Home Project was founded in 2014 for the sole purpose of helping those organizations that do the most good in helping our veterans and military members in need,” Corlew says in a press release. “The Atlanta Shepherd Center is one of those worthy organizations, and what the Shepherd’s Men are doing is just so unbelievable and inspiring. They’re making an incredible sacrifice for those who sacrificed it all.”