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Volunteer Healing Box Project tells Missouri committee how guitars and lessons helped more than 500 veterans
Summary
A volunteer from the Healing Box Project told the House Veterans and Armed Forces Committee that the nonprofit has provided guitars and weekly lessons to disabled veterans for 14 years, said the program has given away more than 500 guitars, and recounted a veteranwhose life was saved after engaging with music.
At the close of the HB 25 93 hearing, Dave Dunkley of the Healing Box Project delivered a public testimony about a volunteer program that supplies guitars and lessons to disabled veterans. "What we do is we give guitars and lessons to disabled veterans and we've been doing it now for 14 years. We've given away over 500 guitars and worked with over 500 families," Dunkley said.
Dunkley described the program's mission and an example of its impact: a veteran named Derek called Dunkley to say the guitar "saved my life," explaining that playing the instrument helped him through a suicidal moment and eventually led to new social ties and a family. Dunkley said the program operates without government funding, raises about $15,000 a year through one annual fundraiser on the first Sunday in June and provides instruments that are above student‑model quality so they can last and be passed down.
Committee members praised the work and asked for event details. Representative Boykin and others asked for the fundraiser date and location; Dunkley said the annual fundraiser will be June 7 from noon to about 5 p.m. at The Fishing Company in Camdenton, Missouri (Lake of the Ozarks) and described the group's modest operating budget and volunteer structure. Members encouraged the witness and noted the televised hearing could help spread awareness of the program across the state.
Dunkley's testimony was personal and nonpartisan; the committee did not vote on or otherwise act on the nonprofit's request for assistance. The hearing then adjourned.
