Area Bassists Band Together to Support Operation: Adopt a Hero

Dozens of bass players from across the region showed up to The Boro Bar and Grill with instruments in hand Friday night, Nov. 7, for the venue’s 2014 Bass Off.

Typically, when this many musicians gather under one roof it’s for competition, but the Boro Bar and Grill had something different in mind for this case.

With Veteran’s Day approaching, organizers decided to donate all of the money raised from the night to the local charity, Operation: Adopt A Hero.

“We didn’t want to make it competitive,” said event coordinator, Sonya Dukett. “We wanted the focus to be all about Operation: Adopt A Hero.”

Operation: Adopt A Hero’s main mission is to support veterans in their transition back to civilian life after deployment.

Malcolm Stallard, Adopt A Hero’s co-founder, said that statistics show 22 veterans commit suicide each from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Stallard himself is a survivor. He realized after returning from his deployment to Iraq with the U.S. Army, how few resources there are to veterans when they come home.

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He set out to change that.

“I just want to be able to bring the community together,” said Stallard.

He stressed that a veteran’s journey doesn’t end when they return home. It continues, and often goes overlooked. That sense of helplessness is something Adopt A Hero wants to end.

Stallard was able to bring the community together that night, as there was a strong sense of it amongst the musicians throughout the event. Many people who attended said the cause was one they had personal reasons to support.

“My brother’s in the Marine Corps so I’d like to think that once he gets out he’ll be supported for his service,” said bass player Chad Grant.

Event organizers sold Operation: Adopt A Hero merchandise and also held a raffle for a $750 bass donated by Jacksonville’s Rocklin Guitar that night at the Boro Bar and Grill.

That generous donation is more than just a prize, however, it is also a symbol for the night’s true cause.

“We thought if we could get them all here to come together to help our veterans, nothing is going to beat that,” said the event’s emcee Matthew Dee Edmondson.