The Newhall chapter of Guitars 4 Vets has closed as of Oct. 3, with a new organization, Santa Clarita Veterans Guitar Alliance, being created in its place.
Tom Lamog, co-founder and Veterans Guitar Alliance program director, said that the Newhall chapter of Guitars 4 Vets struggled with getting the equipment it needed for its students.
Lamog’s partner Bruce Geiger, co-founder and operations director of the new alliance, decided that he felt he could do more to help veterans learn the guitar, thus the new group was created.
“The instructor team that we have, about five instructors, they want to continue on as well, too … We’ve had a number of people expressing an interest like, ‘Please continue this.’”
The new organization officially began on Oct. 3 as well.
“We’ve been around since Oct. 3. And the other thing to keep in mind for what we’re doing is all (volunteering),” Lamog said. “It’s all put forth through the passion of each of these men and women who are wanting to continue this, you know, education of veterans and help them with that to heal, to help them heal.”
Lamog said that if any people in the community have an old guitar that they would like to get rid of, the alliance would take it for one of their veterans.
“We’re right there. We would love to go ahead and take those instruments and put them to use by, you know, for teaching our veterans to play guitar and maybe even gifting it to them when they finish the 10 lessons that they typically go through with our instructors. It’s a one-on-one training session, if you will, that takes place usually at the American Legion Post 507,” Lamog said.
For more information or to get involved with the SCVGA, email [email protected].
