Celebrity Instruments to Help Restart Houston Chapter of Guitars4Vets

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The end goal is to resurrect the Houston chapter of Guitars4Vets. It's called "Operation: Stars, Stripes and Strings." The first event will take place September 22 at Christian's Tailgate on Kirby, and the second September 28 at the Hardy and Nance Studios. Attendees can see the guitars and either take one home outright or enter for a chance to own one for a suggested donation. The Foundation's goal is to raise $50,000. Stella Nova Foundation Founder and Executive Director Doug Harris first learned about Guitars4Vets from a news item some years ago and attended one of their events. He and Nigel Fischer, Director of Advancement for Guitars4Vets, partnered up. "We're really appreciative of what Doug has done. We understand there's a unique need for veterans in Houston to make services as accessible as possible. And we've got practice locations all around the city," Fischer says on a dual Zoom call with Harris. "And it's not just lessons, we are creating a true community for healing." Just a partial list includes individual axes signed by Alan Jackson, Paul Rodgers (Bad Company), Night Ranger, Kip Winger, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds; one with signatures of BuzzFest groups Bush, Godsmack, Live, Our Lady Peace, and others; and another from Banda Los Recoditos. Others have been created by local visual artists, Taft McWhorter, Joni Zavitsans, and Deasa Turner. While Tra' Slaughter has hand-painted six instruments inspired by movie roles of Houston-bred boy Dennis Quaid, who also signed them. A former radio industry broadcaster and marketing guru (most notably with KLOL), Harris' Stella Nova Foundation's aim is "providing resources to those with mental health issues who do not have access to counseling, treatment, or care." It was founded in 2020 and works with a variety of Houston services and organizations. The organization also has a focus on helping veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related disabilities. Harris worked the phones and his contacts from over the years to procure the guitars, and credits former KLOL DJ/current author and motivational speaker Dayna Steele with helping tremendously. He also used associates in the local art community for the decorated guitars. As for the Dennis Quaid connection, Harris already had an in: He's been a longtime acquaintance of the actor, stretching back to when they both attended Pershing Middle School and then Bellaire High School in Houston. "I knew I had something when we got Dennis. He offered to sign 100 guitars if we wanted! He was appearing in Austin a few weeks ago, so I went to his hotel room with the guitars," Harris says. "People almost universally embraced the concept. It wasn't a tough decision. And adding the art touch goes beyond just the signature for something you can display. You don't know what you're going to get until you ask!" Guitars4Vets was founded in 2007 and now boasts 150 individual chapters with 1,000 volunteers across the country who guide newbie playing veterans to use the guitar to help with physical injuries, PTSD, and other emotional distress. There are even cyber chapters. "We want to destigmatize mental health, and music can be a positive force for that. And when strains become mounting issues in their life, we can help reduce that pressure, daily struggle, and invisible wounds of service," Fischer says. One cool program is that veterans who take 10 guitar lessons with an instructor through Guitars4Vets are then gifted a brand-new acoustic guitar with its accoutrements to keep. "The guitar, in moments, can be a tricky point. But if you give it patience and trust the instructor, it can be a joyful thing. That happened in my own third lesson out of the ten. You don't master something the minute you pick up a tool. We don't make rock stars out of the gate," Fischer says. He also notes that the bond between learning veteran and skilled instructor (some of whom are also veterans) can go beyond mastering the F chord, as there is a lot of story sharing and help offered both ways, especially if the vet is struggling with something that week. Finally, while he took a position of leadership with Guitars4Vets, Fischer was also a participant in the program, and eagerly shares his personal experience. "I am someone who struggles with PTSD and TBI. I was wounded in Iraq in 2007 in an IED blast. And I've lived and coped with these things in my life since then." he says. "It's an amazing communal environment where we talk about music and so many other things with a shared experience. And this allowed me to escape in a healthy way," he sums up. "It was very therapeutic for me, and I know it definitely has been for a lot of other veterans as well."