What is Acoustic Tuesday for Vets (AT4V)?

Acoustic Tuesday for Vets (AT4V) is Acoustic Life’s fundraising effort for the Guitars for Vets non-profit organization — plain and simple.

But, are you ready to be a part of acoustic guitar history?

Let me tell you a quick story before I say more about that…

Since the beginning of my musical and teaching career, I’ve known that music has a powerful ability to connect, reconnect, and restore the human soul.

It started with teaching guitar lessons one-on-one, but I wanted to help more people. I decided to create the Acoustic Tuesday (AT) Show and Tony’s Acoustic Challenge (TAC) to ensure that a wider audience could have access to high-quality guitar lessons.

Shortly after I and the Acoustic Life team created AT and TAC, something beautiful started happening…

People who had only met online through TAC started meeting up in real life to play guitar together!

Now, science has shown that working out with a gym-buddy can increase compliance in a workout plan…and I started seeing the same thing happen to the TAC community.

Participating in a healthy, constructive community decreases loneliness and enriches people’s lives—especially when it comes to playing music with others.

Music has a significant impact on people’s lives, especially when they are able to create it and share it.

Enter Guitars for Vets (G4V)…

In 2007, Patrick Nettesheim started teaching lessons to a veteran named Dan Van Buskirk. Dan had wanted to play the guitar, but he felt that his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) would limit his ability to learn guitar.

With Patrick’s help, Dan and Patrick realized that playing and learning guitar can create opportunities for positive human interactions and self-expression.

Shortly after this discovery, Dan and Patrick shared their excitement and vision with the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center.

Since Guitars for Vets started, they’ve grown a ton. Today, they help veterans in over 40 states with the help of hundreds of volunteers.

When I heard about Guitars for Vets, I knew I needed to help them out. I became a G4V ambassador, bringing awareness of the program to a growing community of 150,000+ acoustic guitar geeks who share the same values as G4V.

Both G4V and AT share the idea that playing the guitar doesn’t have to be about mastery; instead, it’s about the healing power of music, human connection, constant progress, and fun.

Acoustic Tuesday for Vets(AT4V)

I have so much respect for the Guitars for Vets mission, which is why I’m starting the largest fundraising campaign for Guitars for Vets to date — and I want YOU to be a part of it.

This fundraising campaign is going to help veterans coming back from deployment, veterans that have issues adjusting to civilian life — all through the healing power of music.

Now, it takes approximately $200 to put a veteran through the Guitars for Vets program. That money goes towards:

Free guitar lessons for veterans
Free guitars for veterans
Free guitar accessories for veterans to help maintain the guitars

Furthermore, the need for Guitars for Vets’ services far surpasses what the organization is able to provide. In fact, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs

11-20% of veterans who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom have PTSD in a given year.
12% of veterans who served in the Gulf War (Desert Storm) have PTSD in a given year.
30% of veterans who served in the Vietnam War have had PTSD in their lifetime.

Unfortunately, the PTSD rates among veterans are just the start of the problem: 22 veterans commit suicide every day.

Guitars for Vets is making a difference by actively enriching the lives of Veterans, and Acoustic Tuesday is here to help.

AT4V is going to raise $100,000 to donate to Guitars for Vets by November 11. In theory, this will put 500 vets through the program, and may additionally help in outreach and volunteer coordination efforts.

So, how do we plan on raising $100,000 for Guitars for Vets?

The Acoustic Tuesday for Vets Fundraiser

On Tuesday, November 11, we’ll be hosting a live, extended Acoustic Tuesday show that will be full of performances, interviews, and other special features.

But, do you have to wait till November to help with the AT4V fundraiser?

Of course not!

Right now, you can purchase an Acoustic Tuesday for Vets T-shirt…or hoodie…or leggings…or a variety of other clothing options — and all of the proceeds from the merchandise will be donated directly to Guitars for Vets!

Additionally, you can donate directly to AT4V by clicking here.

While these 2 fundraising efforts will get us closer to our goal, we have one final way we’re going to be fundraising…

We’re planning on getting industry leaders involved. We’re contacting everyone from guitar stores, to guitar publications, to luthiers, to manufacturers to get them involved in AT4V.

And the best part is that we already have business participating.

We have two pledges for donations, one of them coming from Eddie’s Guitars in St. Louis, Missouri, and the other one coming from Heartbreaker Guitars in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can watch both of their pledges by clicking here.

Matt Chulka, from Eddie’s Guitars, nominated Bourgeois Guitars and Kostal Guitars to also participate in the fundraiser.

Brendan Smyth, the founder of Heartbreaker Guitars, nominated Santa Cruz Guitar Company and Rick Turner Guitars to pledge their donations.

How Do Brands Get Involved in AT4V?

If you sell guitar products or you have a store/brand, we have a great way for you to donate.

When you donate $500 or more to AT4V, we’ll mention your name on every episode of Acoustic Tuesday between now and November 11. That means if you donate on September 2, 2019, you’ll be mentioned on 10 episodes of Acoustic Tuesday — and remember, we have over 245,000 subscribers on our YouTube Channel!

Additionally, if your company has the highest donation, we’ll be sending three dedicated email broadcasts to a dedicated AT episode about your company and products (by the way, we have nearly 100,000 people on our email list!).