You may have heard of Hunter Wolkonowski, or better yet Hunter Girl, for her stint on American Idol 2022.
Before succeeding in the popular singing contest, Hunter Girl, a native of Winchester, Tennessee, impacted the lives of veterans at the Chattanooga Vet Center, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, and various retirements as a volunteer with Freedom Sings USA .
Freedom Sings USA pairs award-winning songwriters with veterans who tell their stories, the ones they usually can’t tell others. They help organize their thoughts and put them to music. Freedom Sings USA is an official affiliate organization of the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDEC) in North Little Rock. They have organized chapters in Tennessee, Arkansas and Colorado – with more on offer.
When addressing veterans, Hunter says, “Your voice matters.
Trailblazers Virtual Classroom
Since 2018, Hunter Girl has provided these services in person and created her own all-female virtual veteran group. The first song she wrote for this group was called “Trailblazers”. The women decided to name the virtual class, The Trailblazers, and it has since worked with 50-60 female veterans.
Veterans describe Hunter Girl as sweet, humble, and talented because she can take their story and turn it into a great song, while being sympathetic to their experiences.
Allows veterans to heal
“The impact that Hunter and the other songwriters have had on veterans is incredible,” said Michael Dobbs, head of the CDCE. “There are so many stories of triumph that veterans want to share, but don’t know how to express them properly. This allows them to put it into song and allows veterans to begin to heal or continue to heal in some cases.
Anyone interested in volunteering or making a donation to support this program is encouraged to visit Volunteer.VA.Gov. Veterans interested in joining in sharing their military history and learning more about Freedom Sings can visit Contact – Freedom Sings USA.
