Who We Support ~ How To Help

Brad Blauser & some of his Iraqi friends

Ben & I Play for Peace proudly supports the Veterans’ Guitar Project—Austin, Wounded Warrior Project & Wheelchairs For Kids International (formerly Wheelchairs For Iraqi Kids)

The Veterans’ Guitar Project—Austin was inspired by our 2013 concert. Ten veterans studied the instrument with Kim and performed on the concert with Kim, Ben, and our special guest Kirby Kelley. 2013-14 classes are offered free of charge for veterans in the Austin, TX area. All levels of playing and styles welcome. Please visit our page on this site “Veterans’ Guitar Project— Austin”.
Tax deductible donations to expand our offerings are being accepted through the Armstrong Community School of Music (our non-profit partner). Please label your donation: Veterans’ Guitar Project
http://www.acsmaustin.org

The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a veteran-run non-profit organization that assists our service men and women in their transition back to civilian life.

Tax deductible donations are being accepted on our official fundraising page on the WWP website:

https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/individual-fundraising/benandiplayforpeace/

Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids was founded by Texan Brad Blauser in 2005 to meet the needs of children with disabilities in Northern Iraq at the request of LTC David Brown. He and his soldiers had been in the city of Mosul and observed as children pulled themselves along the ground because their legs simply did not work. Brad was in Iraq as an independent contractor when he saw this need and changed his life to fill it. With the assistance of our troops, Brad personally delivers these wheelchairs to children living in Iraq. Since that time, over 834 high quality pediatric wheelchairs have been provided by generous donors and delivered to these children by soldiers serving in Iraq.Brad’s Non-profit partner – ROC Wheels (Reach Out and Care), designs the wheelchairs specifically for children in developing countries with rough terrains. The cost of each wheelchair is $350.00. To date, Brad has raised $2.5 million dollars to help these children. In 2009, Brad was honored by CNN as a “Top CNN Hero”. Recently, the Iraqi government’s Ministry of Health took over the project in that country. Brad continued his work with ROC, helping the children of Kurdistan and renamed his project “Wheelchairs for Kurdistan Kids”. Brad’s project wrapped up in 2013 and he moved back to his native Texas. His new, exciting charity project is a continuation of his mission to provide wheelchairs to kids who need them.

Learn more about Brad’s new work: http://www.kidchairs4life.org

Watch Brad’s CNN Honoree video here.