Charlie Daniels Band rocks Cielo for U.S. soldiers
Roz Schroeder (center), owner of Cielo at Castle Pines, hosted a fundraiser for the American Military Family and Danny Dietz Memorial Fund nonprofit organizations last month. Charlie Daniels (right), shown with his manager (left), joined an all-star roster of U.S. veterans raising funds and awareness for soldiers suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Article by Elizabeth Wood West; photos by Jensen Sutta Photography
“It was an evening I know I will never forget,” said Roz Schroeder as she described a memorable fundraiser held in April at her event venue, Cielo at Castle Pines. Two amazing nonprofit organizations, the American Military Family and the Danny Dietz Memorial Fund, teamed up to raise funds for U.S. troops coming home from serving our country who are battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Both organizations provide mental health counseling and service dogs to help with suicide prevention for returning veterans. Danny Dietz (who grew up in Littleton) was a Navy Seal who was killed along with other Seal team members as they battled the Taliban in 2005. Their true story, as told by comrade Marcus Luttrell, was documented in the book and movie, “Lone Survivor.”
Approximately 240 guests were treated to a special evening with country music legend Charlie Daniels and his band, a military color guard, Navy Seal and motivational speaker David Rutherford, and authors Mark “Oz” Geist, and John “Tigg” Tiegen. Both Geist and Tiegen are Colorado natives and were security consultants who survived the 2012 attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya; they are co-writers of the book, “13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi.”
Also appearing was Army Staff Sergeant/veteran Bobby Henline. Henline completed four tours of duty in Iraq and survived a powerful explosion that caused severe injuries and burns, resulting in 45 subsequent surgeries. Henline is now a motivational speaker and comedian dedicated to supporting veterans. A live auction was also part of the evening’s highlights, including a guitar that had been autographed by country music star Tim McGraw. One hundred percent of the evening’s proceeds were donated to both nonprofits.
For information about American Military Family, visit www.americanmilitaryfamily.org. For information about the Danny Dietz Memorial Fund, visit www.dannydietzmemorial.com. For information about Bobby Henline, visit www.bobbyhenline.com.
