CityServe, a California-based Christian organization, will host a “Day of Appreciation” in Las Vegas on June 8 to honor America’s veterans and their families with music, fun and charity work.
“We’re calling it ‘Thank You Day,'” CityServe co-founder and CEO Dave Donaldson said in a video interview with Fox News Digital.
Donaldson said the timing of the event is tied to the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, which took place on June 6th this year, the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy during World War II, the largest amphibious invasion in military history.
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Bakersfield-based CityServe “works with churches across the U.S. and around the world to fulfill the church’s mission and provide hope and support to families in need,” Donaldson said.
The June 8 event will take place at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
CityServe CEO Dave Donaldson revealed details of the company’s “Day of Gratitude” event, which will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on June 8. “We will be donating the equivalent of $3 million in what we call a ‘gift of gratitude’ to America’s veterans. Our hearts are with them and their families,” he said. (Fox News)
“We’re going to have a great program,” Donaldson said.
He said musicians Walker Hayes and Danny Gokey, award-winning magician Garry Carson and there will also be a “huge kids’ zone on the field.”
Las Vegas Raiders players are also expected to attend.
“Thank you gifts” include things like toys, shoes and necessities like diapers and wipes.
“We have four generals and 40 service stations and we will be donating what we’re calling a ‘thank you gift,’ over $3 million,” Donaldson said.
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The “thank you gifts” include toys, shoes and necessities like diapers and wipes — needs that Donaldson said are often overlooked for many military families.
CityServe has partnered with diaper manufacturer EveryLife to provide diapers and wipes to those in need, and EveryLife’s “Buy for a Cause” program will support military families, Donaldson said.
Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, is set to host 15,000 veterans and their families on June 8 for a “Day of Appreciation” organized by CityServe, a Christian organization that honors America’s heroes. (Getty Images)
“There are too many of these [military] “These families are living below the poverty line,” Donaldson said, “and we’ve heard from them that one of the things they need most is diapers and wipes.”
He said “hundreds of pallets” of supplies would be distributed to 15,000 registered attendees during the “Thank You Day.”
“This is one of the greatest opportunities of our lifetime to show our gratitude.”
“We feel like this is one of the greatest opportunities of our lifetime to show our gratitude,” Donaldson said.
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He said registration for the event has already reached its limit, and Donaldson said “this only highlights the need for events like this.”
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said, noting that nearly 20 veterans commit suicide every day and a quarter of active-duty military members are food insecure.
Donaldson (left) told Fox News Digital that too many American veterans today “feel like relics” who have been forgotten by their communities. “We want to offer hope, but also tangible help,” he said. (Cityserve)
“So we pay tribute, but we also serve,” he said.
“We want to not only offer these heroes hope, but tangible support as well. And we want their children and grandchildren to know how grateful we are to them as we honour their parents and grandparents.”
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Many veterans “feel forgotten,” he noted.
“They feel like relics, and we want the thousands of people in attendance, and probably the millions online, to know how grateful we are as a nation,” he said.
“Please help us express our deepest gratitude for the sacrifices made by these brave heroes and their families in protecting our freedoms and show them how respected, valued and loved they are.” (Getty Images)
After holding the first “Day of Appreciation” on June 8, Donaldson said he hopes to extend the event to other sporting venues around the country.
“This is us embracing them; [our veterans] They are not alone,” Donaldson said.
“Show them how respected, valued and loved they are.”
“We respect them. We serve them. But they are not alone. We are with them and their families.”
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The “Day of Appreciation” represents “a unique collaboration between more than 20 veterans organizations and local churches committed to strengthening the community,” the group says on its website.
“Please help us express our deepest gratitude for the sacrifices made by these brave heroes and their families in protecting our freedoms and show them how respected, valued and loved they are.”
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