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Songwriting camp aims to help heal war wounds
For more information on LifeQuest, visit www.mylq.org.
Tickets to the camp’s capstone event, a VIP jam session and dinner, are available to donors. Potential donors can attend an informational session 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 11 at the Garden of the Gods Club.
Local nonprofit LifeQuest Military Transitions helps service members recover from combat wounds through adventure racing, adaptive workouts and other highly physical programs.
This month, for the second year in a row, the organization will expand its horizons by offering a veterans’ songwriting camp.
No artistic talent is required of participants, said C.W. Conner, an Army veteran who founded LifeQuest nearly two years ago.
“We’re not here to make superstars out of them,” Conner said of the 10 service members from around the country who will spend Jan. 19-23 at this year’s Songwriting Camp for Veterans, at the Garden of the Gods Club. “All we want to do is share their stories and have these songs serve as an awareness piece.”
Conner developed the camp after attending a meeting of local business people.
Most businesses represented weren’t prepared to hire veterans due to a lack of understanding of invisible combat wounds like post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, Conner said.
After realizing that music was an effective vehicle to convey the hardships of veterans to a mass audience, he scoured LifeQuest’s network of veterans and chose nine from a variety of branches and backgrounds.
Last year, the nonprofit flew them to Beaver Creek, where they spent four days sharing their stories with professional songwriters.
“We didn’t know really what to expect,” Conner said. “But once they got to talking, it was like the water faucet was on.
“After four days, we walked away with 10 songs.”
Six of those songs, recorded by professional musicians, are available for purchase on iTunes as a part of the Faces of Freedom EP.
Conner hopes that this year’s attendees, whom he selected from LifeQuest’s network of contacts, can aid in the development of at least as many more.
If events unfold the way Conner would like, there will be more albums and even a national tour with big stars headlining.
Though proceeds from the sale of each download go to LifeQuest, Conner says the camp’s end goal has never been to generate money.
“We don’t make any money,” he said. “I think the far-reaching effect of awareness is far more valuable.
“It’s also proven to be a very therapeutic experience for these veterans. I think you’ve got the best of both worlds there.”
