This weekend’s music festival in Manatee guarantees fun. It also will help local veterans
There will be plenty of dancing Sunday at the JamFest Music Festival, but the ultimate winners will be local veterans struggling to make ends meet.
The event is being put on by Heroes Welcome Home, a local nonprofit that devotes 100% of its fundraising efforts to help local veterans with down payments for a new home, rental assistance and home repairs.
JamFest kicks off at 3 p.m. at the Heritage Harbour Golf Club, 8000 Harbour Loop in Bradenton.
The money raised helps local veterans like Edward Cacciola, who joined the Marine Corps the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Like many veterans today, Cacciola is struggling after fulfilling his duties in the military.
On Thursday, Sarasota-based Mullet’s Aluminum was putting a new roof on his home after Cacciola received a $3,000 grant from HWH and a significant discount from Mullet’s.
Cacciola said a few thousand dollars might not sound like much to the average person, “but it can make or break people like me ... Being on a shoestring budget, a single parent, a first time home buyer, this grant was a Godsend. I was barely able to buy my own house. Without organizations like Heroes Welcome Home, I don’t think I’d be in a position where I’m at. As a Marine Corps veteran, I’m happy to see that the community wants to give back.”
There is a $10 cover charge for JamFest with all proceeds going toward assisting local veterans. For tickets, visit hwhvets.com. There are also $75 VIP tickets available for the event that features several local bands, food trucks, raffles and more. JamFest ends at 9 p.m.
Tony Barrett said he founded HWH in 2013 when he saw a need in the community.
“I’m a real estate broker, a firefighter and a paramedic in Sarasota,” Barrett said. “I was showing a property in 2012 to a well qualified person, in my opinion, who is a veteran, but after he went through the process out of pocket, the bank told him he has an insufficient work history and denied him the loan.”
Barrett said he felt horrible and didn’t have the money to reimburse him. So instead, he founded HWH in the veteran’s honor.
“There is a huge need and I think we are just scratching the surface,” Barrett said. “I think vets don’t reach out for help so spreading the word is very important to us to give these veterans a helping hand up.”
Cacciola said he not only appreciates the assistance, but the way HWH has stepped up for local veterans.
“There’s not a lot of people that put up and actually do something,” he said. “It means the world to veterans.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 2:18 PM.