Virginia Beach music festival to raise money for brain injury treatments for military veterans
A music festival will rock the city this weekend to raise money for emerging treatment used to ease symptoms of service-related traumatic brain injuries in military veterans.
The Veterans Band Aid Music Festival is set for Friday and Saturday at the Holiday Trav-L-Park. Doors will open at 4 p.m. Friday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Headlining the event is 38 Special and Larry Fleet. Tickets range from $35 to $65 for one and two-day general admission.
Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to the Coastal Authority Care Foundation, festival host and Virginia Beach-based nonprofit organization. The money will be used to offer grants to veterans with service-connected traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder who are seeking a treatment that is not covered by insurance, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy and neurotherapy.
“We call it the ‘band aid’ festival because the bands are aiding us raise money,” said Jill Crist, president of Coastal Authority Care Foundation.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and neurotherapy typically cost $5,000. Treatments last 30-40 weeks. Because it is not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for traumatic brain injury treatment, it is not covered by insurance.
According to Crist, the foundation was created to help veterans pay for such therapies — something she said she’s seen help her husband, a retired Navy SEAL.
“My husband has a traumatic brain injury and had both of these therapies. He was headed down a very bad road before we found the therapies — and nothing pharmaceutical-wise was helping ... These two therapies helped him so much and completely turned him around. We didn’t understand why this wasn’t mainstream,” Crist said.
This is the fourth year Coastal Authority Care Foundation has put on the festival. In past years, the event has drawn 800-1,000 people per day. Last year, the foundation’s Emerging Therapy Grant program distributed $40,000 among 11 veterans.
“There are veterans killing themselves because they don’t know about this therapy or they don’t have access to it. We are just trying to get enough money to help as many veterans as we can,” Crist said.
The weekend will also feature Anthony Rosano and The Conqueroos; Exploding Sun; and The Gold Sauce; Buck Shot; The Piedmont Boys; The Daniel Jordan Band; and Chase Payne. Festivalgoers can enjoy food trucks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, a visual artist village and a live auction.
Tickets can be purchased on the Coastal Authority Care Foundation webpage at https://cacarefoundation.org/tickets.
Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com
