In full disclosure, I am a little bias. I have worked with actor and humanitarian, Gary Sinise, since late 2010. The actor, Gary, played Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump which is being re-released this week by Paramount Pictures in IMAX Theaters across the country.

It has been an honor and a privilege to work with an amazing man who has transcended from playing a role of a lifetime in 1994 to becoming the most vocal and inspirational leader in the United States in supporting veterans and veterans’ causes. He has dedicated his life to this cause through the Gary Sinise Foundation. I encourage you to check out his website and get involved!

I feel compelled to tell one of the many stories of how the movie, Forrest Gump, and one of it’s characters has inspired so many across this country…

Recently, I was asked by Gary Sinsie to travel to Lancaster, California to work with a group of high school students devoted to helping one of their local veterans, Jerral Hancock. Led by one of the most inspirational teachers I’ve ever met, Jamie Goodreau at Lancaster High School, I came to spend five weeks getting to know 42 millennials, some of their parents and the community. I was amazed that many of these students had never seen Forrest Gump.  About 50{fb2cd6ecc5ea822e7d55867f94952838aab4b89ae39846a722113040866900c7} of them hadn’t seen the movie!

Through Gary’s work and his band named for the character played over 20 years ago, The Lt. Dan Band, Gary serves our nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need. By supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities, Gary is making a difference, which is now becoming a catalyst to inspire many generations.

The magnitude of this inspiration can be easily shown through the students at Lancaster High School.   Each year, they hold a program called Pride of the Nation, which honors veterans throughout the Antelope Valley. In May of 2013, they honored SPC Jerral Hancock. Through this event, the students got to know Jerral.

You should know that on SPC Jerral Hancock’s 21^st birthday, he was a tanker in Iraq, which got hit by an IED. Jerral barely survived losing his left arm, being burned over 35{fb2cd6ecc5ea822e7d55867f94952838aab4b89ae39846a722113040866900c7} of his body and becoming paralyzed. When he returned to his cramped mobile home, his wife left him and left and his two children. Not being able to care for himself, his mother and stepfather purchased the mobile home across the street so they could care for him.

As these students got to know Jerral, they knew they had to do something. As they approached their teacher with questions, she asked a simple question, what do you think Jerral needs the most? The students came back and said that Jerral needs a house!

These dedicated students came together, created their own 501c3 organization called Operation All The Way Home (OATH). And, through their recycling drives, bake sales, pizza night fundraisers, and many other approaches, they raised just over $200,000.

Gary Sinise saw a story on the news in Los Angeles about what these students were doing for this deserving wounded warrior. He quickly made a phone call to Jamie Goodreau to offer his assistance and his band. That’s when things got interesting!

At the request of Gary, I landed in Lancaster on March 31^st to nail down logistics of a Lt. Dan Band Concert in Lancaster at JetHawks Stadium. By April 2, we were ready to call a surprise press conference announcing the concert with Gary Sinsie on Skype. This began something amazing!

It was truly remarkable that these students were so inspired to learn that a Hollywood actor is coming to their assistance. After they raised $200,000 initially, these students became even more committed once they learned Sinise joining their cause. In addition to the students, the community joined in full force to ensure a successful concert was going to happen. Whether it was the Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, business leaders and/or the political community, everyone came together to support the cause.

Lt. Dan has become a recognizable icon for people to rally behind. Gary’s foundation donated $60,000 to their cause so they could start building, which was the amount the builder wanted in the bank before they started. To date, these students have raised just over $400,000 towards their goal of $600,000 (the house is being built in Palmdale, California).

As the concert approached, I could tell that every one of these students were personally dedicated to making this a huge success. Many of these students quit baseball to join OATH, didn’t go to prom, and made an untold number of other sacrifices, so they could be involved with helping Jerral and his family.

With only one week to go before the concert, Paramount Pictures was gracious enough to allow Cine Mark Theatres to show Forrest Gump free of charge. I was amazed that just a handful of the students that showed up had never seen the movie. But, in publically asking them what their favorite lines were, there were many given…

“Hello. My name is Forrest. Forrest Gump.”

“Life is like a box a chocolate, you never know what you’re going to get.”

“My mama says that stupid is as stupid does.”

“My mama says they were magic shoes. They could take me anywhere.”

I’m sure the students could have gone on all night with the quotes from the movie. As an American Classic, it is truly an amazing and iconic story that lives on. These students are continuing to give up their evenings and weekends in raising money to help their Lt. Dan, Jerral Hancock. If you’d like to donate to their cause, go to Operation All The Way Home.

So, in the spirit of these students learning the importance of the Forrest Gump story line, I encourage you to see Forrest Gump this week at iMAX theaters near you. I challenge you to continue the cycle of taking youngsters to this movie! Explain to them the life challenges of someone like Lt. Dan who was injured at war and then overcomes his demons to live a full and happy life.

I also challenge you to get involved in one of the most amazing non-profits you’ll ever get involved in… Gary Sinise Foundation!