By Kevin Haas and Steve Summers
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — A new event that will debut this weekend will raise money for an organization that helps veterans cope with the residual effects of traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The first ever Back the Beard live music event raises money for Beneath the Beard, a peer-to-peer group that Marine veteran Ryan Curry founded so veterans could “mentor each other and give each other purpose.”
The organization has grown to do even more, Curry said. Don’t let the name confuse you into thinking it only supports men.
“We don’t just help men. We help everybody in the community,” Curry said on This Week in the Stateline. “We aim at veterans, but we’ve helped abused single mothers that are in really tough situations get beds for their children. We help every single person that comes to us that needs help. We find a way.”
Listen to the interview below:
The event takes place Saturday night at Buster’s Bar and Grill and features three bands, food trucks and more.
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Curry is a Marine veteran who retired after he was wounded in Iraq in 2006. He realized the need for groups like Beneath the Beard as he struggled with his own return home from the military.
“The biggest challenge is just re acclimating — going from 90 miles an hour and a very structured life to a lot of freedom and responsibility,” Curry said. “Everything is just going, going, going and then all the sudden — in my instance — being wounded and being forced out. It’s an abrupt stop.”
Know before you go | Back the Beard
Where: Buster’s Bar and Grill, 7113 N. Alpine Road, Loves Park
When: 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 3
Entertainment: The Vodka Boys (2-4 p.m.); Stereotype (4:30-6:30 p.m.); Dead Man’s Hand (7-10 p.m.)
Admission: $5
This article is written by Kevin Haas with interviews by Steve Summers. Email Haas at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.