Many U.S. veterans deal with emotional and coping issues - PTSD, alcohol and drug abuse, family stress, work issues, homelessness and more. Veterans sometimes find it difficult to communicate what they are feeling. They feel their voices are not heard, that people don’t understand what they go through.

Film producer Dennis Passaggio, community activist Kandi Reyes and the late film director, Ted Post, all experienced these issues within their families. Coming from entertainment and community engagement backgrounds, they formed the Veterans National Entertainment Workshop (VNEW), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, to help veterans deal with these issues through music, performance and song.