Rick Diamond, Getty Images Kid Rock ‘s generosity knows no bounds, especially when it comes to his hometown of Detroit and by extension his home state of Michigan. The rocker’s good will was on display again recently when he teamed with Pulte Homes and Operation Finally Home to have a new home built for a returning “wounded warrior” and his family. MLive.com reports that Sgt. Davin Dumar, an Army vet who lost his left leg and injured his arm after an improvised explosive device went off, first learned that his family was in the running for a new home last fall. According to a CNN report (seen below), Dumar and his wife were one of a handful of couples under consideration for the home, having undergone a series of interviews to be chosen. The couple was on their way to a model home, presumably for one final interview, when they were greeted by Rock and representatives from Pulte Homes and Operation Finally Home who were there to share the news that they had been selected and to show them the designs of their new home. Rock stated, “My heart is pumping just to be part of it. Just to work with Dan [from Operation Finally Home] to make it happen for someone like Sgt. Dumar here, so deserving.” For his part, Dumar shared his shock at the events of the day, adding, “I’m completely surprised. I certainly didn’t think I’d be having a cigar with Kid Rock today.” MLive reports that after construction started late last year, the couple recently moved into their Macomb Township home. Watch Kid Rock Present Sgt. Davin Dumar With a New Home (from CNN) [button href=”http://loudwire.com/kid-rock-picks-up-high-school-band-2500-thanksgiving-day-travel-bill/” title=”Next: Kid Rock Picks Up High School Band’s $2500 Travel Bill” align=”center”]
Posts Tagged ‘school’
Hatebreed Frontman Jamey Jasta Offers Thoughts on Connecticut School Shooting
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire We’re all used to seeing singer Jamey Jasta tear it up onstage with Hatebreed but the rocker we see in concert is also a prideful Connecticut native and a father of a young daughter. We spoke with Jasta earlier today (Dec. 17) about Hatebreed’s upcoming album, but we also took the opportunity to discuss the tragic elementary school shooting that took place on Friday in Newtown, Conn. Jasta not only offered his feelings about the horrific incident, but also relayed his own personal story of how his day unfolded, since it all happened so close to home for him. “I haven’t even really wrapped my mind around it yet,” Jasta told Loudwire. “I got my nephew off the bus on Friday and I was running around earlier in the day and me and my nephew we usually go get a snack right after school and then we go get my daughter at her school – both schools are about 20-25 minutes from Newtown.” Jasta continued, “When I went into the place where we usually get his snack, there’s a big TV above the register and the guy who we know behind the counter just had his hands over his mouth and he was just staring at the television in shock. I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ and he was like, ‘I don’t know it looks like there was a shooting but they said that a teacher got shot and that the gunman is dead.’” “When we walked out I was like, ‘Wow, that’s disturbing’ and we walked out of there, I got gas, my nephew had asked me what happened and what was on the TV and he’s only five and I said that something bad had happened but we don’t know and we’ll have to see.” Jasta went on to say, “We went to my office and I started getting a couple of frantic calls like, ‘Hey are you near there? Where does your daughter go to school? Hey where do your nieces and nephews go to school? Is Everything okay?’ Then I got a call from someone who was crying and I knew something really bad had happened but I didn’t know the whole story yet.” “I got in my car and turned on the news and headed over to get my daughter and they had locked down the doors at every school in the area. Parents were already lined up early to get their kids out of school and I could see parents in their cars looking very distressed and upset. When the kids got out of school, there were definitely people rushing to hug their kids.” He then proceeded to describe his weekend as follows: “On Saturday, I had to get on a flight – I spent most of Saturday traveling and most of Sunday traveling. I was probably traveling eight to 10 hours each day so that was a little bit of a distraction so this morning when I got up and dropped my daughter off at school and finally got back and turned on the news I saw that funerals had begun and that’s when it really started to set in – the overall tragic, senseless feeling of it all.” Jasta concluded, “ I think today is going to be my day to really wrap my mind around it. I don’t think anybody, whether you’re a child or not – I don’t think anybody deserves to have senseless violence taken out upon them. It’s going to be bigger than just me and my thoughts, hopefully it will start a national conversation to make the kids safer in school.” Stay tuned for our full Jamey Jasta interview, in which he talks about Hatebreed’s upcoming album + more. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/connecticut-school-shooting-rock-musicians-condolences/” title=”Next: Rockers Offer Condolences” align=”center”]
Kid Rock Picks Up High School Band’s $2,500 Thanksgiving Day Travel Bill
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com In early November, the Wyandotte Marching Chiefs got the call that most marching bands would kill for — they were invited to back up Kid Rock during the halftime performance of the Detroit Lions annual Thanksgiving Day game. But then the financial reality of the situation began to set in, with the school scurrying to land a fleet of buses to transport those taking part and incurring a $2,400 bill in the process. After reading an article that included the school’s transportation bill for the event, Kid Rock decided to take action. According to the Wyandotte Patch , the musician sent a letter to the school thanking them for their participation in the show and included a $2,500 check to offset the expenses. The letter stated: I read the article in the Wyandotte Patch on the extra expenses you incurred getting back and forth to Ford Field to practice for the Thanksgiving Day half time show. I hope this covers your expenses. Thank you … you guys did a fantastic job!!!! Roosevelt High School’s music director, Mark D’Angelo, told the paper he was surprised by Rock’s response. “In the weeks prior to our performance, I was sharing with the students some of the amazing things that I had learned about how Kid Rock … gives back to his community and to Detroit,” said D’Angelo. “The students and I never thought that we would be included in that list until we received this letter today.” He added, “As I read the letter to each of my classes, there was a lot of excitement and amazement that once again, Kid Rock was thinking about us. I hope we get an opportunity someday to have a longer conversation and we can show him just how much all of this has meant to every member of our band community. Kid Rock, you’ve got a lot of new fans in Wyandotte, Michigan!” In addition to Kid Rock’s check, the band received an additional $720 in donations from community members. The extra money will offset band-related expenses in the future. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/kid-rock-2013-rebel-soul-u-s-tour-dates-openers-buckcherry-hellbound-glory/” title=”Next: Kid Rock Announces 2013 Tour” align=”center”]