“Mr. Muller! You talk about it all the time, about how important the CDs and DVDs are in the veterans homes and hospitals, and today we got to see it lived out! We were at the Land ‘O Lakes veterans home near Tampa, Florida, and we weren’t even loaded up and heading out yet before the vets were in the main room with the sacred DVD playing on their large screen TV! Wow! They were so excited about the show they had just seen live, that they wanted to watch the gospel program as soon as possible. It was really great! So I just wanted to let you know that, and thank anyone and everyone who helps provide these CDs and DVDs to the vets!”
JON GAGNON | RC 42-46 | Sound Engineer, Road Manager

“While Re-Creation unloaded their stuff, I sat and met a Veteran who was visually impaired. I asked him how he was doing. He said he had a rough night, having been dropped off here by a family member. I guess he was supposed to occupy himself during the day. He had become visually impaired in only the past two years and he was really struggling. Things just really weren’t going very well for him. I invited him to come to the show and he sat next to me. He could feel the energy and the excitement from the group in a way that just lit him up inside. I described the costumes and he really lit up when the group came out in their Texas skirts and hats and things. He was from Louisiana and he told me that he used to do a lot of square dancing. Anyway, just the opportunity for someone’s day to end up like this guy’s day ended up, that’s just a blessing. It’s a miracle, he told me it had to be a miracle. His hope was down, his life was down, he was struggling. With what Re-Creation does, just the talent that they have, the cohesiveness, they all just know what they are doing, they seem to love each other, they seem to share a bond that’s really unique. Each one of them is talented in his or her own special way. You can just see that light, that shine in each personality and in each face. You have a great group of kids, they are doing amazing things and they are genuine and are genuinely making a difference.”
RECREATION THERAPIST | Texas VAMC (via Facebook video)

“I want to sincerely Thank You for your performance at the Topeka VA in Topeka, KS.  I talked to Jen and shesent me 2 CD’s along with a DVD. I am very grateful for it. I must say, during your performance at the VA in Topeka, I sat there, it was heartfelt and tears coming to my eyes. The way you all danced and sang. I’ll tell you one other thing. I listen to your worship CD everyday since I got it. Just listening to it when I read the Bible. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. My faith is strong. I travel the path of my journey on a daily basis and do His will, not move with the challenges that come to me. It is a good light for me. Thank you for your music as it is an inspiration for me. Through His love, mercy & blessings for me.  You see, I love the young people such as yourselves do too, enabling me to new ideas and a different way to look at things. You all are my future. Thank you.”
PERSONAL LETTER | Topeka, KS

“We would like to thank you for making it possible for Re-Creation to perform at the Oklahoma City VA recently. We had a great crowd
who thoroughly enjoyed the show and have made numerous positive comments about the program. I have to tell you I get goosebumps watching the veterans react to the performance. Especially the patriotic section. No one reacts to that type of music more than veterans! The cast was awesome and dealt with everything in their usual professional manner. The veterans enjoyed their visits on the wards and it is special for them to know someone cared enough to come by and thank them for their service.”
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK VAMC

“The crowd really loved the show today. More than one guy mentioned how their service was “worth it” after seeing us and being thanked so well. Another man said he’d do his service all over again if we could keep coming to Vets Homes. (Mr. Muller has told that story over the years, but it ACTUALLY happened to me for real today!) And one guy started yelling to the crowd, “OK! The re-enlistment line is forming out in the hall!” Everyone was truly moved!”
SAM DARRIN | RC 45

 

 

“So, I’m in Minnesota, at Mall of America, picking up tickets for the RC kids. “Are you THE Re-Creation that sings in all the veterans hospitals?” asks the clerk handling the order. “Yes, we are!” I replied and she got visibly emotional. “I’m so glad to meet you,” she continued, “I have been the recipient of, of…” (she was looking for the right word…) “YOU, I’ve been the recipient of YOU!” “I’m so glad I got to see you all those times at the MN Volunteers banquet!” I’m a 12+ year volunteer at the VA and I drove for the Army reserves, too! You all are just wonderful! I loved all the shows, the costumes, the songs. It’s all GREAT!” I asked if I could get my picture taken with her and she got more emotional. But she quickly pulled out her phone and made Elliot take a shot with me, too.  Nice to meet you, Sheryl.
The recipient of “you”. I like that!
JAY MULLER | RC Director

“We really are so gratefu lfor you guys coming out here. We’re kinda in the boonies, so we don’t get a lot of big entertainment. So seeing you guys has been incredible. And it really has been a pleasure working with all of you today, because you’re just so adaptable. You come out to rural areas and make it work wherever you go. It just means a lot!”
SOUTH DAKOTA, VAMC

“The Chief of Voluntary Service for all the Montana VA’s, Terry Casey, drove 5.5 hours(!) from Helena to see our show today. Terry was so nice! She and her assistant, Kerry, who had never seen Re-Creation, took us to Pizza Hut for lunch! At lunch, a gentlemen asked about our “TOURS for VETERANS” shirts and asked who we were. I explained RC and told him we’d be performing right down the street. He said he was intrigued and he might try to make it. Now, I can tell you, most people who say something like this do NOT follow through. Well, I was ECSTATIC to see him in the audience and talked to him afterward. He told me the show was more than anything he could have expected and that he was absolutely blown away. Turns out he’s a Vietnam Army Vet! He said he was VERY grateful for what we do and felt very lucky to have been in the right place at the right time to meet us!”
CAROL SIMMONS | RC 44-46 | Alumni Shows and Projects

“On behalf of the Veterans and spouses of the Iowa Veterans Home, I would like to thank you for performing in our facility.  We hosted the Re-Creation program in our
500 bed facility yesterday and have had performances here in the past. This morning I had conversations with residents who attended and they can’t stop talking about how great the program was. They enjoyed the songs performed, stage set up, lighting, props, costume changes, recognition of the veterans of each military branch and the performers interaction with the residents. The interaction with the residents at lunch was great and made the Veterans and spouses feel special. We would love to have Re-Creation come to perform in the future. You have an amazing program and we can’t say thank you enough!”
IOWA VETERANS HOME

“I wanted to thank you for your support and sponsoring the Re-Creation program here at the Bath VA.  The performance was wonderful and so many of our older Veterans really enjoyed the music and show.  The Re-Creation members visited and had lunch with our Veterans prior to the show.  This is a great therapeutic program for them as well.  We had over 200 Veterans, family members and community visitors for the show this week and everyone enjoyed it.

We appreciate your ability to bring these shows to our Veterans.  This is a wonderful group to work with and they are always professional and polite.”
BATH VA MEDICAL CENTER

“Your performance was on Thursday and the following Tuesday, a veteran excitedly took the photograph (distributed to all Veterans) from his walker bag, lifted it up stating how great the performance was and said “we should have more groups likes this”.  With a group of veterans with dementia, this lead to a very good discussion as others in the group attended as well.  It lead to engagement in others relative songs in my Music Therapy group.    The foot tapping, alertness, smiles, tears of joy and just touching their hearts is always magical every time you perform here.  Staff must again realize the power of live music in this context.  Your performance can inspire a veteran to learn a song, to share the song, to get back into creating music, it can become part of a conversation at any time after, it’s an exciting way for someone with aphasia  to sing along without criticism or frustration.  It’s a way to take a moment to thank their peers for their service and of course it cheers people up and we know that is very important in health care when there are so many medical conditions that make a veterans day a struggle.   So thank you again!!!”
ALBANY VA MEDICAL CENTER

“Jay, all of the performers were professional, knowledgeable about their audience, wonderfully talented and simply great individuals to spend time with. During dinner my family and I had the opportunity to speak with Jon (Hepler.) He is a gem and very funny. I heard from several members of our lodge who talked with the other performers and each one of them had extremely positive comments, but what hit me the hardest, was the gleam in the eyes of our members after the show. They were glowing! Each of them seemed to walk a little taller and smile a little more. All of the talk in the lounge after the show was about how wonderful the show was. Please pass along a “heart felt thank you” to each one of the performers.”
MARTIN HARBOLT, ER LOUISVILLE ELKS LODGE # 8