NASHVILLE, Tenn. – NS2 Serves, an independent nonprofit organization that offers technology training and employment assistance to veterans, is teaming up with GRAMMY®-winning American Idol Taylor Hicks for a concert tour to raise money for the next class of veterans in the program. The series of intimate performances will feature songs from Hicks’ American Idol playbook along with a preview of new material from his highly-anticipated album due out next year. Performing in venues across the East Coast from October 10-24, Hicks has donated a pair of tickets and meet-and-greet packages for all six shows to a silent auction that will directly benefit NS2 Serves.
Hicks became a household name after winning the fifth season of American Idol, and is known for his cover of the military tribute song “Nineteen.” While traveling across the country for album tours, Hicks met with several military families and grew passionate about helping veterans struggling to find employment.
“NS2 Serves is an incredible organization improving the lives of veterans across the country, and I’m honored to use this tour as platform to elevate its mission,” said Hicks. “We owe an insurmountable debt to our nation’s heroes, and this concert series is a chance for fans to support a program helping veterans transition from boots to suits and excel in high-tech careers.”
Since being established in 2014, NS2 Serves has provided free IT industry training to nearly 300 veterans, ultimately helping them secure jobs in high-tech careers. Supporting post-9/11 veterans from all over the country, the program has boasted a 100% graduation rate since its inception. NS2 Serves has trained and placed 315 veterans in high-tech careers, continuing its success with the next fall 2019 Leesburg class.
“We are so grateful to have Taylor Hicks champion the NS2 Serves mission of re-skilling veterans and closing the IT tech talent gap in America,” said General (Ret.) John Campbell, chairman of the NS2 Serves program. “We view our program as a promising model on how to reintegrate members of society when their existing skillsets no longer match the job market. Mr. Hicks truly shares our passion for this important issue, and we’re excited to have such a prominent public figure bringing veteran employment initiatives like ours to the center stage.”
Hicks will kick-off the concert tour on October 10 in New Hampshire, followed by shows in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Ohio. The bidding for concert ticket packages will start at $150, which include the opportunity to meet Hicks back stage and receive a signed harmonica. NS2 Serves also encourages those unable to attend the concerts to support the cause by placing a bid to send a veteran and their guest to a show.
To view the tour dates and place a bid on ticket packages, please visit: bidpal.net/taylorhicks
About NS2 Serves:
NS2 Serves® is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established by SAP NS2 ® to give back to the community it serves by training and employing veterans in high-tech careers.
The course is open to post-9/11 U.S. military service veterans and reservists (including disabled veterans), service members with orders to leave active duty, and Gold Star spouses who meet eligibility requirements. The full-time course provides training in world-class software solutions that support U.S. national security needs and commercial enterprises. Participants receive certifications that are valuable in careers worldwide.
About Taylor Hicks:
For Taylor Hicks, winning “American Idol’s” blockbuster fifth season was just the beginning. Hailed as “part Stax, part Motown and part honky-tonk” by The New York Times, Hicks’ intoxicating blend of soul, blues, country, and rock & roll quickly rendered him a household name as he progressed to the show’s record-breaking finale in 2006, an historic television event which drew an audience of more than 200 million viewers. Hicks immediately followed his Idol victory with a #1 Billboard single and an RIAA certified Platinum debut, and soon went on to make history as both the first male Idol champion featured on a GRAMMY-winning record (Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Blow Your Pants Off’), and the first to land a prestigious Las Vegas residency. After a lengthy hiatus from recording, Hicks returned in 2017 with “Six Strings and Diamond Rings,” the first single since his beloved 2009 sophomore album, “The Distance.” The stirring, stripped-down track offers up a tantalizing preview of Hicks’ highly anticipated third album, a deeply personal, roots-inspired collection recorded at Zac Brown’s Southern Ground studio in Nashville with contributions from four-time GRAMMY®-winning musician Keb’ Mo as well as Robert Randolph. Produced by Hicks along with GRAMMY®-winning guitarist Bryan Sutton (Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley), the album is due out next year and will bring Hicks back on the road for extensive touring.
Follow Taylor Hicks on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and visit TaylorHicks.com.
