| Sinise Helps Gary Sinise is also a musician; he and his Lt. Dan Band tour regularly, playing for the troops overseas and at stateside bases, while raising funds and awareness for the foundation and other charitable causes. To support Gary Sinise and learn more about how he’s making a difference in the lives of our troops, veterans, first responders, and their families, go to the foundation’s website. :: garysinisefoundation.org |
Gary Sinise is an actor who, along with many amazing roles (Apollo 13, Of Mice and Men, “CSI: NY”), is best known as Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump. The troubled and then redeemed Vietnam War veteran who lost his legs in battle is a character that connected Sinise to injured and disabled veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Helping the heroes brought him to OC.
Conceived and hosted by Sally Crockett, Margaret Larkin and Ron Salisbury, the Inspiration to Action dinner was held at The Cannery Restaurant in Newport Beach as a fundraiser for the Gary Sinise Foundation, and specifically for the Smart Homes program called R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence and Supporting Empowerment). The idea is to buy land and build houses specially designed and equipped to help severely injured veterans live independently.
The first home is in Temecula, and USMC Cpl. Juan Dominguez lives there with his wife Alexis. He is a triple amputee, injured by an IED in Afghanistan in 2010. He’s had two dozen surgeries since.
If Dominguez experienced any of the angst that Sinise’s character displayed in the film, it sure doesn’t show. He and his beautiful wife chatted enthusiastically with guests and posed for pictures. The duo is the toast of Temecula; the town helped them throw their wedding, and local donors helped fund the accessible, high-tech house. Thanks to the evening at The Cannery, OC is on the R.I.S.E., so expect a surge in Smart Homes under construction for SoCal’s heroic vets.
