A Holiday Salute to Service, Sacrifice, and the American Spirit

The holidays have a way of bringing us back to what matters most: family gathered around the table, traditions passed from one generation to the next, and gratitude for the people who make those moments possible. For some families, however, the season also carries the absence of someone who served.

This December, Folds of Honor Tennessee will bring together friends, families, community leaders, and supporters for an evening rooted in that understanding, and in three values that have long connected Tennesseans: faith, family, and freedom.

On Thursday, December 3, 2026, the Tennessee Chapter will host its annual Heroes & Holidays celebration at The Pinnacle Nashville. More than a holiday gala, the evening is an opportunity to celebrate the season while honoring the men and women who have served our country and communities and standing beside the families whose lives have been forever changed by that service.

Folds of Honor provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled military service members and first responders. Since the Tennessee Chapter was established in 2020, it has provided 3,457 scholarships totaling more than $16 million in educational support, representing thousands of individual stories of families moving forward while carrying the legacy of someone they love.

Heroes & Holidays has become one of the chapter’s signature fundraising events and a meaningful way to close the year with purpose. For 2026, the celebration embraces the theme “A Holiday Salute: American Music. American Service. The American Spirit.” Drawing inspiration from the style and spirit of 1940s America, the evening will evoke a time when communities rallied around those who served, reimagined through a distinctly modern Nashville experience.

Guests will enjoy dinner, live and silent auctions, meaningful stories from the Folds of Honor community, and live entertainment. Music will provide a fitting soundtrack, culminating in a performance by The Eaglemaniacs, a group of exceptionally talented studio musicians performing the Eagles’ greatest hits.

But at the heart of the evening are the families. A Folds of Honor scholarship provides financial support for an education, but its meaning reaches far beyond tuition. For a spouse pursuing a degree after life has unexpectedly changed, or a child carrying forward the legacy of a parent who served, education can represent possibility, independence, and hope for what comes next.

It is also a promise: your family’s sacrifice will not be forgotten. Heroes & Holidays brings that promise to life by connecting supporters with the people and stories behind the Folds of Honor mission. Funds raised throughout the evening help create educational opportunities for military and first responder families, turning one night of generosity into an impact that can last for generations.

With scholarships valued at up to $5,000, every table, sponsorship, auction purchase, and contribution helps Folds of Honor continue creating educational opportunities for deserving military and first responder families. Across Tennessee, including in Williamson and Maury Counties, businesses, families, and community leaders have embraced that mission and helped turn gratitude into meaningful support.

And when the final song ends, the impact of the evening continues in classrooms, on college campuses, and in the lives of spouses and children pursuing their own dreams while carrying forward the legacies of those they love.

At a time of year when we are reminded to count our blessings, Heroes & Holidays offers another invitation: to remember the people behind them. To gather with gratitude. To celebrate with purpose. And to ensure that the legacies of America’s heroes live on through the families they love.

Heroes & Holidays is one of several signature events Folds of Honor Tennessee hosts throughout the year. Looking ahead to 2027, supporters will also have opportunities to experience the mission through the Rock ’N Jock Celebrity Softball Game and Freedom Invitational Golf Tournament.Folds of Honor Tennessee Heroes & Holidays will take place Thursday, December 3, 2026, from 6:30–10:30 p.m. at The Pinnacle Nashville, 910 Exchange Lane.

To learn more about Heroes & Holidays, upcoming events, and ways to support Folds of Honor Tennessee, visit tennessee.foldsofhonor.org or contact Tennessee@foldsofhonor.org.