Shooter's Omar Epps (Isaac Johnson) and Shantel VanSanten (Julie Swagger) are lending their voice to the support of military caregivers by becoming ambassadors to Hidden Heroes.
Hidden Heroes was launched by The Elizabeth Dole Foundation to bring national awareness and support to the tremendous challenges and long-term needs faced by military caregivers. Epps and VanSanten join a growing number of entertainment industry leaders supporting the campaign, including Campaign Chair Tom Hanks and their Shooter costar Ryan Phillippe.
In individual PSAs, the Shooter stars pledged their support of Hidden Heroes and why the cause is so important to each of them:
“We are so honored to welcome Omar and Shantel aboard as Hidden Heroes Ambassadors,” said Senator Elizabeth Dole. “As a nation, we owe our military and veteran caregivers more than just a debt of gratitude; we owe them our full support. Omar and Shantel’s advocacy will help us rally Americans around supporting this heroic population.”
Last month, Phillippe, alongside Senator Dole, put a national spotlight on military caregivers at a Senate hearing hosted by Senator Susan Collins and Senator Bob Casey. The hearing came at a crucial time for military caregivers -- with active bipartisan legislation supporting military and veteran caregivers in motion, including the Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act. Epps and VanSanten will support the momentum coming out of Phillippe’s testimony through a number of local initiatives this summer.
As part of USA Network’s commitment to Hidden Heroes, military caregivers, service members, veterans and their families and friends will get an exclusive sneak peek of Shooter season two (debuting July 18 at 10/9c). Leading up to the premiere, USA Network and Hidden Heroes will host screening parties in five cities across the nation -- using the events to kick-start conversations about ways communities can more effectively address the needs of military caregivers.
To date, over 100 cities have signed on as “Hidden Heroes Cities,” creating a network committed to identifying military caregivers in their communities and the local resources to support them. For the caregivers themselves, the campaign website: HiddenHeroes.org, provides a safe and secure online community for caregivers to meet and access carefully vetted resources.