Chris Pratt, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie and a host of other stars joined in Gary Sinise’s Snowball Express ceremony for Gold Star Families held this year virtually due to the pandemic.
“We owe so much to military families,” Jolie explained in a clip posted on YouTube of highlights from Gary Sinise Foundation’s 2020 Virtual Snowball Express. The event was noted by ABC 7 Chicago in a piece published Tuesday.
“More than we even know,” she added. “So I am deeply grateful and thankful to all you.”(RELATED: Actor Gary Sinise honors the troops [VIDEO])
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“I’m sending this from a very special place,” Pratt the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star explained. “I’m on the set of ‘Jurassic World Dominion.’ I have some friends here who want to say hi. Say hi, everyone.”
He then panned the camera over to his co-star Bryce Dallas Howard who waved and cheered. (RELATED: REPORT: Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger Get Married In California)
Tom Hanks sent a video message to the thousands of family members who lost a loved one in combat, according to Entertainment Tonight.
“Hey, Tom Hanks here helping out my old buddy Lt. Dan [Sinise’s character in “Forrest Gump.”] I hope everybody has a really, really, great time,” Hanks shared. “Disney World we’ll be there in the future. Have a great time. Throw some snowballs around.”
At one point in the clip, Garth Brooks and Trishia Yearwood appeared and said they were “sorry” that they couldn’t all be at Disney World this year.
“We’re sorry we can’t be with you, sorry we’re not all going to Disney World this year,” Yearwood said. “[But] just wanted to let you know we’re thinking about you.”
“Make sure you take care of you during this time,” Brooks added.
The annual celebration by Sinise‘s foundation for military families typically takes place at Disney World over a 5-day period. However, this year due to coronavirus outbreak, the celebration moved to a virtual event held over the weekend.
Day one of our first virtual Snowball Express event was a success! Families ended the evening with a stellar performance by Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band. Today, families woke up with pancake artist, Dancakes, showing off his artistic skills creating unique pancakes! pic.twitter.com/4RiYxLcsiH
— GarySiniseFoundation (@GarySiniseFound) December 6, 2020