The Salvation Army DFW Metroplex Command has announced that Wynonna, award-winning country music icon, will be the featured guest speaker at its 2013 Doing The Most Good Luncheon on Friday, November 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, Chantilly Ballroom. Jan Pickens, Salvation Army Advisory Board Member, is this year’s luncheon chair.
The 2013 luncheon also serves as the kickoff of The Salvation Army’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, which commemorates the 125 years the organization has served in Texas. The Anniversary Celebration will feature special events designed to expand the organization’s support base locally to include a new, younger demographic. Charlotte Jones Anderson, executive vice president and chief brand officer for the Dallas Cowboys, is chairing the 125th Anniversary Celebration in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Pickens said, “Of all The Salvation Army fundraisers, this local luncheon is the #1 Salvation Army fund-raising event in the world. With the kickoff of The Salvation Army’s 125th Anniversary Celebration and Wynonna as our guest speaker, we look forward to a compelling and memorable event that will raise much needed funds for our mission to serve unmet needs in our community.”
Wynonna’s career began in the 1980s in the singing duo The Judds alongside her mother, Naomi. According to TIME magazine, The Judds were credited with “single-handedly saving country music.” They received praise and accolades, including five Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Awards and 20 million records sold, making them one of the most successful duos in country music history. After The Judds disbanded in 1991, Wynonna began a solo career, and Rolling Stone magazine once referred to her as “the greatest female country singer since Patsy Cline.”
Wynonna has always pushed the boundaries of the country music repertoire. Impressive credentials such as more than 10 million albums sold, 6 platinum-plus/gold-plus albums, 16 Top Ten hits, a Top Female Vocalist Of The Year Award from the Academy of Country Music, and many sold-out tours—all come in second to her amazing ability to resonate with fans from all walks of life. Wynonna is also a New York Times bestselling author with her 2005 memoir, Coming Home To Myself. In 2012 she wrote a fictional book called Restless Heart drawing on her personal experience as a country music superstar. She also released an autobiographical musical journey, Her Story: Scenes From A Lifetime, a double-live gold-plus certified CD and DVD, which hit #2 on the Top Country Album charts. Whether she's touring, writing music or being a mom, Wynonna remains one of country's most recognizable and beloved music icons.
The Doing the Most Good luncheon is a fundraiser to support The Salvation Army's 70 programs and services in Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton and Ellis Counties. The programs address human needs in seven key areas: (1) homeless men, women and children; (2) families in crisis; (3) addiction recovery; (4) senior citizens; (5) children and youth; (6) veterans programs; and (7) disaster response.
Past luncheon speakers have included Former First Lady Barbara Bush, Former President George W. Bush, Amy Grant, J.C. Watts, Blake Mycoskie, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Karen Hughes, Tony Evans, Edsel Ford, Chuck Norris and Scott O’Grady.
Thanks to the generosity of the North Texas community, in 2012 The Salvation Army provided assistance to nearly one out of every 50 people in the DFW Metroplex and returned 87 cents of every dollar donated to services to our community. “Because of the tremendous generosity of those who contribute to this luncheon, The Salvation Army is able to support more than 70 programs that care for the poor, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, love the unlovable, and befriend the friendless,” said Major Ward Matthews of the Dallas Salvation Army.
In 2012, The Salvation Army provided the following to those in need:
* 999,802 meals for the hungry
* 155,826 nights of care at its homeless shelters
* $422,267 of emergency financial assistance
* 190,080 days of care for adults struggling with substance abuse
* 282,250 Christmas gifts through the Angel Tree Program
* 59,199 individuals assisted during Christmas alone
* $4.8 million of donated Christmas gifts
* 31,451 individual room visits at nursing homes
Tickets to the luncheon are $300, and sponsor levels range from $5,000 to $250,000. For more information on purchasing tickets, visit salvationarmydfw.org, call 214-637-8254, or email dfwmc_events@uss.salvationarmy.org.
ABOUT THE SALVATION ARMY:
The Salvation Army is a worldwide Christian organization that in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex provides more than 70 different programs and services to help make life better for individuals and families. Services include: substance abuse treatment, homeless shelters, life-skills classes, nonperishable food, Christmas gifts for children, disaster relief, domestic violence programs, emergency financial assistance, after-school programs, summer day camps, computer training, senior citizens services, and low-cost youth sports leagues.
The Salvation Army’s religious and social service activities serve millions of men, women and children in more than 100 nations around the world. Volunteers, contributors, and other supporters make the services possible in local communities across the country. For more information, go to salvationarmydfw.org.