ARLINGTON, Texas, Nov. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Seven-time
GRAMMY nominee Eric Church is taking
the stage today at AT&T Stadium to kick off The Salvation
Army's 126th annual Red Kettle Campaign with a LIVE nationally
televised halftime performance during the Dallas Cowboys
Thanksgiving Day game on FOX against
the Washington Redskins. This is the twentieth performance
resulting from the Red Kettle Kickoff partnership between the
Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army. Since the partnership began
in 1997, The Salvation Army has raised over $2 billion in red kettles nationwide.
Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here:
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The campaign will officially kickoff with Church's LIVE halftime
performance and the inaugural Red Kettle donation from the Jones
family, owners of the Dallas Cowboys. Since teaming up in 1997, The
Salvation Army and the Dallas Cowboys have collaborated to raise
more than $2 billion for the Red
Kettle campaign, which provides America's most vulnerable with
food, shelter and other support throughout the year. Church will
join a star-studded list of past performers: Luke Bryan, Selena
Gomez, Kenny Chesney,
Enrique Iglesias, Keith Urban, Daughtry, Jonas Brothers, Kelly
Clarkson, Carrie Underwood,
Sheryl Crow, Destiny's Child,
Toby Keith, LeAnn Rimes, Creed, Jessica Simpson, Billy
Gilman, Clint Black,
Randy Travis and Reba McEntire.
"Over the last 20 years, we've had the opportunity to welcome
world-renowned musical acts to our stadium to celebrate the great
work of The Salvation Army and kick off the holiday season," said
Charlotte Jones Anderson, executive
vice president and chief brand officer for the Dallas Cowboys and
former national advisory chairperson for The Salvation Army. "The
Salvation Army is a fixture in our family's life, as well as our
team, and we look forward to 20 more years and many more millions
raised in the kettles."
"What the Jones family and the Dallas Cowboys have done over the
last 20 years has brought such a bright, creative spark to our Red
Kettle Campaign," said Lt. Col. Ron
Busroe, national community relations and development
secretary for The Salvation Army. "We're excited to see
Eric Church's performance and
continue to see our partnership with the Cowboys flourish."
Red Kettle Kickoff is just the beginning of an exciting holiday
season for The Salvation Army. New this year, The Salvation Army is
calling on Americans to start their own #RedKettleReason
fundraisers, as well as offering the opportunity to designate their
contributions to programs that fight hunger, provide shelter or
ensure Christmas assistance for those in need. There are many other
ways to get involved this year:
- Cricket Wireless: For every "like" on a participating
Cricket Wireless retail store's Facebook page through December 4, Cricket will donate $1 – up to $50,000
that will go toward the purchase of toys for The Salvation
Army.
- Dallas Cowboys: Customers will have the option to add a
donation to The Salvation Army through the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop,
both in-store and online.
- Dr Pepper Snapple Group: Between
November 1 and December 31, the company will donate a
portion of sales to The Salvation Army for every specially marked
7UP, CANADA DRY and SQUIRT 2-liter
bottle, 20 oz. bottle and 12-pack sold.
- Giving Tuesday: November 29,
2016, is Giving Tuesday, a day of charitable giving during
the holiday season. The Salvation Army is encouraging supporters to
donate during a series of appearances on national and syndicated
news and talk shows.
- Hanes: As part of its annual sock drive, Hanes is
donating 200,000 pairs of socks to The Salvation Army. Over the
last eight years, the company has donated more than 1.5 million
pairs of socks to the homeless.
- Krispy Kreme Doughnuts: From December 1 through December 24, participating
Krispy Kreme shops in the U.S. and Canada will support the Red Kettle Campaign by
encouraging guests to donate to an in-shop Red Kettle. Krispy Kreme
Doughnuts will also donate a percentage of sales from Monday, December 19, to The Salvation Army.
- sweetFrog premium frozen yogurt: Starting today through
Christmas Eve, visitors to
participating sweetFrog stores will have the opportunity to donate
to The Salvation Army at registers.
- Text-to-Give: For the mobile donor, it's easy to give
any amount by texting the word "KETTLES" to 51555 and replying
"YES."
- UPS: Every time a Wishes Delivered story is shared on
social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter through
December 31, 2016, UPS will donate
$1 to The Salvation Army.
- Volunteer: For more ways to volunteer and give back,
visit salvationarmyusa.org to find a local corps.
- Walmart "Fill the Truck" Toy Drive: From November 25 through December 11, participating
Walmart stores across the country will collect toys and coats for
children this holiday.
Supporters can also donate to the more than 25,000 Red Kettles stationed outside storefronts like
Macy's, JCPenney, Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, Boscov's, Walgreens,
Kroger, Walmart, Sam's Club, Shopko, Bass Pro Shops and
participating Macerich shopping centers.
From its humble beginnings as a program started by a Salvation
Army captain in San Francisco in
1891, the Red Kettle Campaign has grown into one of the most
recognizable and important charitable campaigns in the United States. It provides toys for kids,
coats for the homeless, food for the hungry and countless social
service programs year-round. As part of the campaign, more than
25,000 Salvation Army red kettles are stationed outside storefronts
across the country.
About Eric Church
The three-time Country Music Association and five-time
Academy of Country Music Award winner cemented his reputation as a
maverick by releasing his 2015 album Mr.
Misunderstood as a surprise, delivering it to fans before
announcing its existence and putting it on sale. He is rising
toward the peak of the country charts with "Record Year," the
second single, which Rolling Stone dubbed "the
most moving moment" on the widely lauded album.
Church announced his 60+ city 2017 Holdin' My
Own Tour via Facebook Live at a two-night show at the
Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison,
Colo. The tour, that kicks off in Lincoln, Neb. and ends with a two-night run in
Nashville, Tenn., will feature two
sets from Church sans openers.
The man New York
Times said produces songs that insist music is
"fuel for love, for anguish and, naturally, for other
music" earned the 2016 CMA Album of the Year Award
for Mr. Misunderstood and the 2016 ACM Music Video
of the Year Award for the album's first title-track
single.
The North Carolina native's
previous album, The Outsiders, debuted at No. 1 on
both the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and Top
Country Albums Chart with the highest debut and sales of any
release in the format that year, making Church 2014's
top-selling country music artist. The album garnered GRAMMY, CMA
and ACM Album of the Year nominations and featured his No. 1 hits
"Give Me Back My Hometown" and "Talladega," as well as multiple
nominee "Like A Wrecking Ball." The Outsiders was the
follow-up to Church's 3x Platinum-certified CHIEF,
named the 2012 Album of the Year by both CMA and ACM, and
GRAMMY-nominated for Best Country Album. The LP featured five Top
20 singles: "Homeboy" (certified Platinum for sales in excess of
one million); the Top 10 "Like Jesus
Does" and the Top 5 "Creepin'" (both certified Platinum);
and two No. 1 hits "Drink in My
Hand" (certified Platinum) and "Springsteen" (certified
Double Platinum for sales in excess of 2 million
singles). Church's sophomore
album, Carolina, (2009) is RIAA Platinum certified and
his 2006 debut album, Sinners Like
Me is RIAA Gold certified.
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army,
established in London in 1865, has
been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination
for more than 135 years in the U.S. More than 25 million Americans
receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a
range of social services including food for the hungry, relief for
disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the
elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, and
opportunities for underprivileged children. For every dollar
donated to The Salvation Army, 82
cents is used to support those services in 5,000 communities
nationwide. The Salvation Army tracks the level of need across the
country with the Human Needs Index (HumanNeedsIndex.org). For more
information, see SalvationArmyUSA.org or on Twitter
@SalvationArmyUS.
About Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation
In the
area of community service, the Dallas Cowboys' and Jones Family
Foundation's mission is built upon an overall philosophy of helping
those who do not have the strength, the resources or the means to
help themselves. Recognized as one of the world's most generous
families, the Jerry Jones family
enlists the talents, skills and resources of all Cowboys players,
coaches, cheerleaders and every member of the organization to
provide a unique and cutting-edge approach to community outreach.
More information about the Dallas Cowboys and the Gene and Jerry
Jones Family Foundation is available at dallascowboys.com.
For more information about The Salvation Army and Red Kettle
Kickoff, please visit blog.salvationarmyusa.org,
facebook.com/SalvationArmyUSA or twitter.com/salvationarmyus.
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SOURCE The Salvation Army