Partying for a good cause
The event raised over $350,000, thanks to the generosity of guests from Texas, Canada, Tennessee and the Hoosier state. – – Photo by Richard Tretter
On Saturday, May 18, iconic actor, singer, songwriter, Rhodes scholar, helicopter pilot, Country Music Hall of Famer, Golden Globe winner, (etc., etc., etc.) Kris Kristofferson performed a benefit concert in front of a barn-full of fans and supporters of the Shalom Foundation.
The barn — more like a Texas-style nightclub — is just one of the buildings situated on Big Tree Farm in Santa Claus.
Kristofferson traveled to Spencer County at the request of Big Tree Farm owner Ed Ewing and his friend, Steve Moore, who by day is Chief Executive Officer of the Country Music Association in Nashville, TN.
Both are dedicated philanthropists. Ewing focuses on children’s charities with special emphasis on children suffering from life-threatening illness. Moore is particularly supportive of the Shalom Foundation, whose mission includes a state-of-the-art Pediatric Surgery Center built in Guatemala for the poorest of the poor.
The two minds came together and Ewing agreed to host a fund-raiser, with all proceeds (every cent) going to the Pediatric Surgery Center via the Shalom Foundation.
The Shalom Foundation’s fund-raising efforts usually generate about $250,000 per annum.
In one night, with the help of some incredibly talented musicians and generous friends, Ewing raised over $350,000 for the Foundation. He picked up all expenses, including an all-you-can-eat dinner for guests of fried chicken, steak, German fries, corn and green beans with rolls and apple butter, followed by apple strudel for dessert.
The meal was preceded by cocktails and tours of Ewing’s Classic Car Museum — filled with an awe-inspiring collection. A crew from the Discovery Channel was on hand filming for an upcoming Million Dollar Collection program starring Ewing’s autos.
Prior to the concert, Ewing and Moore showed a video taken at the surgery center. An interview with a girl whose life was saved there — literally — quite possibly helped with the next item on the agenda.
An auction of some very special items netted $76,000 in just minutes. A guitar owned by the group Alabama sold for $2,500, a second one from Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley went for $3,500 and a third guitar, signed by Kristofferson, netted $10,000.
Moore, who among other things is in charge of the Country Music (CMA) Awards, donated four tickets for the show and entree to the private After Party. This brought in another $60,000.
Then Shawn Camp, a Nashville songwriter who has released five albums of his own, and has written for country music stars such as Garth Brooks, Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury, Ricky Skaggs, and Brooks and Dunn, performed.
He was followed by David Lee Murphy, whose four albums produced a total of 13 singles on the country charts, including the Number One hit “Dust on the Bottle” from 1995 and four more Top Ten hits.
Then Kristofferson made his way to the stage to riotous applause. He performed several songs from his repertoire and was later joined onstage by his daughter, Kelly, who sang and played banjo.
In an effort to surpass the $300,000 mark in fund-raising, Kristofferson donated a private concert to be held in the home of the highest bidder. Clem and Mary C. Lange, founders of Best Home Furnishings in Ferdinand, cast the winning bid. Clem’s main competition was a man from Canada who dropped out of the bidding but donated $15,000 on the spot.
The Langes plan to host a benefit concert of their own when Kristofferson returns to southern Indiana with the Lange-Fuhs Cancer Center the most likely beneficiary.
Needless to say, Shalom Foundation representatives were elated, as was Moore.
And Ewing, who underwrote the event, was quite pleased with the evening’s efforts.
While this one night reaped huge benefits, expenses are ongoing. If interested in making a donation, you can send a check to:
[box type=”info”]The Shalom Foundation
P.O. Box 1354
Franklin, TN 37065
Phone 615-595-5811? or email info@theshalomfoundation.org for more information.
Any amount is welcome and 100% will go directly to patient care and services (staff physicians and nurses, medicine, etc.)
A $500 donation will pay for one child’s surgical needs.[/box]
