Field meets Stage at Teammates for Kids Appreciation Party
The playing field was center stage in Nashville on January 20 & 21 for the annual Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Appreciation event. Athletes and personnel from Major League Baseball, Arena Football and Major League Soccer along with Foundation partners came together to celebrate helping kids.
Hosted by Garth, the two-day event began with a BBQ in his Nashville barn. The barn was filled with Garth’s countless music awards as well as his band’s tour bus. Steve Levy and Barry Melrose from ESPN, opened the party as they have so many times at past events. Barry added his customary limit of one, off-color joke. Foundation President Don Johnson and Executive Vice President Scott Zebedis greeted guests and gave Foundation updates. Garth removed his hat as he welcomed guests to the event.
The next evening, a reception was followed by dinner served center stage at the Grand Ole Opry. Co-Founder Bo Mitchell presented the invocation. At the conclusion of dinner, Steve and Barry talked with four special kids during the Kids Program. Each associated with a local Nashville charity, their stories were appreciated with a round of applause that launched the auction. The LIVE auction featured baseball collections along with one-of-a-kind items from Garth’s 2007 concert series and his 2007 music video’s “More than a Memory” and “Working for a Livin”’ with Huey Lewis. Following the auction, Arena Football Commissioner David Baker graciously welcomed Garth for his performance.
On this night, the question could’ve come up ... Got Pink?
Garth played a pink guitar as he guided guests on a musical journey through his career. The pink guitar debuted together with his pink album released to benefit Susan G. Komen breast cancer efforts. Special friends Bill and Tani Austin of The Starkey Hearing Foundation, took home the pink guitar with their winning bid of $85,000. This bid along with additional auction contributions and generous donations from Board member Sharon Magness-Blake and Garth, added up to a big win for “the kids.” The Teammates event like the distinct pink on the guitar face, offered a unique Opryland experience for all who attended.
Special Thanks to Tracy Greenwood for all her efforts to coordinate event details for the Nashville Appreciation Party.
Katie Hamilton
Sixteen year old Katie Hamilton attended the Teammates for Kids Appreciation party in Nashville to partake in the Kids Program on behalf of The Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee. Katie participated in the “My Life, My Choice, My Plan Summer Camp,” hosted by the Down Syndrome Association. She described for the Teammates guests her favorite camp activities that included swimming, crafts and spending time with Gnash, The Nashville Predators Mascot who was a camp visitor. Katie enjoyed the party at the Grand Ole Opry with her parents.
The Teammates for Kids Foundation is fortunate to have a wonderful group of dedicated partners that share the Foundation’s vision of helping children around the world. The Atlanta based Morgan Stanley Group, headed by Brian Frank, is one of these steadfast partners. Since 2003, Morgan Stanley has shown their commitment to Teammates for Kids as a significant sponsor of two annual appreciation events.
These events are hosted by the Foundation staff and co-founder Garth Brooks as a way of thanking contributing athletes as well as corporate and individual donors.
This past September, Brian and and his staff, along with a number of influential Atlanta business partners coordinated a golf tournament at Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta. This historic course was built in 1947 and currently ranks among the top courses in the South. This distinct club was a hit with all the golfers in attendance. Brandy Kirschner, Registered Sales Associate for at Morgan Stanley coordinated many of the tournament details. In addition, as a cheerleader for the Atlanta Falcons, she rounded up members of the cheering squad to participate.
With Atlanta’ s temperature in the mid 90’s, a sold out field of 125 golfers experienced the tradition of Peachtree. They competed in course challenges and actively participated in both silent and LIVE auction opportunities. The funds raised from the Peachtree tournament will help support The Zone project that will be built in the Atlanta’s Scottish Rite Hospital. The ZONE is a collection of interactive areas within a hospital. These areas provide a place for children and their families to play and getaway from the reality of treatments where no doctors or needles are allowed! At the end of the day, it all added up to a big success for the golfers and the Foundation.
Special Thanks to contributing sponsors: Delta Air Lines, Turks and Caicos Sporting Club, Chris Carlos of National Distributing, Delta Air Lines and Bethea Insurance. Additional Thanks to Richard Courts, the sponsoring member of Peachtree Golf Club and to our friends at Morgan Stanley for hosting the tournament.
February 13, 2007
The Dallas Stars may have faced off against the Colorado Avalanche, February 11th, at the American Airlines Center, but in a way, they were both part of the same team. With the Stars defeating the Avs 7-5, a lot of money was generated for children. That's because, no matter who won the game, both teams knew that Garth Brooks' Teammates for Kids Foundation was going to be the ultimate victor. For the first time in NHL history, every player on both clubs participated in the charity, donating a pre-determined amount for every goal, assist, save or blocked shot.
Following the game, Teammates for Kids tripled the totals raised during the contest. It was fitting that in a game in which every goal, assist and shot on goal raised money for charity, the Stars played their highest-scoring game since Dec. 1997. "This day is everything to us," said Brooks, who received a loud ovation from the American Airlines Center crowd of 17,506 when he stepped out on the ice for the ceremonial face-off. "This is the fourth time they're playing this year, but this is the first time that all 23 players on each team are involved. Our job is to triple (the pledges), and 100 percent of the money goes to kids. We're proud of that and that's why I'm so proud of this day."
©2008 Teammates For Kids Foundation. All rights reserved.