Reba to headline 2015 Starlight Gala for NWA Children’s Shelter
Superstar icon will appear at General Mills-sponsored event benefiting abused & neglected kids
ROGERS, AR (Jan. 21, 2015) — Anticipation builds as Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter and Presenting Sponsor General Mills today proudly announced that Superstar Reba will headline the 2015 Starlight Gala on Saturday, March 7, at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers. Proceeds will benefit the private, non-profit organization’s efforts on behalf of abused and neglected kids.
The performance marks Reba’s return to the area. Her last visit was at a Walmart Shareholders meeting in the ‘90s. The icon’s illustrious career has produced 35 No. 1 hits and a plethora of awards while also conquering the stage across tours, television, film and theater ventures. Reba is back in the studio and recently released her first single on Nash Icon Records, “Going Out Like That,” which quickly shot to No. 1 on the iTunes Country Top Songs charts in the United States and Canada.
“Having Reba as our headliner this year raises the Starlight Gala’s status as Northwest Arkansas’ premier fund-raiser to an almost historic event,” said Steve Schotta, Executive Director of the Children’s Shelter. “The Starlight Gala has been one of the highest-profile and most successful charity events in Northwest Arkansas for the past few years. And hopefully, excitement around Reba’s performance will enable us to help even more kids in crisis, providing them a place where the hurts they have experienced can begin to heal.”
About the Starlight Gala
For the fourth consecutive year, the Starlight Gala has been named among the top three “Favorite Charity Galas” in Ce!ebrate Arkansas magazine’s annual Very Best Awards. As the Children’s Shelter’s largest fund-raiser, the Starlight Gala brings in three times more money than any other event and is crucial to the organization’s operations, as state reimbursement covers only 25 percent of the Children’s Shelter’s overall costs. Last year’s Starlight Gala featured hot Country couple Thompson Square as the headliner and netted more than $410,000 (about 12 percent of the Children’s Shelter’s operating budget). Schotta expects to surpass that mark this year with the evening of elegance, entertainment, enterprise and empathy.
Highlights of the Starlight Gala will include:
• A cocktail reception for sponsors, hosted by Kimberly-Clark.
• An exciting live auction, in which attendees can engage in public bidding wars to win one-of-a-kind items and experiences. Past live auctions have included extraordinary items ranging from a vacation stay in a historic and elegant French chateau … to a NASCAR adventure … to an all-inclusive vacation getaway at a private estate on the “Mexican Riviera” … to an all-expenses-paid theme park extravaganza … to a Major League Baseball junket … and more!
• A special appeal by Dick Trammel to help fund a specific Children’s Shelter initiative.
• An amped-up after party sponsored by PepsiCo.
Persons seeking information about the event, sponsorships opportunities, etc., may contact Annual Giving Manager Brooke Boles at bboles@nwacs.org or 479.795.2417, ext. 311.
About Reba
As a multi-media entertainment mogul, Reba has become a household name with a successful career that spans across the music, television, film, theater and retail industries. She has achieved a rare pinnacle, with 35 No. 1 singles and more than 56 million albums sold worldwide, which places her in the upper echelon of No. 1 albums in the Country genre. Both leading trade outlets for touring, Pollstar and Billboard’s Boxscore, named Reba the No. 1 female Country touring artist, with total of more than 9 million tickets sold. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame inductee has won 15 American Music Awards, 13 ACM (Academy of Country Music) Awards, nine People’s Choice Awards, seven CMA (Country Music Association) Awards, two Grammy Awards and an ACM Career Achievement Honor. Reba also received the National Artistic Achievement Award from the U.S. Congress and the first-ever NASH Icon Award during the inaugural American Country Countdown Awards, where #RebaNASHIcon quickly became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in the United States. The Oklahoma native also is an acclaimed actress, with 11 movie credits to her name, including “Tremors,” “North” and “The Little Rascals.” In 2001, she made her Broadway debut in Irving Berlin’s “Annie Get Your Gun,” which The New York Times hailed, “without qualification the best performance by an actress in a musical comedy this season.” She has starred in the six-season eponymous sitcom, “Reba” (WB Television Network/The CW) and “Malibu Country” (ABC). Reba most recently became the flagship artist on Nash Icon Records, an innovative new joint-venture label between Big Machine Label Group and Cumulus. Reba is back in the studio, recording her first new music in more than five years with long-time producer Tony Brown and is collaborating for the first time with James Stroud, blending their unique approaches and multi-platinum career success. Reba will join forces with Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn to launch “Reba, Brooks & Dunn: Together in Vegas,” a one-of-a-kind Country music residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace this summer. For tour dates and more, visit http://reba.com/.
About Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter
Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter is a private, non-profit organization that provides 24-hour emergency residential care to children and teens from throughout Arkansas who are victims of abuse or neglect. In its 21st year, the 48-bed Children’s Shelter, which currently serves about 500 children per year, has served more than 7,500 children since opening its doors at Vaughn (southwest of Bentonville) in 1993. Children may stay up to 45 days in a six-month period, until they can be placed in foster care or return to their families. For more information, please visit www.nwacs.org.