ACM Lifting Lives Gala Kicks Off ACM Weekend in Dallas - See photos from last night's star-studded event

Last night, ACM Lifting Lives®, the Academy of Country Music’s® philanthropic arm, celebrated its first-ever fundraising gala, hosted by country music luminaries Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, at the Omni Dallas Hotel.

Hosts Trisha Yearwood (L) and Garth Brooks perform onstage during the ACM Lifting Lives Gala at the Omni Hotel on April 17, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Larry Busacca/ACM2015/Getty Images for dcp)

Credit: Larry Busacca/ACM2015

The gala, co-hosted by Nancy O’Dell and Montel Williams, kicked off the 50^th ACM Awards weekend with a supersized line-up of performances beginning with Hunter Hayes, Little Big Town, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, and closed with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

Recording artist Kimberly Perry of music group The Band Perry performs onstage during the ACM Lifting Lives Gala at the Omni Hotel on April 17, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Larry Busacca/ACM2015/Getty Images for dcp)

Credit: Larry Busacca/ACM2015

 The Band Perry treated attendees with a special surprise performance of “Bright Eyes” with the campers from the ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp, who wrote the song during a songwriting session with The Band Perry.  The camp is a partnership between ACM Lifting Lives and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, which has the dual purpose of studying Williams syndrome while providing music enrichment through performance and education.

 

Host Garth Brooks closed the show with an epic performance of his classic hit “The Dance” with Keith Urban and Hunter Hayes.

Keith Urban, Nancy O'Dell, Garth Brooks, and Trisha Yearwood on the red carpet at ACM Lifting Lives Gala.

Additional attendees included: Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys Owner, President, General Manager), David Yurman (jewelry and timepiece designer), Charlotte Jones Anderson (Dallas Cowboys EVP, Chief Brand Officer), Josh Dorr (country music artist), Courtney Kerr (TV personality), and more.

Bob Romeo, Jerry Jones, and David Yurman at the ACM Lifting Lives Gala

Proceeds from the gala will benefit ACM Lifting Lives and Garth Brooks’ charity, Teammates for Kids – specifically the Child Life Zones in Children’s Health of Dallas and Cook Children’s of Fort Worth.

NFF Honors Jerry Jones at Special Event



Ali Picken, T. Boone Picken, Toni Brinker
Photo by Kristina Bowman

The National Football Foundation (NFF) recently named Jerry Jones, the owner, president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, to the NFF Leadership Hall of Fame as a charter inductee. Jones was honored Oct. 3 during an event at the Omni Dallas Hotel. 



Jerry Jones holds up his NFF Leadership Hall of Fame induction ring with NFF Chairman Archie Manning on the left and his grandson Shy Anderson Jr. on the right

The NFF announced the creation of the NFF Leadership Hall of Fame in May. The new platform provides the organization with a powerful vehicle for recognizing the country’s most influential individuals who have ascended to the highest levels of success and exhibited the critical leadership qualities that transcend ordinary enterprises.

Jim Poss, Mary Poss, Ebby Halliday

 “Jerry Jones has established himself as one of our nation’s top businessmen with a desire to win that is eclipsed by no one,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “He honed his leadership skills early in life as an All-Southwest Conference player for Hall of Fame coach Frank Broyles on the 1964 national championship Razorback team, and he has built on those successes ever since. We are thrilled to have him as a charter NFF Leadership Hall of Fame inductee.”

Marianne and Roger Staubach

Jones worked with the NFF to dedicate the proceeds from the event to help launch a new campaign that encourages people to tell why football matters to them. The campaign, called Football Matters to Me, kicked off at the event with the premiere of a national television commercial that features Jeff Immelt, the chairman and CEO of GE and a former offensive lineman at Dartmouth College.

Jones said the campaign will help convey to parents the value of football in teaching young players about life. He emphasized that parents need to know about the enormous benefits that young people gain from playing the sport, and the campaign will play a significant role in achieving that goal.

NBC Sportscaster Al Michaels, Troy Aikman, Jerry Jones

A star-studded crowd turned out at the event to pay tribute to Jones, the owner, president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, who has ascended to the highest levels of success in the sports business world.  Scott Pelley, anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News and a CBS 60 Minutes correspondent, emceed the event, peppering an all-star media panel with questions throughout the night about Jones, his background and his legacy as an NFL owner.  The panel included NBC Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Al Michaels; Sports Illustrated writer and NBC Sports commentator Peter King; host of FOX NFL Sunday Curt Menefee; and radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys Brad Sham.

NFF Chairman and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning (Mississippi) joined NFF Board Member and College and Pro Football Hall of Famer quarterback for Navy and the Dallas Cowboys Roger Staubach for the ring ceremony and the formal induction of Jones into the NFF Leadership Hall of Fame.

Other celebrities who took the stage included NFF Board Member and BP Capital Founder
T. Boone Pickens and NFF Board Member and College and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback for UCLA and the Dallas Cowboys Troy Aikman. Additional NFF Board Members in attendance included NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, NFF Vice Chairman Murry Bowden, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and retired Boston College Athletics Director Gene DeFilippo.

The Sweetheart Ball

The Sweetheart Ball is a highlight of the Spring Fundraising season and every year, the party is more beautiful than the year before.  This year's Ball Chair, Charlotte Jones Anderson, did not disappoint!  We all know that she is skilled in producing amazing football halftime shows and grand events for tens of thousands of people, but she was able to create the same magic at this intimate gala as well!  From the decor to the divine dresses, this year's Ball was full of glamour, glitz and, of course, most importantly, wonderful fundraising. Over the last 30 years, the ball has raised over $17 million dollars for cardiology research at UT Southwestern Medical Center. 

A few photos from the patron party:

Shy and Charlotte Anderson, Ball Chair, with Gayle and Paul Stoffel, Hosts of the Patron Party

Nancy and Jeremy Halbreich with Gene Jones

And some highlights of the Ball:

Kelli and Gerald Ford

Lana and Barry Andrews

Ross and Margot Perot

Jason and Michelle Whitten, Jerry and Gene Jones, Charlotte and Shy Anderson

Kenny and Lisa Troutt

Harold and Annette Simmons

Myrna and Robert Schlegel