(Joplin, Mo. 10-25-2011)

With the presentation of $159,785.44 to St. John’s Mercy Hospital-Joplin, Branson Cares for Joplin saw the fulfillment of their original goal to “help our neighbors”. This message was delivered during the live Branson Cares For Joplin Benefit Concert & Telethon sponsored by the League of Branson Theatre Owners & Show Producers (The Branson Show League). At that time it was announced that over $221,000 was pledged to help the Joplin School’s music program and St John’s Mercy Hospital-Joplin.

Jim Barber, of the Hamner Barber Variety Theater and President of The Branson Show League said, “To date we’ve raised $223,463.68 and donations are still arriving. Of the monies already collected we’ve distributed $45,000 to the Joplin Band Booster account, $5000 to St Mary’s Catholic Music program, and $1,000 dollars each to Palen Music and Hoover Music for instrument repair (over 300 instruments valued at $100,000 dollars were also donated). This donation today of $159,785.44 to St. John’s Mercy Hospital-Joplin goes to help support Mercy Health keep their over 2,000 workers employed as the hospital is being rebuilt. On behalf of the Branson Community, and the many, many participants in raising and donating these funds, it’s an honor to be able to help our neighbors in Joplin.”

“We are humbled and thankful for this amazing donation of $159,785.44 to our rebuilding efforts,” said Gary Pulsipher, St John’s Mercy Hospital president / CEO. “As we remain committed to keeping all co-workers on the payroll and to investing more than $950 million to rebuild health services in the community, philanthropic support such as this is crucial to help us sustain the ministry.” Barber noted that “there are some monies yet be donated to the All City Music Choir, after that, any remaining funds and pledged donations that continue to arrive will be donated to St John’s. We hope with those additional dollars that this will be the largest gift to-date.” Donations may still be made on-line at JoplinBenefit.com.

Jim Barber, Gary Pulsipher, Danny Thomas, Susan Weimer, Cindy Merry, Gene Bicknell (High Rez Photo)

The check presentation took place at a special ceremony today in Joplin at the site of the temporary hospital. In his welcoming comments emcee Danny Thomas (who was instrumental in bringing Branson Cares For Joplin together with St. John’s and the Joplin Schools), KOAM-TV president / general manager and St John’s Mercy Hospital board chairman said, “The results of the Branson Cares telethon provides further proof of both the generosity of the Branson entertainers and businesses as well as their popularity with fans across the country. We can’t thank them enough for sharing their incredible talents and going above and beyond to help the people of Joplin.” Barber said, “The entire Branson community helped make this happen. There are so many people and businesses like RFD-TV, Summer Winds Resort, CenturyLink, Gene Bicknell, The Mansion Theatre, and more that we’d like to thank, and while we can’t name all of them in this press release we do want to continually acknowledge the support of so many. In particular we want to thank all of the generous people who responded to our request to “help Joplin now” by donating money and instruments. From performing on stage at the concert to answering phones in the telethon room to helping to collect the pledges, the one constant that we kept seeing was the big hearts that our visitors from across the country have. Frankly it was an amazing experience for us.”

Donations to the Joplin relief effort may be made to:

Branson Cares Joplin Benefit, c/o The League of Branson Theatre Owners and Show Producers

Post Office Box 5083, Branson, Missouri 65615 Or by visiting JoplinBenefit.com

Her caring note reads as follows:

Dear Renee’ and all involved in Branson Cares,

Thank you so much for your support of St. Mary’s Elementary’s Music Department! Your financial support will transform our department from “loss” to “normal.”

I can’t tell you how important that will be for our students (and myself)! Please know that your compassion is as big of a gift as your dollars are. God Bless you all!

Terry Berkstressor (Mrs. B)

On behalf of Trey Wilson, Michael W. Davis and Jason Robinson, we wanted to say thank you for allowing our song, Just Hold On, to be part of the Branson Cares broadcast and fundraiser.  Joplin , Missouri is Jason Robinson’s (co-writer of Just Hold On) hometown.  To have been a part of the rebuild effort in any regard would have been an honor, but to be part of the greater Branson entertainment effort was both an honor and a privilege.  We thank you.

A few weeks have passed since the broadcast and to hear of the great financial return of all collective efforts is encouraging and helpful to so many.  We are thrilled to have been but a small part of this great outreach to a hurting community..  The lasting impact of the countless hours you have all invested will directly impact the lives of many people, including our friends and family members in Joplin , for years to come.

It was our pleasure to be part of this great event.

Many blessings,

Trey Wilson, Michael W. Davis and Jason Robinson
Co-writers of Just Hold On

Video provided by KOAM-TV Joplin, Missouri.

For a .99 donation the song is available now for download by clicking here. One hundred percent of all initial residuals and royalties from the song will be given to St. John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin to help with their recovery efforts.

(Branson, Mo. 8-19-2011)

“Help our Joplin neighbors” was the message the Branson community wanted delivered during the live Branson Cares For Joplin Benefit Concert & Telethon, and clearly, generous viewers and concert attendees got the message. As of August 19, 2011, The League of Branson Theatre Owners & Show Producers (The Branson Show League) is pleased to announce that $202,732.29 of the pledged monies has been collected and a little over $20,000 in pledges is still outstanding.  “To have over 90% of the money collected at this point is amazing,” says Cindy Merry, Branson Show League Marketing Chair, “and we expect to see most of the outstanding pledges collected over the next few weeks. Wouldn’t it be something to be able to say that of the estimated $221,000 pledged on the night of the benefit, we collected a hundred percent?  Help us reach that goal – if you’ve pledged a donation, please try and send it in by September 5th as there will be a formal check presentation to St John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin during that week.”

Renee Johnson, Branson Show League Executive Director adds, “Of the monies already collected the Branson Show League has distributed $45,000 to the Joplin Band Booster account, $5,000 to the St Mary’s Catholic School Music program, and $1,000 dollars each to Palen Music and Hoover Music for instrument repairs.  We’re also happy to report that over 300 instruments have been donated for the schools, with an estimated value of roughly $90,000 to $100,000. Funds donated to Joplin Band Booster account will be used for any instruments needing repair. In addition the Joplin High School was given two guitars (valued at approximately $4000) – a Taylor provided by Doyle Dykes and a Paul Reed Smith provided by Ricky Skaggs. The balance of the collected funds will go to St John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin.”

“One hundred percent of all donated monies are going to St John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin and the Joplin Schools’ music programs,” says Jim Barber, of the Hamner Barber Variety Theater and President of the Branson Show League. “We’d like to thank the volunteers who have spent an incredible amount of time collecting these donations. As performers, show producers, and those working in the entertainment industry, many of us thought that pulling off a benefit concert and telethon in less then 4 weeks was an amazing feat in and of itself.  In reality, to complete the mission means getting the money collected and handed over to the folks in need. From databasing pledges for invoicing to returning hundreds of messages, the volunteers have probably spent more time on this than their full-time jobs. Our volunteers really have shown the Branson spirit of caring – both for their neighbors and to make sure the job is done right.”

Timothy Dutton, from the Dutton Family Theatre and Branson Show League Board Member, notes that some of the time intensive process involved deciphering hundreds of different handwriting on pledge forms. “We had somewhere close to 200 calls that we made to verify credit card information as there might be something about the information we couldn’t clearly understand – a transposed number or expiration date in most cases.”  Timothy adds, “Actually the great thing about this was we talked to quite a lot of nice people who were so happy to be helping Joplin. They were sweet.”

The method of how folks communicated their donation was varied. From the traditional check mailed in to credit cards via phone The Branson Show League tried to accommodate everyone. “Texting a pledge was an interesting new way to get donations,” says Susan Weimar, of the Acrobats of China featuring the New Shanghai Circus and a Branson Show League Board Member, “and we had approximately 100 of those, and of course, we had to call each of them to get their credit card information.”

Donations are still being collected.  There are approximately 70 calls still to be made to donors to answer queries, clear up donation information, and arrange for collection of donations. Mike Hughes, of the Hughes Brothers Theatre and Branson Show League Business Chair says, “We want to make sure that we raise every bit of money we can to help our friends in Joplin who were devastated by the EF5 tornado. This media release is an update of where we are right now with collections; however we plan to have a nice presentation event in Joplin the first week of September.  So again, please send in your pledge right away…and even if you haven’t pledged, feel free to donate now at JoplinBenefit.com.”

Hollye Gurley, from the Baldknobbers Theatre and Branson Show League Membership Chair, notes that “you can visit JoplinBenefit.com and still download the heart-touching songs created for Joplin by our local stars.  The songs are Just Hold On by Trey Wilson, Jason Robinson, and Michael W. Davis (a.k.a. Fall Creek Road) and the Joplin Song by Doug Gabriel. A hundred percent of those proceeds also go to help St. John’s Mercy Hospital.”

Ann Stafford, of the Jim Stafford Theatre and Branson Show League Vice-President, adds, “We are truly thankful for the blessing of all the folks who helped achieve this resoundingly successful benefit. There’s a vast list of people who deserve a pat on the back for this community effort to help Joplin.  While this particular press release doesn’t name all of those who helped, we do want to continually acknowledge the support of so many. On behalf of our Branson Cares For Joplin committee and the Branson Show League we’d like to say to our performers, production crews, writers, technical teams, those in the telephone room, the on-air talent, benefit organizers, promoters, broadcasters, donation collectors; to those who provided transportation, donations, meals, tickets, services, and silent auction items; and to those who donated time and money; and to anyone who has helped raise these monies; job well done!”

Donations to the Joplin relief effort may be made to: 

Branson Cares Joplin Benefit

c/o The League of Branson Theatre Owners and Show Producers

Post Office Box 5083

Branson, Missouri 65615

Or by visiting www.JoplinBenefit.com

Joplin Benefit Funds To Be Distributed Soon!

The Branson League of Theatre Owners and Show Producers’ volunteers have been working diligently over the past four weeks to process and collect the pledges that were phoned in the night of the Branson Cares for Joplin Benefit Concert & Telethon on June 26th.

Donations continue to arrive by mail and may still be made online via this website.  We are close to completing this task so that all of the donations can be distributed to St. John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin and the Joplin Schools music program.

The following letter was released today by our organization…

 

Generous Friends, We are so very touched and encouraged by the overwhelming response that we have received for the Branson Cares for Joplin Benefit Concert & Telethon! To see so many companies and individuals step up and help our friends in Joplin is very inspiring.

The League of Branson Theatre Owners & Show Producers (The Branson Show League) is very grateful to be able to donate 100% of the proceeds raised through the Joplin Benefit Concert & Telethon. Through the countless hours that our volunteers have spent producing the concert and telethon and then processing the thousands of pledges that have come in, we are now close to having a reportable, reliable number as to what has been raised.

We are asking that everyone who requested a pledge invoice please return your donation by August 19th. We are also close to finalizing collections of all mailed donations, credit card charges, music downloads, and individual theatre donations. The labor intensive process of collecting every donation and pledge has been wholly dependent on volunteers and we truly appreciate the patience of St. John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin and the Joplin Schools music program as we gather up the donations.

In regards to our drive for musical instruments to benefit the Joplin schools, a fund is being established to help pay for repairs of donated instruments and/or purchase instruments as deemed necessary by the music departments.  At this time the Branson Show League has authorized $50,000 out of the donations that have been received for that fund.  Both Palen Music Center and Hoover Music Company have received donated instruments and continue to repair those in order to get them into the hands of young students as quickly as possible. We greatly appreciate our music sponsors, especially with band camp season coming up!

We are again asking everyone who made pledges to get those donations in by August 19th in order for us to give an accurate total of all donations received; and then pass those donations on to St. John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin and the Joplin Schools music program.

Again, we feel so fortunate to be able to work with such wonderful people in a time of crisis, and hope that the efforts here assist the people of Joplin on their road to a full recovery! We appreciate the support and patience from all of those who graciously volunteered their time, talents, and money for this worthwhile cause.

Sincerely,

The League of Branson Theatre Owners & Show Producers

Video provided by KOAM-TV Joplin, Missouri.

For a .99 donation the song is available now for download by clicking here. One hundred percent of all initial residuals and royalties from the song will be given to St. John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin to help with their recovery efforts.

Music Helps The Healing in Joplin!

Two of the outstanding performances at the June 26th Branson Cares for Joplin Benefit Concert and Telethon included original performances of songs that were inspired by the tragic tornado disaster that devistated the community of Joplin, Missouri.

Through the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, the Joplin Benefit Concert raised over $220,000 with one single event.

The donations continue to pour in and through the online sales of these two songs, additional funds will go directly to helping the people of Joplin.

For information on how to purchase the two songs featured in the concert, please click on the links below.

• “Just Hold On“ by Trey Wilson, Jason Robinson, and Michael W. Davis

• “Joplin” by Doug Gabriel

When Branson star Doug Gabriel performed his original song titled “Joplin” at last night’s Branson Cares for Joplin Benefit Concert and Telethon, the audience went wild with appreciation, especially those who were from Joplin.

The song is available for purchase at iTunes with 100% of the proceeds earned going towards helping the people of Joplin, according to Doug Gabriel himself.

Doug starting singing at the age of two, and has toured with and opened for many celebrities including Marie Osmond, Roy Clark, Tony Orlando, Tanya Tucker, Bobby Vinton, Mel Tillis, The Gatlins, Moe Bandy, Ronnie McDowell and more.

Doug performs in his own show at Music City Centre in Branson.

Video provided by KOAM-TV Joplin, Missouri.