Christian Action Ministries’ 2nd Annual Gospel Sing-Off fundraiser is scheduled for Sunday September 5th from 3 PM to 6 PM at Sight & Sound Theatres. As the primary annual fundraiser for the operation of CAM’s food pantries in Branson and Forsyth, community sponsors are critical to the overall success of the event.
“We’ve already been pleased with two key sponsors – Sight & Sound Theatres and Branson Tourism Center,” said Jack Burke, chairman of the CAM Board of Directors. “Sight and Sound provides us the free use of their wonderful theatre, and Branson Tourism Center has again made a major contribution for the event. These two donors enable us to have a state-of-the-art venue with 2,200 seats and provide a sizeable purse for the top three winners.”
Burke went to say, “However, in order to make this a financial success and help us meet the dramatically increased demand, we need local businesses and organizations to help sponsor the Sing-Off. Currently we are seeking one more key sponsor for the program printing and numerous additional sponsors who will receive advertising space in the program, complimentary tickets to the Sing-Off, and a charitable tax deduction.”
In 2009, 5,881 families came to CAM for assistance, amounting to 14,817 individuals. Since CAM provides 3 days of emergency food equaling nine nutritious meals per person, that equates to 133,353 meals provided to Taney County residents last year. The requests for help in 2009 were up 34% over 2008 and the demand over the first few months of 2010 were already up 46% over last year.
Pat Davis, Director of CAM, explained further, “Since the first of the year, we have made a concerted effort to provide nine full and nutritional meals for each individual, based on the basic food groups of the government’s food pyramid. This means that, aside from local food donations, we are continually purchasing food to maintain a proper balance in our inventory. Plus, we have also taken over the operations of food pantry in Forsyth, formerly known as My Neighbor’s Pantry, which means we are now serving approximately 800 families per month. These factors have significantly increased our need for financial donations to augment the food donations we receive. The success of the Sing-Off is critical to our operations.”
Burke pointed out that Pat Davis assumed the role of director this year on a 100% voluntary basis in order to help CAM reduce operating costs in order to meet the growing need, “Pat has been a true blessing to our community!”
Donations for the various sponsorships range from $2,000 to $250. A $2,000 “Gold” sponsorship includes a full-page ad in the event program and 10 complimentary tickets. “Silver” sponsorships are $1,000 and include a half-page ad and six tickets. “Bronze” sponsorships, valued at $500, receive a quarter page ad and four tickets. For $250, sponsors are included in an alpha listing of “Honorable Mentions” and two tickets for the show. In order to allow time for program layout and printing, sponsorships need to be finalized by the end of July.
According to Burke, volunteers will be contacting potential sponsors by phone and CAM has been advertising for sponsors through broadcast e-mails from the Branson Chamber. Sponsorship forms can be accessed by calling CAM at 334-1157 or by visiting the CAM website at www.christianactionministries.org.
The Sing-Off will feature twelve gospel-singing finalists, pre-selected by committee from all entries received. The twelve will then compete for the $3,000 prize purse before a panel of celebrity judges. Branson entertainer and renowned tenor George Dyer will open the show, and last year’s winners, Sons of the Silver Dollar, will be on hand for a closing performance and announcement for this year’s winners.
Tickets for the event are available through Sight & Sound Theatres reservations at 1-800-377-1277, at the Sight & Sound Theatres lobby box office, or through the Branson Tourism Center at 1-800-785-1550. Reserved seat tickets are a $12 donation for adults, $6 for children 12 and under.
For more information, contact the CAM offices at 417-334-1157.
About CAM
CAM is celebrating its 25th year of service to the community. Christian Action Ministries was founded by 11 churches that came together to help better meet the needs of Taney County residents with a central location for food distribution. A non-denominational organization, CAM is dedicated to providing caring assistance, in Christ’s name, to people experiencing temporary crisis.
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