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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will serve as national honorary Christmas chairperson.
The Salvation Army’s 2008 national Red Kettle campaign will kick off during the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day football game and will feature the Jonas Brothers as musical guests. They will perform live in the nationally televised halftime show airing on Fox television network. The performance officially kicks off the kettle campaign, which runs nationally through Christmas Eve.
A holiday tradition
For the past 11 years the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game halftime show has officially launched the kettle campaign on a national stage, becoming a holiday tradition. Since the partnership began in 1997, the campaign has raised more than $1 billion, helping the Army serve 30 million people each year nationwide. Last year the campaign raised a record $118 million.
Nick Jonas commented: “I was born in Dallas, which makes performing with my brothers at the Cowboys halftime on Thanksgiving an incredible honor.” Added brother Joe Jonas, “This year, more than ever, the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign will make a huge impact for families at Christmas and throughout the year. It’s very important for us to give back.” Kevin Jonas finished, “We’d like to thank Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys, Israel Gaither, and The Salvation Army for inviting us to be part of this awesome Thanksgiving tradition. We’ll remember this for a long time to come.”
The Jonas Brothers will perform songs from their album A Little Bit Longer. Since their recording debut in 2005, they have released three studio albums and stared in Camp Rock, a 2008 Disney Channel Original Movie. Additionally, they will be staring in a new Disney Channel Original Series, J.O.N.A.S!, expected to debut in spring 2009.
“There are no other artists more in touch with America’s youth than Jonas Brothers,” said Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. “So, this is a great chance for us to get the word out about The Salvation Army’s vital work to a whole new generation of donors.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
Jones has agreed to serve as The Salvation Army’s national honorary Christmas chairperson, acting as an advocate for the campaign at Christmas and also helping spread the word about the Army’s critical programs year-round. He and his family have been major supporters of The Salvation Army for more than a decade. In 1998, Jones and his wife, Gene, opened the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Center for Children—a Salvation Army childcare center for low-income families in Dallas. In 1999, the family received the Evangeline Booth Award, one of the Army’s highest national service honors. Jones is now an emeritus member of The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board and his daughter, Charlotte Jones Anderson, and Gene currently serve as active board members.
“In addition to our excitement about the Jonas Brothers helping us launch this annual campaign, we’re thrilled that Jerry Jones has agreed to serve as our permanent national honorary Christmas chairperson,” said Lt. Colonel David Jeffrey, national chief secretary for The Salvation Army. “Jerry, his family and the entire Dallas Cowboys organization have been great friends of the Army for many years. Their support helps the Army serve, on average, 30 million Americans in 5,000 communities nationwide each year.”