For the past 25 years Carolyn Snow has given her life to
helping children; now when she is facing the toughest battle of her
life against cancer, those kids are giving back to her in the form
of a benefit show and auction.
The Carolyn Snow, Executive Manager of American Kids Inc.,
Benefit and Auction will be held Thursday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m. at the
Caravelle Theatre, 3446 W. St. Hwy. 76, in Branson. Scheduled
to perform at press time are Doug Gabriel, the World Famous
Platters, "Judy Garland" from the Legends in Concert, Acrobats of
China, the Hughes
Brothers,
Dave Hamner, Clay Cooper, Celebrate America, Bob Anderson, the Brett
Family, Allen Edwards, John Tweed, Dalena, #1 Hits of the 60's, Gary
S. Paxton, American Kids, Slim Chance and Mike Bliss.
"More celebrities will be added as we go along," said Steve Weyher,
board member of the nonprofit American Kids Inc. "The response from
the community is tremendous. In less than a day, more than 17
celebrities said yes and the auction items are pouring in."
Among the items to be auctioned are a M. Hohner harmonica that was
once used by Johnny Cash with a photo of Cash, June Carter and Gene
Williams, a Johnson guitar autographed by more than 25 Branson
celebrities, a Mountain Man Nut and Fruit gift basket,
autographed Janet Dailey novels, a bundle of books from Skyward
Publishing, gift certificates for meals at Golden Corral and Lone
Star, for Wal-Mart and various hotel stays such as at the Keeter
Center and the Radisson, grand finale tickets from Operation
Homecoming, wines from Stone Hill Winery and a clock from House of
Clocks.
A donation of $15 per ticket is requested. Tickets may be purchased
at the Caravelle box office, American Kids Inc. office, Golden
Corral and the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. Donations are
also being accepted at Ozark Mountain Bank for the Carolyn Snow
Cancer Benefit Fund.
"You can’t come to Branson without hearing about the American Kids
Inc. organization. Dr. Dale Smith, the group’s founder, and his wife
Carolyn Snow have literally touched the lives of thousands of
children across the country and have built a legacy of commitment
and dedication to our children. It is because of Carolyn’s
dedication and love of children that the American Kids organization
along with numerous Branson entertainers are hosting this benefit to
help cover the expenses incurred with this cruel illness," said
Brenda Hoffstatter, office manager for American Kids.
The 24-year-old American Kids Inc. is often referred to as the
nation’s only little league of entertainers. It has over 1,000
members from some 25 states. Through performing arts and
entertainment with trained, adult volunteers and a small staff, the
group works with children to promote drug-free lifestyles,
patriotism and community service.
Smith, who holds a doctorate in administration-education and
master’s in music education, founded the group with the support of
his wife, who is the executive manager. Snow has an unusual list of
experiences to her credit, from being the first woman in Oklahoma to
be a certified prison guard to winning a CINE Golden Eagle Award for
her film Ms 99-128. Having developed a program to bring the arts
into a correctional setting, Snow decided that she would understand
the role of the corrections officer better if she herself took the
training. Following that she wrote the National Endowment for the
Humanities guideline on structuring arts programs in a correctional
setting. She was also a poet-in-residence in Oklahoma. She co-wrote
and produced The Will and the Wind, a musical about Oklahoma which
is certified as an Oklahoma Centennial project; Raising America, a
patriotic musical, and for the last nine years has produced shows
for Silver Dollar City. She is finishing a book on the history of
American Kids and preparing to hand American Kids to the next
generation.
The group has given tens of thousands of dollars worth of cash and
prizes including a significant number of college scholarships over
the past two decades to its membership. A goal is to see American
Kids become one of the nation’s largest college scholarship
programs.
For more information call 800-377-8117 or 417-337-8964.