Wednesday, May 5 Update: The Allen Arena Box Office is now selling new tickets for the event! Many additional $30 tickets have been released, as the arena has a larger seating capacity! Visit the Allen Arena Box Office at Lipscomb University or call 615-966-7075 to purchase tickets.

Previously purchased tickets will be honored when you arrive at Allen Arena. “Will Call” tickets from the Schermerhorn will still be available through Will Call at the arena. If you have additional questions, call our office at 615.550.5600.

Cinderella: Enchanted Edition will be presented at Allen Arena at Lipscomb University. As you already know, Cinderella: Enchanted Edition was originally scheduled at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Although we are very sad that the Schermerhorn sustained damage during the flood in Nashville, the show will go on! While this is a different venue, it will be same date, same time, same talent, and the same show!

We are so excited that Steven Curtis Chapman, Bebe Winans, Jodi Benson, Heather Headley, Alli Mauzey, Anthony Fedorov, Jake Speck, and the Nashville Symphony will still be joining us to raise awareness and hope to care for orphans in distress! All previously purchased tickets will be honored. Additionally, Allen Arena is a larger venue that will allow us to release even more tickets to the public for this enchanted evening!! We will update you with new ticketing information as it becomes available.

Cinderella: Enchanted Edition
Friday, May 14th 7:00 pm
Allen Arena at Lipscomb University
Nashville, TN

SCC performs with the Watoto Children's Choir ©2010 Brooke Watson

Last week, a group of our staff headed to east Tennessee and experienced an incredibly moving evening at Hope in the Dark, an event hosted by the Kalu Grace Foundation. There was an air of excitement at the University of Tennessee as more than 700 people gathered to learn more about orphans in Africa and how they could truly change the lives of  orphans in distress.  The Watoto Children’s Choir joyfully sang “I am not forgotten, God knows my name,” a moving reminder of God’s love for these children.  The light of hope these little ones carried from Uganda to Knoxville, Tennessee was evident to every person in attendance.

The Kalu Grace Foundation, founded by University of Tennessee Athletic Director Mike Hamilton and his wife Beth, hosted this special evening. The Hamiltons have adopted two children domestically and three children from Ethiopia. Kalu, meaning “get the word out,” is the Ethiopian name of their youngest daughter. In the months since Kalu came home, the family has certainly been responding to that call on their lives to get the word out about the orphans of the world, particularly in Africa. Hope in the Dark was proof that their enthusiasm for caring for orphans is contagious as $115,000 was raised for each organization through the event!

Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman speak with Mike Hamilton and a SH grant family

The floor of Thompson Boling Arena was filled  guests for this special dinner. The evening highlighted and raised awareness for the work of  both Show Hope and Blood:Water Mission, an organization working against the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa. This inspiring night also included performances by the Watoto Children’s Choir and Steven Curtis Chapman.

Those of you who follow @ShowHopeNow on Twitter received the up-to-the-minute updates on our evening, from the beautiful setting of the event to SCC leading the crowd in a hearty rendition of “Rocky Top.” We wish that all Show Hope sponsors could have been there with us to see the faces of the children and families who stopped by our table to tell us how their families had been blessed by adoption! To watch news coverage from Hope in the Dark, click here.

Click to watch the video

Are you looking for some new ideas on how you can get involved with Show Hope? Spring has arrived, and we’ve been doing some cleaning around the office. We know that many of you are doing the same thing around your own homes and are looking to sell great items that need a new home. Consider holding a yard sale and using a bucket to promote a Change for Orphans campaign! Another great idea is to sell on eBay and donate to Show Hope through our NEW eBay Giving Works account. Here’s how:

Sell
You can support Show Hope when you sell on eBay. Just designate our organization to receive 10-100% of your final sale price the next time you list something great. Did you know that charity listings often get more bids and higher prices than regular eBay listings? Boost your sales and support this work while you’re at it! Plus eBay gives back to you too, with a fee credit on your basic selling fees. Remember to use the “form with more choices” option.  SELL now to support Show Hope >

Buy
You can also find whatever you’re looking for on eBay – from baseball cards to new cars and more. When you do, shop for items that have been listed with Show Hope as the beneficiary. You can get a great deal and support Show Hope at the same time! SHOP now to support Show Hope >

MAY 5th UPDATE: The show will go on! Due to recent flooding at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, “Cinderella: Enchanted Edition” will now be presented at Allen Arena at Lipscomb University. All previous ticket purchases will be honored, and additional $30 tickets are available by calling the Allen Arena Box Office at 615-966-7075. Click here for more details.

A star-studded cast is teaming up with the Nashville Symphony to present Cinderella: The Enchancted Edition to help Show Hope raise awareness and funds to care for orphans in distress. It will be a “one night only” concert performance without scenery but with colorful costumes, a flourish  of makeup, a bit of dancing, and a good measure of magic.

Cinderella has the same title as Steven Curtis Chapman’s hit song inspired by his daughter, Maria, who passed away in May of 2008. The Chapmans saw this as the perfect way to commemorate her life and celebrate the mission of Show Hope.

Friday, May 14th 7:00 pm
Allen Arena
Lipscomb University
Nashville, TN

Additional $30 tickets are now available at the Allen Arena Box Office or by calling 615-966-7075.

May is National Foster Care Month, and several organizations (including Focus on the Family, Hope for Orphans, and Show Hope) are encouraging people and churches across the country to gather together to pray for the 500,000 children growing up in the foster care system.

Several hundred prayer vigils for children and youth in foster care are expected to be held across the country during the week of May 16-23, 2010 for this national effort. These prayer vigils will provide an opportunity for communities all over America to remember and pray for these children and the families, caseworkers and judges working hard to help them find loving homes.

To learn more about this national movement and find a vigil near you, visit www.FosterCarePrayerVigil.org.

“Back in college, my friends and I used to go to this fun little place called The Cookie Basket in Searcy, Arkansas. They had the best lemon ice box cookies around. A friend was able to find a recipe that tastes just like these delicious cookies. I brought them in to the Show Hope office the other day, and let’s just say they were a hit! They were all gone by the end of the day, and I was still getting comments days later about how yummy they were! They do take a little time, but the recipe makes around 60 cookies!

If you’ve been thinking about collecting Change for Orphans, and are looking for some fundraising ideas, try baking these cookies and giving the proceeds to Show Hope! Here’s the recipe, we hope you enjoy them as much as the Show Hope office did!”

-McKensey Kemmerer, Director of Finance

While the United States celebrates the last two weeks of wins on the ice at the 2010 Olympics, we are celebrating the amazing accomplishments of a youth ice hockey player in Texas. Jordan Cornell, who is in sixth grade, led his community in raising over $5,500 to support the work of Show Hope. Through the Lone Star Leadership Council, Jordan learned that even youth can be leaders in their community and the world.

When it came time for him to organize a fundraiser for the Leadership Council, Jordan remembered the amazing work that his family participates in through the Show Hope sponsorship program every month. Jordan developed the idea of combining something he and his friends love, skating and hockey, with his passion to help others. He collected donations for a raffle and for the the event space, and encouraged other youth in his town to get involved with Show Hope by raising donations for their participation in the “Skate for Hope” Skate-a-thon.

The small contributions of many families really added up for Skate for Hope!

Jordan’s enthusiasm caused the movement to care for orphans to spread in his town. In the spirit of our Change for Orphans campaign, Jordan took something he enjoys and used it to engage others. Proving that “giving a little can change a lot,” most individual donations were small amounts that quickly grew into a large sum when put together.

We hope that Jordan’s story will inspire you to launch your own Change for Orphans campaign and change your world for orphans!

Jordan (center in Show Hope shirt) used an activity he loves to bring hope to orphans

You can show hope to the orphans at Maria’s Big House of Hope by donating necessary supplies for their kindergarten class!  This is a great project for your friends, your family, or your church. You can either purchase the items and ship them to our office in Nashville, or you can donate online and we will purchase the items on your behalf.  But there’s not much time! These supplies need to be in our office by March 5:
Show Hope
c/o MBHOH Kindergarten Supplies
230 Franklin Rd.
Suite 11JJ
Franklin, TN 37064

Maria’s Big House of Hope is a medical care center in Luoyang, China, that cares for orphans with special needs, providing them with abundant love, medical attention, and hope.

Supply List: Due to transport restrictions, please only send the items listed below.

Thank you for your willingness to help show hope for these children! If you have questions, please call Cathy Troyer at 615.550.5600.

Show Hope would like to invite you to attend The Connected Child Conference 2010 in Advance, North Carolina (near Winston-Salem). This conference, held March 12-13, 2010, offers two separate tracks geared towards professionals and families. Dr. Karen Purvis, co-author of  The Connected Child will share her research, tips and proactive strategies for easing post-adoption family life. Show Hope is a conference sponsor and will be represented by two of our board members. Registration information for The Connected Child Conference may be found here.

In September and October 2009, we featured New Hope Baptist Church’s children’s ministry and their incredible efforts to raise funds and awareness for Maria’s Big House of Hope. We are thrilled to update you on their Change for Orphans “Big Hands of Hope” campaign totals! On Sunday, two of our staff members, Charley and Wendy, had the privilege of joining this excited congregation as they presented Show Hope with a check for Maria’s Big House of Hope. The kids then enjoyed a special video and had their questions about MBHOH answered (including “How tall is Maria’s Big House in inches?”).

Proving that the faith of children bears great fruit, the kids raised over $5000 during the last four months. This effort transcended the children’s curriculum from which it grew, and the kids’ excitement spread to become a movement within the entire church body. As a surprise blessing for both the children and Show Hope, the church’s Adoption Aid Fund matched the funds raised by the campaign, bringing the total raised to $11,587.26! The efforts of New Hope do no stop there—they also collected baby wipes and clothing for MBHOH, and have committed to finding new ways to support this ministry.

We are thankful for churches who make changing the world for orphans a reality. We’re working with New Hope Baptist to find ways to resource churches to create similar programs. For more ideas on how your church can get involved, be sure to visit our website.