Country Singer Jimmy Wayne Returns to Mobile for Salvation Army Luncheon
Country singer and author Jimmy Wayne headlined the Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama's annual civic luncheon at Fort Whiting Armory in Mobile.
The Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama kicked off the holiday season with its annual civic luncheon at Fort Whiting Armory in Mobile, once again bringing in country music singer-songwriter and bestselling author Jimmy Wayne as the event’s keynote speaker.
Wayne’s return marked the second consecutive year he traveled to Mobile for the event, after a previous appearance drew nearly 200 attendees and raised roughly $35,000 for the Salvation Army’s Center for Women and Children.
Now based in Nashville, Wayne’s own story lends weight to his advocacy for the Salvation Army’s mission. He spent much of his childhood cycling through foster care, including stretches of homelessness, and has spoken about receiving assistance from the Salvation Army in Texas during some of his most difficult years. That background has shaped both his music and his writing career.
His latest book, released in October, landed on national best-seller lists in the Celebrities category the same month as his Mobile appearance. It follows an earlier bestseller that inspired a television movie centered on the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, which was set to air on cable just days after the Mobile luncheon.
Maj. Mark Brown, area commander for the Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama, said the organization worked hard to bring Wayne back after seeing how his story resonated with last year’s crowd, calling the timing especially fitting given the release of his second book and the approaching debut of the related film.
Tickets to the luncheon were priced at $50 each, with table sponsorships also available for local businesses looking to support the cause. The event ran from noon to 1 p.m., with doors opening an hour earlier for guests to mingle before the program began.
About the Angel Tree program
The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, the subject of the television movie tied to Wayne’s earlier book, began in 1979 in Lynchburg, Virginia. The program matches donors with children in need, whose first names and Christmas wishes are posted on paper angels so the public can buy gifts for them.
Wayne, best known for the 2008 hit “Do You Believe Me Now,” has used his profile to advocate for young people aging out of foster care. In 2010 he walked from Nashville to Phoenix, roughly 1,700 miles, in a campaign called Meet Me Halfway to raise awareness of their needs.
