Lonestar Performs at Habitat for Humanity Fundraiser

Habitat for Humanity of Benton County’s fall fundraiser brought the nationally acclaimed and award-winning band Lonestar to perform Saturday at Horton Farms.

Guests learned about the organization and met some of the homeowners Habitat for Humanity has empowered. 

Bobbie Gayle Woods is a single mom who received the keys to her first home 9 years ago.

Woods said she was living at an old store with blankets on the windows.

“It was so touching because I actually had a home for my daughter,” Woods said with tears in her eyes.

Lonestar is celebrating 20 years as a group this year and has had 10 No. 1 hits while selling more than 10 million albums since 1995. This wasn’t their first Habitat for Humanity event.

“It’s one of our charities of choice,” said lead singer Richie McDonald.

McDonald said the band was invited one year to Wheel of Fortune and he won $72,000, which the show had to match for Habitat for Humanity.

“We have several and this is one of the big ones, just trying to give back and trying to help those less fortunate build homes,” McDonald said.

Proceeds from the event will go to support the construction of the new Habitat Office Building, ReStore, and Community Training Center.

Board of Directors President Ken Mangold said they need $1.3 million for the first phase.

“We’ve increased on the amount of revenue that went through ReStore by1000% since we first moved into our new facility and it’s really bursting the seams,” Mangold said.

Mangold said the impact on people’s lives is what motivates him to be a part of the organization.

“So they’ve rented their whole lives and now they have a home. And to watch their kids bouncing on the balls of their feet, they get to pick out the colors to their room and you can’t beat that,” Mangold said.

This fundraiser will help the organization continue helping people such as Bobbie Gaylewoods, who turned her life around. She will soon graduate with a degree in Family and Consumer Science from the University of Arkansas.

“It gives you a feeling that you’ve accomplished something even if you did have a little bit of help getting there,” Woods said.

Lonestar is also promoting their new album “Life As We Know It” and with it comes the DVD “Life as We Knew it.”

For further information or to purchase tickets please call the Habitat office at 479-273-3638 or visit HabitatBentonCounty.org or BuildingHomesBuildingHope.com.