Pictured: Jo Dee Messina with the Harvest Hands Board of Directors, Concert Organizers and some Harvest Hands Kids prior to the Dec. 5^th benefit concert

 Country superstar JO DEE MESSINA helped raise over $30,000 this past Saturday for Harvest Hands in South Nashville.

 JO DEE performed two very special shows this past weekend–alongside youth and children’s choirs–at the Brentwood United Methodist Church in Nashville partnering with Harvest Hands Community Development Corporation (CDC), a non-profit, faith-based organization in South Nashville (http://www.harvesthandscdc.com/). With two shows, JO DEE performed for 3,000 fans, not including the 1,200 which watched the show via UStream online.  The show included songs from JO DEE’s Christmas album, A JOYFUL NOISE, such as “Silver Bells,” “The Christmas Song” and “Let It Snow.” The evening performance is available for viewing online–and will be throughout the end of December–at www.JoDeeMessina.com/harvesthands. Fans are still welcome to make donations and t-shirts are available for purchase as well.

 “[Directors] Brian and Courtney Hicks are angels walking the face of this earth.  What they do with Harvest Hands must make God smile,” says JO DEE. “I feel blessed to be able to use my gift of voice so that they can continue, not only to change lives by ‘doing,’ but by being an example to the rest of us on how to truly make a difference.”

 This Thursday, December 10 JO DEE will perform at Green’s Grocery in Leiper’s Fork, TN to benefit the Montessori School of Franklin (http://www.montessorifranklin.org/). Montessori School of Franklin a community of children, parents and staff dedicated to following the development of the whole child. While practicing grace and courtesy, the child directs his/her day and has lessons in practical life, sensorial, math, language, science, music, and cultural activities. Beginning at 6:30pm, the event will also include performances from Ron Block (of Alison Krauss and Union Station), Allen Shamblin and Julie Lee. Tickets are available now for $125 per person which includes food and drink.  A live auction will also be held. For tickets please call 615-794-0567.

 JO DEE, who has nine #1 country singles to her credit and sold over five million albums, is preparing for the release of her new single, “That’s God,” out next month. This will advance her first album in five years, UNMISTAKABLE, due in the spring on Curb.  The album, which marks her fifth studio album, shows that JO DEE has fully come into her own as a songwriter and producer–she co-produced the whole album–and isn’t afraid to show her true colors. 

 For more information, check out JO DEE online:

http://www.jodeemessina.com/
http://www.myspace.com/jodeemessina
http://www.facebook.com/jodeemessina
http://twitter.com/jodeemessina

Multi-platinum country singer-songwriter Jo Dee Messina has just announced she will perform an additional matinee show December 5 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Brentwood United Methodist Church to raise funds for Harvest Hands Community Development Corporation (CDC), a non-profit, faith-based organization in South Nashville.

 JO DEE’s 7:00 PM show “sold out” with all 1800 free tickets claimed.  The church and Harvest Hands subsequently received numerous inquiries as to whether more tickets would become available.  JO DEE graciously agreed to another show with hopes to raise twice as much money for the organization.  Tickets for the matinee show are available now free-of-charge at Jo Dee’s website. 

 ”Harvest Hands is truly an amazing organization,” says JO DEE.  “It is currently taking the inner city of Nashville and is changing it one life at a time with educating, kindness and love.  To go down and actually see how they are making a difference has touched me.”  

 In an interview with Tonic.com, Jo Dee said: “This is not something where they go in from 9 to 5 and then go back to their house in the hills.  He (Reverend Brian Hicks) and his wife live there, in the inner city. They went into this community and said, ‘What do you need from us?’ The first thing they did was go in and knock down a crack house. The church bought it, went in, knocked it down and made a playground out of it. This is not people throwing money at a problem; they’re living in the midst of it and helping with their time and their love and understanding.” To read the whole interview, go here.

JO DEE will perform–along with the BUMC youth choir–a wide array of songs from her 2002 Christmas album A Joyful Noise, other holiday classics and music from her next album, including the upcoming single “That’s God.”  The concert will also be streamed live on her Web site and at Ustream.com. Messina hopes that fans who attend the concert will make a donation to Harvest Hands.