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Today, the Evangeline Booth Award is given to individuals with lifetime achievements in the spirit of Evangeline Booth—a charismatic, talented and visionary leader. She served as the national commander of the Army in the U.S. for 30 years in the early 1900s and became the Army’s fourth General in 1934. Past recipients of the award include Dr. Billy Graham, Pastor Rick Warren, and philanthropist Joan Kroc.
At the NAOC 2011, the Army presented four Evangeline Booth Awards:
Bill and Gloria Gaither,
Lifetime Achievement in Gospel Music
The Gaithers have written more than 700 popular gospel songs, collectively won eight Grammy Awards, received more than two dozen Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association (GMA), and were named the GMA’s “Songwriter of the Year” eight times.
“I’ve always loved your spirit of caring and love,” Bill Gaither said to the NAOC gala attendees. “I don’t know any organization that takes the simple gospel more seriously,” Gloria Gaither said of The Salvation Army.
Micheal Flaherty,
Exceptional Service in Film Production
As president and co-founder of Walden media, Flaherty has helped finance and produce films like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. He sits on the board of Rachel’s Challenge, created in the memory of the first victim of the Columbine shootings, Rachel Scott, and is a member of the Global Advisory Council of Vision360, an organization dedicated to supporting and founding churches across the country.
“It’s no wonder Jesus loved children, and no wonder he loved story,” Flaherty said. “When I think of The Salvation Army, I think of a line from Les Miserables: Remember the truth once spoken—to love another person is to see the face of God.”
George and Laura Bush,
Lifetime Acheivement in Public Service
Former first lady Laura Bush accepted the award. She has served on The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board since January 2010. Many of her initiatives as the former First Lady focused on education and literacy, including establishing the National Book Festival. The United Nations named her honorary ambassador for its Decade of Literacy, during which she held a Conference on Global Literacy. Bush was also a key advocate of the No Child Left Behind Act to reform education. She released a memoir, Spoken from the Heart, in May 2010.
“Freely you have received; freely give,” Bush said, quoting Matthew 10:8b. “There are few better examples of this being lived out in humility than in the life of Evangeline Booth—and I’d like to add still today in the lives of the men and the women in The Salvation Army. You inspire us.”
Glen Keane,
Lifetime Achievement as a Master Animator
Keane is most noted for creating and animating legendary Disney characters like Ariel, Aladdin, Pocahontas, the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, and Tarzan. Most recently, Keane was supervising animator and executive producer on Disney’s Tangled. A 36-year veteran of Walt Disney Feature Animation, he is also the author and illustrator of a series of children’s Bible parable books.
“The secret is sincerity, to believe in the characters,” Keane said of his animation. “I’m an actor with a pencil. Anything I can imagine, I can be.”
Keane explained how he has portrayed his faith in his characters, including a personal transformation similar to that of the Beast. He said the Tangled prologue depicts that all gifts are from God (James 1:17).
Three of Keane’s original onstage drawings were auctioned for a total $21,000 to go toward the Army’s current disaster relief efforts in the Southern Territory.
Take a look at social media highlights from NAOC 2011at
newfrontierpublications.org (bit.ly/iog4Bp)
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