Eric Nadel, Voice of the Texas Rangers, during the 11th annual Eric Nadel’s Birthday Benefit. Photo courtesy of Emily Mamone
The Eric Nadel Birthday Benefit, presented by Bell Nunnally, raised more than $110,000 for Grant Halliburton Foundation.
The 11th-anniversary concert was held at Kessler Theater last week, the event featured a VIP party for sponsors with food from local restaurant Eddie’s Tex-Mex Cocina, live and silent auctions and several music acts. Guests also enjoyed Texas Rangers-themed snack vendors handing out baseball-themed treats including sunflowers seeds, Cracker Jacks, Big League Chew bubble gum, and Baby Ruth candy bars.
Eric Nadel lovingly known as the “Voice of the Texas Rangers”, welcomed everyone to his birthday party. Nadel introduced Daphne Willis, one of the co-founders of the event and a Kessler Theater favorite, who opened the concert and is best known for her song “Somebody’s Someone”. Along with being an artist, Willis is also a speaker for mental health and addiction recovery organizations.
“The work of Grant Halliburton Foundation is more important than it’s ever been,” Nadel said during the birthday benefit. “They work hard every day to erase the stigma around mental health issues and encourage people to reach out for help. I want to extend my gratitude to Bell Nunnally for being the presenting sponsor, KXT 91.7 FM for its support as media sponsor, and all our other generous sponsors.”
The Grant Halliburton Foundation president Kevin Hall spoke about the foundation and its mission to help families and young people recognize the signs of mental illness and prevent suicide.
“Thank you to National Baseball Hall of Famer Eric Nadel for choosing us as the recipient of your birthday party for the third consecutive year,” Hall said. “The proceeds from tonight’s event will go toward supporting the Foundation’s mental health and suicide prevention programming for children, teens and young adults in North Texas.”
The event also featured a live auction that included dinner with Nadel, Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald cruise, celebrity dining, and Texas Rangers experiences. International Champion Auctioneer Wendy Lambert served as auctioneer.
Important attendees include:
- Daphne Willis, event opener and Birthday Benefit co-founder
- Danielle Ponder, headliner that was featured on NPR’s Slingshot 2023 list of Artists to Watch
- Bell Nunnally team, presenting sponsors
- Brad Sham, the Voice of the Dallas Cowboys
- Jared Sandler, the Host for the Texas Rangers Radio Network
- Mike Bacsik, The Fan Radio Host,
- Chef John Kleifgen with Nick & Sam’s
- Sam Gannon, FOX 4 News Sports Reporter
- Vanita Halliburton, Amy McCloskey and Alan Halliburton, Grant Halliburton Foundation co-founder
