A national political columnist will use his words to raise funds for The Salvation Army tonight at The University of Memphis Holiday Inn.
Newsweek columnist and Washington Post Writers Group member George F. Will will speak tonight at 7 p.m. at a fund-raising campaign for the local Salvation Army.
"The purpose of this is for the Salvation Army and to support all the support programs in the Memphis area," said Elizabeth Duncan, director of development for The Salvation Army.
The event should draw close to 500 people, according to Kathy Durham, conference services manager at the hotel.
Duncan said this is the second year the event is being held, with last year's speaker being Edsel Ford II of the Ford Motor Corp.
"This is the largest fund-raiser for The Salvation Army," Duncan said. "We have exceeded ticket sales from last year, and it is important for our disaster work all year."
Will was chosen by a committee and, according to Duncan, his name came up and "everyone just agreed to it."
The focus of his speech tonight will be "A Whole New Ballgame."
In addition to Will's interest in baseball, Duncan said the theme ties in well with other aspects of The Salvation Army.
"Our old facility was in the area where AutoZone Park (the Redbirds' stadium downtown) is now, so that's another way to tie it in," Duncan said.
"It also applies to The Salvation Army because people's lives become a 'whole new ballgame' after being helped out."
Stanford Financial is the company bringing Will to Memphis and Suzanne Hamm said an important speaker usually means better results.
"The more dynamic a speaker is the easier it is to sell tickets and sponsorships well," said Hamm, director of community relations.
She said Will had spoken at other events for them, and the company was looking for a good draw for the community, as well as someone whose message would resonate.
Harry Mahood, a political science professor at The U of M, said although Will leans to the right, his presence will still greatly help The Salvation Army.
"It's good that he's here fund-raising," he said. "He should draw a lot of people to the event, and it'll help."
Mahood attributed Will's national recognition from television, as well as his educational background, as reasons for a large audience.
Although the details of Will's speech is not yet known, Hamm said it is common for him to speak about strengthening the country and the economy.
George F. Will attended Trinity College, Oxford University and Princeton University. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1977 for editorial journalism.
