1000 x 90

Jones House Hosts 25th Honor Card Luncheon, N.C. Artist Mangum Raises Homeless Veteran Awareness

Nov 2, 2012. William Mangum, North Carolina’s Artist, will visit the High Country on November 14th to kickoff of his signature philanthropic initiative – The Honor Card. Taking place at Boone’s Jones House Cultural and Community Center from 12 to 2 p.m., Mangum will unveil this year’s painting, “The Climb” and explain the inspiration behind it.

The 2012 Holiday Honor Cards, dedicated to our homeless Veterans, are available starting November 5enr for a minimum donation of $5 per card at http://hospitalityhouseofboone.org and at Ashe, Avery, Watauga and Wilkes county business and church locations. With non-profits financially struggling to meet increased demand, The Honor Card is a marvelous way to recognize a friend or family member, while giving a meaningful gift to those who need it the most. 100 percent of the proceeds go toward providing services at the Hospitality House, a crisis agency that serves seven counties in northwestern North Carolina helping people rebuild their lives.

“The Honor Card has been a blessing in my life and has inspired some amazing paintings that share a subtle message about homelessness and the need to support those who have stumbled along life’s journey,” says artist Bill Mangum. “Today I’m thankful for agencies like Hospitality House that help our Veterans cope with the deep wounds that have scarred them and help bring them out of the depths of despair, giving them a hand up with encouragement and hope.”

Since 2001, over 2 million soldiers have valiantly served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On their return home, many soldiers have had to face challenges that they were not ready to experience including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), countless injuries from combat, weakened family ties and unprecedented unemployment rates higher than the national average. All of this makes it hard for many Vets to transition into civilian life. A large segment of these new Veterans are facing the same challenges that many of our homeless Vietnam Veterans have dealt with for decades. Today Veterans are one of the largest segments of the homelessness community in the country.

“We are thrilled to once again work with Bill on the Honor Card as we bring attention to the plight of homeless Veterans,” says Todd Carter, Hospitality House Director of Development. “The essence of The Honor Card reminds us all that success is in the comeback and that the climb is an integral part of recovery for everyone who has fallen into the pit of despair and homelessness.”

The luncheon is free of charge and invitations are open to all who wish to attend. For more information about The Honor Card or to RSVP for the event please contact Todd Carter at 828.264.1237 or development@hospitalityhouseofboone.org

“The Climb” Honor Card video featuring the music of Miley Cyrus can be viewed here:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4jUEI3oT288[/youtube]

ABOUT THE HONOR CARD: Homelessness is a challenge for nearly every community. Homeless people need emergency care, affordable housing, health care, education and spiritual encouragement. The Honor Card program is an annual campaign to raise awareness and funds to meet the needs of homeless people.

In 1988 artist William Mangum was asked to lend his artistic and publishing assistance to Greensboro Urban Ministry’s struggling fundraiser, the Honor Card program. He created an image called Not Forgotten. It was warmly embraced and sold 5,000 cards, raising a record setting $52,000 for various outreach programs. During the Holiday Season, Honor Cards are available for a minimum donation of $5 each. Individuals who purchase Honor Cards send them to friends and family, indicating that they have been honored by a donation to a local outreach agency. All proceeds go directly to each agency.
Personally touched by the needs of the homeless, Bill has been an advocate, donating his artistic skills and publishing gifts to make The Honor Card program one of the most well run and leveraged charitable programs in the country. Within each beautiful painting is the subtle image and story of the needy. For 15 years, Bill personally underwrote the production of the Honor Card program. In that short period of time, more than $1,000,000 was raised for Greensboro Urban Ministry’s various programs to support the needy in that community. As the Honor Card program reaches its 25th anniversary, over $4,000,000 has been raised to support homeless agencies in cities across North Carolina.

http://www.williammangum.com/the-honor-card/