Annual event benefits St. Jude hospital 
The Tennessean
By CINDY WATTS
Staff Writer

As often happens, Vince Gill and Amy Grant's day jobs merged with their passion for charity on Friday night as they marked their second year as co-chairs of the 2008 St. Jude Dream Home giveaway.

The couple performed at a ticket-launch party at The Factory in Franklin to raise awareness of the charity and build excitement for the ticket drive and June raffle of this year's Dream Home: a 3,871-square-foot house valued at $650,000. About 800 people enjoyed the night, which also included performances by the Wooten Brothers and American Idol finalists Melinda Doolittle and Phil Stacey.

"We're hoping for a very strong kickoff for the raffle ticket sales," Grant said. "Some people are already passionate about St. Jude and I feel like this a no-brainer. This is exciting — someone is going to win that house."

This year, officials for Middle Tennessee's Dream Home — one of 34 in the country — hope to raise $1.6 million for the hospital, which would make it the nation's largest Dream Home campaign to date. The $100 raffle tickets give buyers a chance at 20 prizes valued at $1,000 each, along with the grand-prize Westhaven home. The home will be raffled June 22 during a telecast on WZTV Fox 17.

"I like the community spirit of this," Gill said. "There are so many ways people find to give and to help out. And when you talk about a great project to give to, with St. Jude, you're reaching out to kids and sick kids. And it just doesn't get any more godly or kindly. It's the best."

To see a slideshow from the event, please go here.