Q & A With D’Andra Simmons Lock and Jeremy Lock: M1Ball
D’Andra Simmons Lock and Jeremy Lock Chair Mercury One’s M1Ball
Francie Moody-Dahlberg and Kevin Dahlberg, Honorary Chairs
Featuring an intimate acoustic performance by country favorites Mark Collie and Darryl Worley
It is always exciting to join in an exclusive party featuring behind-the-scenes access to private radio studios and television sets, along with hands-on experiences with private collection Americana and pop culture icons.
Don’t miss this one!
Join us at the Mercury Studios for the M1Ball on Saturday, November 17 at Mercury Studios Stage 19. The M1Ball benefits Mercury One, a humanitarian aid and education organization focused on restoring the human spirit. It will feature a VIP reception for underwriters at certain levels, cocktail reception, a savory three-course seated dinner, live and silent auctions of priceless experiences and one-of-a-kind treats, followed by an acoustic set by country favorites Mark Collie and Darryl Worley.
Getting the word out about their feet-on-the-ground experiences are D’Andra Simmons Lock and Jeremy Lock, chairs of the 2018 M1Ball and Suzanne Grishman, Executive Director, Mercury One:
Q: What exactly is Mercury One?
A: Suzanne Grishman, Executive Director: Mercury One is a humanitarian aid and education organization that restores the human spirit. Locally, Mercury One has focused on funding veterans initiatives, supporting underserved communities and educating the community. Our education department hosts youth leadership trainings and has an incredible collection of first source documents and artifacts from the American journey. We love sharing those to inspire future leaders.
Q: D’Andra and Jeremy, you both have spent time in Iraq and Lebanon on behalf of Mercury One’s Nazarene Fund, tell us about your experience there.
A: D’Andra: Last year, I was able to travel to Iraq and Lebanon with my husband and Mercury One/TNF to meet with women, children and families who were affected by ISIS captivity and displacement. My heart was overwhelmed by the incredible work they are doing in the Middle East to help those who have largely been forgotten. As a domestic violence survivor, I was able to break through the wall of terror and mistrust and speak with women who had been tortured, raped and marginalized to listen to their stories and help to form a well-executed path towards healing and building them a new life.
I witnessed a 22-year-old woman named Ranin hear for the first time when she was gifted a cochlear implant. I was there when she heard music and saw her dance at her relative’s wedding. What an amazing experience of hope and joy that was for me as well as for Ranin. Now she and her family are in Australia rebuilding their lives after ISIS took over their town and forced them to flee. We met with a family of girls whose father was brutally killed by ISIS and they just wanted to flee from Iraq because they live in terror every day that they will be taken by ISIS and married off to soldiers, raped or bought and sold like chattel.
These people all live in hiding and their only hope is the work Mercury One and The Nazarene Fund is doing behind the scenes to immigrate them to countries like Canada and Australia. Mercury One and The Nazarene Fund are on the front lines of worldwide crises on the ground actively working and doing something to make a difference. They are all action instead of all talk. That is why I am involved with this charity, to bring awareness and to be a very loud voice for this cause I so passionately believe in and support.
Jeremy: My experience with Mercury One was amazing! This was the first time I could take a loved one to the place where I served in war. Having D’Andra there was special to me. She was at my side witnessing the cultures, sights, sounds and smells…not to mention feeling the heat!
However, there was another special meaning for me with Mercury One and their mission. I retired from the USAF in 2013, after over 21 years of service. It was a hard transition for me.
Since signing on with Mercury One, I have once again found that sense of purpose greater than me. This is similar to the feeling of purpose I had in the military. I feel like I belong to a family that is actually doing what they say, instead of putting band-aids on critical issues. I am proud of the work they do both overseas and stateside, and I am proud that my name is attached to their organization!
Q: This year’s M1Ball gives us an insider’s experience at Mercury Studios. Tell us what’s going to happen.
A: D’Andra: We have planned an intimate evening for 400-450 guests with unprecedented access inside Mercury Studios. The venue is very special and I am so proud that we are hosting this event there. Throughout the evening, guests can expect to see pieces of history including the iconic ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, the Barney Tree and much more! The entire evening takes placed at the iconic building where film and television shows including Robocop, JFK, Silkwood, Prison Break and Walker Texas Ranger were filmed. Now known as Mercury Studios, the working studio produces works for Glenn Beck and The Blaze.
The evening begins with a VIP meet and greet for sponsors and host committee with Tania and Glenn Beck, plus musical entertainers Mark Collie and Darryl Worley.
Mark Collie and Darryl Worley will be doing a 90-minute Writer’s Round for this year’s event following dinner. The two will provide us with insights to the writing of some of their hits in addition to performances of several of these songs during an intimate 90-minute event.
Known for his hit single “Even The Man In The Moon Is Crying,” Collie has also written songs for Tim McGraw, Alabama, and George Jones, to name a few. Worley’s powerful 9/11 tribute song “Have You Forgotten,” is a timeless classic. The two will share the stage for a fun-filled evening of banter, stories, and songs.
Dinner will be served on Stage 19 from F2M Hospitality led by Executive Chef John Coleman and wines paired courtesy of Rodney Strong Vineyards. In addition, there will be a silent auction including artifacts, vacation packages, art, beauty and fashion, dining and entertainment and a live auction of priceless experiences will be conducted by Wendy Lambert. DJ Jennifer Miller will be spinning tunes throughout the night including the after-party immediately following the performance by Mark and Darryl.
The attire for the evening is cocktail and we are raffling off a 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA250. We look forward to seeing everyone there!
Find out more at mercuryone.org/m1ball or contact Lizza Bowen , lbowen@mercuryone.org or call 972-499-4747.
North Texas and other beneficiaries of Mercury One include: Mercury One is a 501(c)(3) foundation based in Dallas, Texas. Mercury One is a Humanitarian Aid and Education organization focused on restoring the human spirit. Mercury One’s initiatives include providing programs to individuals to advance the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for communities to help themselves as well as assisting our nation’s veterans, providing aid to those in crisis, and rebuilding and restoring the lives of Christians and other persecuted religious minorities in the Middle East.
Mercury One’s The Nazarene Fund has directly assisted over 45,000 Christian and other persecuted religious minorities displaced by ISIS in the Middle East by evacuating them to safe havens and providing for their needs.
Initiatives include leading a funding effort to provide immediate and long-term relief for 2017 Hurricane Harvey victims working with six core disaster relief partners, who in turn pledged 100% of granted funds directly aided and assisted individuals in a number of ways including: search and rescue, basic needs, humanitarian support, food and long-term clean-up and recovery efforts. These partners were CitiImpact, Gleaning for the World, Operation BBQ Relief, Somebody Cares, Team Rubicon, and The Provisions Project.
Additional initiatives include supporting O.U.R. (Operation Underground Railroad) paving the way for permanent eradication of child sex trafficking; Folds of Honor/Stand To Honor in Dallas 2017; Dallas Film Society’s High School Roundtable events and High School Day 2016-2017; 22 Kill-veteran suicide prevention; Team Rubicon-disaster recovery in Rowlett, Garland, Baton Rouge, and Houston; S.E.E.D.-trauma support and counseling in Iraq; F.A.R.M.-agricultural therapy for veterans living with PTSD and depression; City of Glenn Heights-disaster relief; Recovery Resource Council; Irving Cares; La Buena Vida Youth Leadership Foundation; Boot Campaign; Operation BBQ; Sons of the Flag; Minnie’s Food Pantry; Soupmobile; Irving AMBUCS; Catholic Charities; Chris Kyle Foundation; and Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
Mercury One has expanded its partnership with veterans’ organizations to fund educational, psychological and employment training as well as hosted celebrations to honor them for their sacrifice and dedication. Mercury One has provided its partners in Israel with first responder rescue “ambucycles,” and increased its collection of historical and religious artifacts.
In 2016 over $200,000 was donated to the Assist the Officer Foundation benefiting the families of fallen officers in Dallas following the fatal shooting July 7, 2016.
*Photos by Amber Fisher, Rob Wythe/Gittings. Iraq photos by Jeremy Lock.
(Sharon Adams, Adams Communications Public Relations, is honored to represent Mercury One and the M1Ball.)
