On Friday, March 22, 14 people from the Grayson County area will compete in a singing competition to help raise money for a good cause.
The Choice, now in its sixth year, is the major fundraiser for the non-profit House of Eli. Located in Sherman, the House of Eli provides young men ages 18-21 a place to call home through independent living while learning skills to become healthy adults in a Christ-centered environment. Residents are young men who have been involved in the juvenile justice system, are aging out of foster care or are homeless.
House of Eli’s mission is to interrupt the cycle of poverty, abuse and addiction that their residents have experienced. The organization aims to stop the transition into the adult prison system and prevent chronic homelessness. There is no cost to place a young man at the House of Eli, as the organization is funded by private donors, foundations and partners who believe these young men deserve a second chance.
“Some of our youth have never had an opportunity at a first chance at life,” House of Eli Director Laura Ayers said. “At House of Eli, they learn skills, they’re paid for their work, they learn financial responsibility. We want them to have a real opportunity at life.”
The Choice singing competition is the organization’s major fundraiser. It started as a fun way to get the community involved and to showcase community talent.
Auditions take place over two days, and both individual singers and groups are welcome to audition. They can sing any song that’s around 3 minutes long.
“Contestants will sing that same song in the competition, so song choice is important,” Ayers said.
Auditionees bring backup music, either as tracks on a device, a live accompanist or play their own instrument. After the auditions, hopefuls are contacted a couple of days later with the results. Auditions were held at House of Eli’s consignment store, Still Charming, in Sherman.
This year’s competition attracted around 20 auditionees. Of those, 11 adults were selected (age 16 and up) and three juniors (age 15 and under). For some, this is not the first time to cross The Choice stage. This will be Sadler resident Brandy Leach’s third time competing in The Choice. Leach has over 30 years of experience in musical theater, jazz and gospel music. As a child she sang with the Syracuse University Children’s Choir, has performed as a backup singer for a Denton band and sings first Soprano in the Whitesboro Community Choir.
“I want to serve people and touch people’s hearts. Singing allows me to do that. That’s why I’m a singer,” Leach said. “The House of Eli is such a wonderful cause. I’m so blessed to be a part of it. By participating in The Choice, I get to share my passion with other people and help in my own way.”
For her performance this year, Leach will be singing a timeless classic that people can relate to and is near and dear to her heart.
In addition to Leach, this year’s contestants include adults Maddy Jones, Kirsten Ogborn, Kevin Jackson, Kaleigh McFarland, Journey Vee, Jenna Toland, Hannah Sanza, Davis Autry, BJ Guimbellot and Jake Stephens, as well as juniors Abigail Rozell, Madison Jakovac and McKenna Hime.
All 14 of the contestants are vying for cash prizes. Judges will award $500 to their top pick of the night in both the adult and junior divisions. There is also a People’s Choice award that is chosen by the audience. The night of the contest, throughout the performances, audience members can purchase bags of ping pong balls for $20. They cast their votes for their favorite singers by dropping those balls into containers labeled with head shots of each contestant. At the end of the night, the singer with the most balls in their container wins that prize.
This year’s The Choice will take place at The Armory in Sherman. Owned by the late Don Knobler, renowned Dallas Mavericks superfan, The Armory not only has space to hold up to 400 audience members for this year’s event, but is complete with a Herschel Walker Suite, billiards room with sports memorabilia and a garage of classic cars. These spaces will be included in a behind-the-scenes tour for sponsors of The Choice.
The Choice will take place from 7-9 p.m. Contestants will each sing their song for the audience and a panel of judges to include Rylin Rivas and Eric Benge (past The Choice winners) and celebrity judge Melida Ailshire, a pillar of the Sherman community. The emcee for this year is House of Eli founder Tawni Hodge’s adopted son Franklin, the inspiration for the foundation of the organization.
Audience members will not only enjoy the musical performances of The Choice contestants. They will also hear from a featured speaker who will share his inspirational story of his experience with House of Eli. There will be a 30-minute intermission to allow audience members to enjoy street tacos, chips and salsa and dessert bar and to mingle and cast their votes for People’s Choice. At the conclusion of the performances, there will be another 20 minutes for final voting and then judges will announce the winners.
“This is a fun family event,” Leach said. “You’ll leave feeling inspired – not just from the singers but from seeing who it is you’re supporting. Anybody and everybody should come. You won’t regret it.”
There is still time to purchase tickets for this uplifting and worthy event.
“We need support,” Ayers said. “This is a fun evening and super entertaining. We have 300 tickets for sale. Please buy a ticket and come to the event. Buy ping pong balls and vote for your favorite singers. Become a monthly donor. Little things help. It all makes a difference.”
Tickets for The Choice can be purchased at HouseofEli.net or call the House of Eli office at 903-771-4339.
