Community

Gene and Jerry Jones, longtime supporters of The Salvation Army, with their grandchildren before kicking off the 2011 Red Kettle Campaign.

The Jones family’s longstanding partnership with The Salvation Army is a visible example of the creative and innovative manner in which the Cowboys can make a real difference in the world.

Since 1997, the Jones family has dedicated the Cowboys’ annual Thanksgiving Day halftime performance as a national showcase to kick off The Salvation Army’s iconic Red Kettle Campaign. The team’s association with network television spawns a donation of $20 million worth of airtime every year to present nationally televised entertainment extravaganzas that have created a beloved holiday tradition.

Under the direction of Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones Anderson, the Cowboys have produced the annual halftime event and welcomed nationally renowned entertainers including Reba McEntire, Randy Travis, Toby Keith, Destiny’s Child, Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, The Jonas Brothers, Keith Urban, Enrique Iglesias with Pitbull and Kenny Chesney. Since the first Red Kettle Kickoff in 1997, the Cowboys have helped raise over $1.75 billion dollars for the Army, reaching nearly 500 million people in need.

In May of 2010, Anderson was named chairman of The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board—the first woman in the history of the organization to hold that position. As chairman, Anderson guides the efforts of the board for one of the world’s oldest and largest service organizations.

Cowboys Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones Anderson was appointed chairman of The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board in May of 2010. She is the first woman to ever serve in this capacity.

Gene and Jerry Jones are members of both The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board and the Dallas County Board. The family was presented the Army’s Partner of the Year Award in 1997, and in 1999 received the Evangeline Booth Award—one of the Army’s highest national community service awards, other recipients including First Lady Laura Bush and Dr. Billy Graham.  

In April of 2007, Gene and Jerry Jones were named Honorary Chairs of the Army’s National Advisory Organizations Conference (NAOC), while Anderson served as its chair. The NAOC was hosted in Dallas and provided participants with valuable tools to implement in their respective regions as they heard from a host of noteworthy speakers, including Jerry Jones and author of Good to Great Jim Collins. Participants were also honored with the attendance of National Advisory Board member First Lady Laura Bush. The event culminated with a celebration at Texas Stadium featuring Cowboys players, cheerleaders and live entertainment.

On the local Salvation Army front, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Center for Youth opened in November of 1998 in conjunction with the Army. The center offers low-income families accessibility to affordable quality childcare programs. Every year the Jones family supports the Irving Super Lunch benefitting the Family Center and the larger Salvation Army Irving Corps whether serving as hosts, underwriting costs or delivering the keynote address.  

The 2012 Red Kettle Campaign raised a record $148.7 million, providing millions of Americans in need with shelter, food, clothing, toys and other assistance.

Cowboys Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith serves as chairman for The Salvation Army’s Youth Education Town.

Thanks to a $1 million matching donation from the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Arlington Youth Foundation in concurrence with a donation from the NFL, construction officially began on The Salvation Army’s Youth Education Town (YET) in Arlington in 2012. The center, which is the legacy project of Super Bowl XLV, will provide educational, athletic and arts programs and countless other services to hundreds of Arlington youth and their families. Cowboys Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith serves as the YET Advisory Board’s chairman.

Every year the entire Cowboys organization is invited to support the The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program wherein players, coaches, executives and staff supply toys and necessities for hundreds of Angels in need. The program, which makes Christmas brighter for more than 54,000 children and special needs senior citizens in the DFW Metroplex alone, is truly a joint effort for the Cowboys—from Cowboys rookie players loading the big red bags onto the Army trucks to Cowboys employees helping distribute them to the Angels’ families.

The week before Thanksgiving, Gene Jones leads a group of players, cheerleaders, mascot Rowdy and players’ and coaches’ wives to serve an early Thanksgiving meal to families receiving assistance from The Salvation Army. For the first time in 2012, the Cowboys served two Salvation Army locations, with veteran players and wives at the Carr P. Collins Center in Dallas and rookie players and cheerleaders at the Mabee Social Services Center in Fort Worth. 

Every year, Gene Jones and Charlotte Jones Anderson lead players, cheerleaders, mascot “Rowdy” and members of the Dallas Cowboys Women’s Association in serving an early Thanksgiving meal at a local Salvation Army service center.

The Cowboys support the Army in numerous other initiatives throughout the year, including through the Cowboys and NFL Play 60 campaign which encourages kids to eat nutritiously and be active at least 60 minutes of every day. The Cowboys have installed Dallas Cowboys Play 60 Fitness Zones in several Salvation Army locations, including at Arlington’s Youth Education Town.

The Dallas Cowboys’ Partnership with The Salvation Army:

• Nationally Televised Red Kettle Kickoff at Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving Day
• Gene and Jerry Jones Family Center for Children
• Annual Super Lunch benefitting The Salvation Army Irving Corps
• Angel Tree Program
• Early Thanksgiving Day Meals
• Youth Education Town at The Salvation Army in Arlington
• Dallas Cowboys Play 60 Fitness Zones at Salvation Army service centers
• Dallas Cowboys Play 60 Team selected from The Salvation Army’s Cedar Crest Community Center
• The Salvation Army’s Dallas Annual Luncheon
• Dallas Women’s Auxiliary Fashion Show
• Support of The Salvation Army Echelon DFW

Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and youth football players from The Salvation Army’s Cedar Crest Community Center in Dallas welcome the Cowboys’ 2012 Thanksgiving halftime performer, Kenny Chesney, to Cowboys Stadium. Chesney’s performance marked the 16th year of the Cowboys’ partnership with The Salvation Army.