Grammy Award-nominated and multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding will perform live at AT&T Stadium during the nationally televised halftime of the Dallas Cowboys game on CBS against the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving Day. The kickoff performance is a Cowboys tradition, sounding the call for Americans to donate to the iconic Red Kettle Campaign, which helps provide shelter and meals for the homeless and hungry, Christmas toys for children and social service programs to millions of people in need year-round.
During a recent visit to The Salvation Army’s New York Temple Corps soup kitchen, Ellie Goulding witnessed the impact of The Salvation Army’s services on people’s lives, funded by critical donations made during the Red Kettle Campaign and throughout the year.
“I am honored to perform at the Dallas Cowboys halftime show and kick off The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign,” Goulding said. “With so many people in need, I believe it’s our duty to help, and I encourage everyone to donate to The Salvation Army. The money they raise during the Red Kettle Campaign will change lives for the better all year long.”
“Ellie Goulding’s infectious energy and generous spirit is a perfect match to kick off the campaign,” said Charlotte Jones Anderson, executive vice president and chief brand officer for the Cowboys and former national advisory board chairperson for The Salvation Army. “We are so excited to have Ellie on our national stage for another incredible kickoff performance this year.”
The Red Kettle Campaign, which begins on Thanksgiving Day and runs through Christmas Eve, is the largest and longest-running fundraiser of its kind. It raised $142.7 million during the 2018 campaign.
“For more than two decades, the Dallas Cowboys have been walking alongside The Salvation Army and fighting for those in need,” said Lt. Col. Ward Matthews, national spokesperson for The Salvation Army. “We are thankful for their continued support and look forward to a memorable kickoff performance from Ellie Goulding.”
Gearing up for the release of a new studio album next year, multi-platinum singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding first emerged with her debut album LIGHTS in 2010 and quickly became an international superstar. An Interscope recording artist, Goulding cemented her rising status as one of the most prominent artists in popular music by receiving two Grammy Award nominations, a Golden Globe nomination, two BRIT Awards, sales of 15 million albums and more than 112 million singles, and 13 billion streams worldwide. Ellie’s recent YouTube Diamond Award marked 10 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, while having amassed over 5 billion views globally, with “Love Me Like You Do,” among the top 40 most viewed videos on YouTube (with two videos in YouTube’s Billion Views Club).
Her latest single, “Hate Me,” with Juice WRLD was just certified gold, following her smash hit single “Close To Me,” with Diplo and featuring Swae Lee, which hit #1 at Hot AC and top 5 at Top 40 radio. Ellie has also performed by invitation for President Obama, the Royal Family, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. Goulding is a social activist and philanthropist and works with the UN as a Global Environmental Ambassador and is involved in a number of other philanthropic ventures including being a patron of The Marylebone Project and fundraising for Streets of London.
The Red Kettle Kickoff halftime show has been nationally televised for every one of the previous 22 years, reaching millions of viewers with the campaign’s message, and this year will be no different. Ellie Goulding is the newest addition to a list of Red Kettle Kickoff celebrity halftime performers that includes Meghan Trainor, Thomas Rhett, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Selena Gomez, Kenny Chesney, Enrique Iglesias, Keith Urban, Daughtry, Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Destiny’s Child, Toby Keith, LeAnn Rimes, Creed, Jessica Simpson, Billy Gilman, Clint Black, Randy Travis and Reba McEntire.
To donate to the 129th Red Kettle Campaign:
- Visit Give.SalvationArmyUSA.org.
- Drop money into any of the thousands of red kettles at partner storefront locations.
- Ask Amazon Alexa by saying, “Alexa, donate to The Salvation Army,” then specify the amount.
- Sign up to give a sustaining monthly donation to help The Salvation Army year-round.
- Give any amount by texting “KETTLES” to 91999.
The Salvation Army is also giving donors a new way to join the Fight for Good at the red kettle. Simply use Apple Pay or Google Pay at participating red kettles to digitally and seamlessly help families in need fight everyday battles all year long.
From its humble beginnings in 1891 as a Salvation Army captain’s start-up program in San Francisco, the Red Kettle Campaign has grown into one of the most recognizable and important charitable campaigns in the United States. It provides toys for kids, coats for the homeless, food for the hungry and countless social service programs year-round. As part of the campaign, more than 25,000 Salvation Army volunteers throughout the country ring bells and solicit donations to the red kettles.
To learn more about the Red Kettle Campaign or to make a difference in the lives of those in your community, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org.