Past Internet Articles About Amy Grant

Sunday, 12/25/05 Tennessean.com News about 2005 Tennessean of the Year Amy Grant- 2 articles

Baby, baby, she makes needy wishes come true

Her presence is so sincere and her words so heartfelt that her mere appearance on television inspired viewers to want to do good things for others.

Charity work can become a publicity stunt for many celebrities, but for Amy Grant, it's more of a way of life.

"My parents taught me early on that if you learn to give when you don't have much, it is easy to give when you have a lot," she said in 2002 at a dinner where she was honored as Nashvillian of the Year.

If there's a benefit concert or celebrity fundraiser going on in Middle Tennessee, there's a good bet Grant and husband Vince Gill are involved somehow.

No cause is too small or too large, no charity too far away or too local.

Whether it's acting as spokeswoman for Compassion International, through which she also sponsors children overseas, or designingan ornament to benefit Nashville's Alive Hospice, Grant always seems to be pitching in on or spearheading a project to help someone.

Her humanitarianism is so well known, NBC pegged her as the perfect host for its recent reality show Three Wishes, in which producers visited a small town and chose three wishes to grant for residents there. Although the show has been canceled, the warm touch the singer brought to it left an impression.

And there's no doubt her kind acts will go on off-camera, where she's most comfortable performing them anyway.

2005 Tennesseans of the Year

They have made news, made contributions and made Tennessee a better place to live in 2005.

The Tennesseans of the Year featured in this section were chosen by this newspaper's editorial board with input from readers and Tennessean staffers.

Some of them � such as entertainer Amy Grant � are recognizable at a glance; others � such as Terrell Harris, the prosecutor in the Tennessee Waltz case, and Charles Strobel, director of the Campus for Human Development � have spent their careers out of the public spotlight. But in their own realms, all of the honorees have moved mountains.

A special salute goes to the many Tennesseans who helped the victims of Hurricane Katrina cope with their shattered lives.

The people featured have made Tennessee proud. This newspaper is proud to honor them.