Gardner-Webb to host the founder of Angel Tree Ministries

Last Modified: 05/21/2012

Mary Kay Beard to Share the Ultimate Redemption Story

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Dimensions Program at Gardner-Webb University welcomes Mary Kay Beard, the former fugitive turned philanthropist who founded Angel Tree Ministry, which has reached millions of prisoners’ children with the love of Christ. The program takes place Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 9:25 a.m. in Paul Porter Arena.

Tracy Jessup, vice-president for Christian Life and Service and senior minister at GWU, said he is honored that Beard will be a guest speaker at Dimensions. Jessup noted that a relationship between GWU and the ministry started long ago.

“The Office of Christian Life and Service made us one of the first campuses in the U.S. to incorporate Prison Fellowship Ministries into our student ministry,” Jessup said. “Each year, our students purchase gifts and host a Christmas Party for the children of incarcerated parents through Angel Tree Ministry.”

Angel Tree started in 1982 in Alabama when Beard, a former bank robber and most wanted on the FBI’s infamous list, received permission to erect Christmas trees in shopping malls to recruit shoppers to purchase presents for prisoners’ children. That year 556 children received gifts. The next year, Angel Tree branched out to twelve states and later became a church-based program. Today the ministry is nation-wide and also in 90 other countries around the world. According to its website, in its 29 years of existence, Angel Tree Ministry has served nearly six million children.

Gardner-Webb University’s Dimensions programs are free and open to the public. The goal of Dimensions is to enhance the spiritual, intellectual, and cultural life at the University and also to promote a sense of community. Dimensions programs are held on Tuesday’s at 9:25 a.m. in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center (LYCC). More information is available at 704-406-4277.

Located in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb University was founded in 1905 and is home to over 4,300 students from 37 states and 21 foreign countries. Gardner-Webb seeks a higher ground in higher education – one that embraces faith and intellectual freedom, balances conviction and compassion, and inspires in students a love of learning, service, and leadership.

Press Release Contact:

Noel T. Manning, II Director for University Relations and Chief Communications Officer (704) 406-4631 ntmanning@gardner-webb.edu	Paul Foster Assistant Director for University Relations (704) 406-3221 pfoster@gardner-webb.edu
Matt Walters Assistant Director for Executive Communications (704) 406-2237 mbwalters@gardner-webb.edu	Mark Houser Senior Communications Specialist (704) 406-4637 mahouser@gardner-webb.edu

News Archives

December: Gardner-Webb President Elected to Board of Trustees for SACS Commission on Colleges
(12/22/2011); Student Center, Science Wing Set to Open in 2012
(12/22/2011); GWU Looks Ahead to the Spring 2012 Semester
(12/21/2011); GWU Honors its Presidential Societies
(12/21/2011); Gardner-Webb Awards more than 340 Degrees in Annual Fall Commencement
(12/19/2011); Mark Wood, Formerly of Trans Siberian Orchestra, to Conduct Area High School Concert
(12/16/2011); GWU Instructor Participates in Exploratory Conversations between Baptists and Orthodox
(12/07/2011); GWU Instructor Participates in Exploratory Conversations between Baptists and Orthodox
(12/07/2011); Gardner-Webb’s Namesake, Fay Webb Gardner, is the Subject of a New Biography
(12/06/2011); Fall 2011 Exam Schedule and Spring 2012 Key Dates
(12/05/2011); Gardner-Webb Fall Commencement Set for Dec. 19
(12/05/2011); GWU Staffers Help Salvation Army Spread Christmas Cheer
(12/05/2011)

November: GWU Orchestra to perform with the Concertmaster of the Royal Wedding
(11/30/2011); Gardner-Webb Presents the 2011 Advent Devotional Book
(11/30/2011); Community Invited to Senior Art Show at Gardner-Webb University
(11/21/2011); Gardner-Webb Theatre Presents "My Sweet Charlie"
(11/21/2011); Gardner-Webb Rises to Rachel's Challenge
(11/18/2011); Cherokee Storyteller to Give Distinguished Lecture at Gardner-Webb University
(11/18/2011); Gardner-Webb University Anticipates Annual “Festival of Lights” Celebration
(11/18/2011); Gardner-Webb Invites the Community to a Christmas Celebration for the Whole Family
(11/17/2011); Gardner-Webb President Announces New Awards to Support Undergraduate Art
(11/16/2011); Annual Christmas Art Sale Open This Week at Gardner-Webb University
(11/15/2011); Senior Art Show on Display at Gardner-Webb
(11/08/2011); Gardner-Webb Opera Theatre presents “Hansel and Gretel”
(11/07/2011); Gardner-Webb to Dedicate the Bill and Sue Masters Athletic Facility
(11/07/2011); A Great Sign
(11/04/2011); Hunger and Homelessness is a World-Wide Issue
(11/04/2011); “The Birth” Returns to Charlotte Stage for Sixth Consecutive Christmas Season
(11/04/2011)

October: Gardner-Webb Winter Sports Preview
(10/31/2011); Gardner-Webb to Host Daughter of Chick-fil-A Founder
(10/31/2011); Pro Angler Matt Arey Shares Time, Expertise with GWU Fishing Club
(10/31/2011); Serendipitous, to Say the Least
(10/31/2011); Registration Open for the 14th Annual Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk
(10/31/2011); Student Nursing Association Sponsors Blood Drive this Friday at Gardner-Webb University
(10/26/2011); Gardner-Webb to Hold 20th Annual Beep Ball Game
(10/25/2011); Gardner-Webb Invites the Community to Enjoy Octoberfest 2011
(10/21/2011); Pre-Game Tailgate Party
(10/21/2011); Homecoming
(10/20/2011); Fall Break Gives Gardner-Webb Student Missionaries a Chance to Shine
(10/17/2011); Former TV Anchor turned Pastor Shares Testimony with GWU Students
(10/14/2011); GWU Alum to Give Distinguished Chemistry Lecture
(10/13/2011); Gardner-Webb Receives $1.3 Million Gift From Bill and Sue Masters
(10/13/2011); Gardner-Webb Softball Sponsors 2nd Annual “Pink Out” for Breast Cancer Awareness
(10/11/2011); A Master at Work
(10/10/2011); The “Core” of Who We Are
(10/07/2011); Genocide Survivor Shares Hope for Reconciliation in Bosnia’s Príjedor Region
(10/07/2011); Gardner-Webb Gives First-Ever "National Student Day Service Awards"
(10/06/2011); Gardner-Webb Fine Arts Concert Will Leave Quite An Impression
(10/05/2011); GWU Hosts High School Choral Clinic
(10/05/2011); "Broad River Review" Welcomes Submissions
(10/04/2011); TV Anchor Turned Pastor Speaks in Dimensions
(10/04/2011)

September: Survivor of the Bosnian Genocide to Speak at Gardner-Webb University
(09/29/2011); Gardner-Webb University Theatre Nominated for Eight Metrolina Theatre Awards
(09/29/2011); Gardner-Webb Instructor to Discuss Relationship Between Baptist and Catholic Doctrine
(09/29/2011); Gardner-Webb to host the founder of Angel Tree Ministries
(09/29/2011); Gardner-Webb to host the founder of Angel Tree Ministries
(09/29/2011); Trumpeter Charles Schlueter to Give Masterclass and Concert on Sept. 22
(09/22/2011); Still Time to Enjoy Faculty-Staff Art Show!
(09/21/2011); Gardner-Webb Fishing Club Welcomes Professional Angler Matt Arey
(09/21/2011); Family Weekend Coming Soon!
(09/21/2011); GWU Professor Joins Caravan to Promote Interfaith Tolerance
(09/20/2011); Moving Toward Shalom
(09/19/2011); Distinguished Scholar to Discuss the Preservation of Blackbeard’s Pirate Ship
(09/13/2011); Mark Twain’s Farcical Comedy “Is He Dead?” Opens Soon at Gardner-Webb University
(09/13/2011); Gardner-Webb University Presents Distinguished Artists in Concert
(09/09/2011); Gardner-Webb Staffer Publishes Her First Novel
(09/08/2011); Crossroads Worldwide’s Clayton King to Share the Gospel at Gardner-Webb
(09/08/2011); Study Rates Gardner-Webb’s Core Curriculum in the Nation’s Top Two Percent
(09/02/2011)

August: World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra Headlines an Exciting GWU Fall 2011 Performing Arts Schedule
(08/30/2011); Gardner-Webb Faculty/Staff Art Show
(08/30/2011); Chemistry Professors Get Creative
(08/23/2011); GWU Hosts Centennial Sprint 5K
(08/17/2011); The B.E.S.T. Opportunity
(08/17/2011); Fall 2011 Week One Schedule
(08/15/2011); Gardner-Webb Fall Sports Preview
(08/12/2011); GWU Set to Begin Fall 2011 Semester
(08/11/2011); Gardner-Webb Delegates Visit the White House
(08/08/2011); Gardner-Webb Honors 273 Graduates at Summer Commencement
(08/08/2011); Gardner-Webb Baseball Coach Rusty Stroupe Releases Second Book
(08/05/2011); Gardner-Webb University Summer Commencement Set for Aug. 8
(08/02/2011)

July: Gardner-Webb Delegates Invited to the White House
(07/31/2011); Talking “Alternative Education” with Dr. Carroll Smith
(07/28/2011); Gardner-Webb Hosts Development Conference for School Administrators Across the Carolinas
(07/28/2011); Gardner-Webb Hosts Development Conference for School Administrators Across the Carolinas
(07/28/2011); The Chronicle of Higher Education Names Gardner-Webb a “Great College to Work For”
(07/25/2011); The Secret is Out
(07/22/2011); Quattlebaum Named Big South Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
(07/21/2011); Forest City Owls, WGWG Team Up with the Salvation Army
(07/19/2011); A Glimpse of Crossroads 2011
(07/15/2011); Student Journalists Capture National Attention
(07/15/2011); GWU Welcomes New ‘Dogs for Orientation
(07/14/2011); Gardner-Webb Running Group Chases New Scholarship
(07/12/2011); Mission Work Impact Comes Full Circle
(07/07/2011); Kettles, Canned Goods, and Crackerjacks
(07/07/2011); World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra to Perform at Gardner-Webb University
(07/01/2011)

June: Pageant Winner Trades Obstacle for Opportunity
(06/30/2011); A Seed on Good Soil
(06/28/2011); Gardner-Webb Brings B.E.S.T. Program to Campus
(06/24/2011); Gardner-Webb University Launches Operations at New Charlotte Center
(06/23/2011); New Gardner-Webb University Website Launched June 9
(06/22/2011); The Gardner-Webb School of Nursing Hosts “Code Teen”
(06/21/2011); A Sermon that Sings
(06/18/2011); Crossing Paths with the True King
(06/17/2011); Runnin' Bulldog Volleyball To Offer Free Clinic and Other Camp Opportunities for Student-Athletes
(06/17/2011); Dr. Bonner Named Vice President for Big South Conference
(06/16/2011); Freeman Fund Helps Dreams Come True for Local Students to Enter College
(06/15/2011); Gardner-Webb University Announces Spring 2011 Dean’s List and Honor Roll
(06/15/2011); Conference Brings Experts on Bereavement to GWU
(06/13/2011); Dr. Bonner Named Vice President for Big South Conference
(06/13/2011); Gardner-Webb University Hosts Charlotte Mason Education Conference
(06/11/2011); Dr. Bonner Named Vice President for Big South Conference
(06/09/2011); Gardner-Webb Welcomes Back Carolina Crown
(06/08/2011)

May: Gardner-Webb University Hosts National Conference for Baptist Professors of Religion
(05/31/2011); A Memorial Day Memory
(05/27/2011); Gardner-Webb University Receives National Recognition for Community Service
(05/25/2011); Gardner-Webb's Dusty Quattlebaum Piles Up Academic Honors
(05/25/2011); Apples and Accolades
(05/24/2011); Gardner-Webb Inaugurates “Faith, Service and Leadership Hall of Fame”
(05/24/2011); Gardner-Webb Celebrates the Careers of Four Retirees
(05/24/2011)

April: Green Thumbs, Full Hearts
(04/29/2011); Gardner-Webb Professor Addresses Biblical Perspectives on Natural Disasters
(04/17/2011); Gardner-Webb University Hires Interim Dean of New School of Performing and Visual Arts
(04/11/2011)

January: Gardner-Webb University to Host NEEDTOBREATHE in Concert
(01/30/2012); Gardner-Webb’s Jessica Greer Gets “Tough” with Inmates
(01/30/2012); Italian Mandolinist Matteo Bevilacqua to Perform at GWU
(01/27/2012); Gardner-Webb Alumna Takes Game Show for a Spin
(01/20/2012); Gardner-Webb Students Attend Forum Discussing Media and Presidential Campaign Coverage
(01/20/2012); Civil Rights Champion Becomes Ambassador for Love and Hope
(01/17/2012); Key Voice for Religious Liberty in Washington to Speak at Gardner-Webb University
(01/13/2012); Gardner-Webb Students to Participate in Discussions of Media and Politics
(01/13/2012); Gardner-Webb Mission Team to Host Zumba Fitness Fundraiser
(01/12/2012); GWU Announces Spring 2012 Fine Arts Calendar
(01/09/2012); Birmingham Civil Rights Veteran to Give MLK Day Address at Gardner-Webb
(01/09/2012); Gardner-Webb’s Online Graduate Business Program Ranked Nation’s Best for Student Services and Technology
(01/09/2012); Gardner-Webb Mourns the Loss of Loving Student Ariane Noelle Patterson Dead at 21
(01/09/2012); Gardner-Webb to Host Site Review for DNP Program Accreditation
(01/05/2012)

Learning and leadership for God and Humanity in a changing world