‘Waiting For Wishes’ Event In Nashville Raises Over $2.5 Million

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Athletes, musical artists, and celebrities attend the Waiting for Wishes Celebrity Waiters Dinner – Grand Finale hosted by Kevin Carter & Jay DeMarcus at Hilton Nashville Downtown on April 19, 2022. Photo: Jason Davis/Getty Images for LEGACY Events

NFL veteran and Super Bowl Champion Kevin Carter and Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts co-hosted the Grand Finale of “Waiting for Wishes Celebrity Waiters Dinner” at the Hilton Nashville Downtown on Tuesday, April 19. The star-studded event benefited The Kevin Carter Foundation and Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee.

The celebrity event, emceed by former WKRN anchor John Dwyer, was an exclusive evening where hosts Carter and DeMarcus invited professional athletes, country music artists and various celebrities from all over the country to wait tables, followed by the official after-party—”Jammin’ with Jay DeMarcus & Friends,” emceed by SiriusXM The Highway’s Storme Warren.

Pictured (L-R): Kevin Carter, Tim McGraw and Jay DeMarcus. Photo: Terry Wyatt

“In 2005, I joined as co-host and I had no idea what this event would become,” says DeMarcus. “I’m humbled and honored that Kevin even considered me to be involved. It’s been one of the most important things of my career. Rascal Flatts were together for 22 years and I’ve been with this event for nearly 20 years. I got emotional thinking about this event coming to an end, but I am grateful for the relationship I have with Kevin. He’s not only big in stature; his heart is equally as big.”

Carter says, “Being able to host this event for 20 years is a testament to the divine synergy that we’ve had from the start. It’s one of the things I am most proud of in my life to have accomplished and I am so very thankful for the team around me, the celebrities that attend each year, volunteers, patrons and the incredible folks at Make-A-Wish. But make no mistake, we are not finished with fundraising. We have simply wrapped up an event that has been 20 years in the making,” he adds. “We’re now going to retool and come back with a new concept so that we can be the most affecting giving vessel moving forward. Nashville has been so good to me, I simply love this city and the special people that live here.”

Music artists Tim McGraw, Charles Esten, Jillian Cardarelli, Halfway to Hazard and Jason Scheff were joined by athletes George Kittle (NFL/49ers) and Shawn Johnson East (Olympic Gymnast), as well as former Tennessee Titans players Blaine Bishop, Keith Bulluck, Eddie George, Brad Hopkins, Jevon Kearse, Derrick Mason, and Samari Rolle. Additionally, former NFL players Andrew East, Donnie Edwards, Trent Green, Brian Jones, Aaron Murray, Ricky Proehl, and Tony Richardson were on hand to wait tables, as well as Tito Ortiz (UFC) and Houston Nutt (Hall of Fame Coach/CBS Sports).

Pictured (L-R): John Dwyer, Beth Torres, Jay DeMarcus, Ben Hanback and Kevin Carter. Photo: Terry Wyatt

Similarly, Hollywood actors C. Thomas Howell (The Outsiders), Martin Kove (Cobra Kai/Netflix), Max Martini (Tender Bar/Amazon Prime), Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead), Rob Mayes (John Dies at the End), Mindy Robinson, Jonathan Schaech (That Thing You Do), D.B. Sweeney (Lonesome Dove) and Billy Zapka (Cobra Kai/Netflix) were joined by reality stars Kaitlyn Bristowe (The Bachelorette/Dancing with the Stars), Chase Chrisley (Chrisley Knows Best), Kathryn Edwards (actress/Housewives of Beverly Hills), and Jason Tartick (The Bachelorette). Sports media personalities in attendance included Sherree Burruss (CBS Sports), Jay Harris and Hannah Storm (ESPN SportsCenter), Tom Luginbill (ESPN), Lisa Salters (ESPN), Brent Stover (CBS), Stephanie White (ESPN) and former Navy Seals/movie consultants Shad “Hammer” Hamilton and Hugh Middleton.

Overall, the event series raised $2.5 million to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions through Make-A-Wish of Middle Tennessee.

Lydia Farthing
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