Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter and Presenting Sponsor General Mills today announced that Rascal Flatts will be the headline performer at the 2012 Starlight Gala, held at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers, AR on March 9, 2012.

“The Starlight Gala has been one of the premier charity events in Northwest Arkansas for the past few years,” said Steve Schotta, Executive Director of the Children’s Shelter. “Adding a musical act of the caliber of Rascal Flatts elevates the Gala to the next level. The appearance of Rascal Flatts will enable us to help even more kids in crisis, providing them a place where the hurts they have experienced can begin to heal.” Last year’s Starlight Gala netted more than $302,000 (about 10 percent of the Children’s Shelter’s operating budget), and Schotta expects this year’s event to surpass that mark.

The Children’s Shelter chose Rascal Flatts because of their broad-based appeal, enduring popularity and commitment to charitable causes involving children. For example, Rascal Flatts has raised more than $3 million for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Scheduled for 6 p.m. March 9, 2012, at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers, the Starlight Gala promises to be an evening of elegance, entertainment, excitement, enterprise and empathy. In fact, the Starlight Gala recently was named among the top three Favorite Charity Galas in Ce!ebrate Arkansas magazine’s 2011 Very Best Awards. The event is, by far, the Children’s Shelter’s largest fund-raiser, bringing in three times more money than the next-largest event. Fund-raising events are a crucial aspect of the Children’s Shelter’s operations because the state reimbursement the Children’s Shelter receives for caring for abused and neglected kids covers only 20 percent of its actual costs. The evening, which again will be emceed by Matt Turner, evening anchor on local NBC-affiliate KNWA-TV (Channel 51), will feature:

1. A VIP reception for sponsors (including time with Rascal Flatts).
2. Delicious food & beverages.
3. A mini-concert by Country Superstars Rascal Flatts.
4. A silent auction, with opportunities to bid on hundreds of fantastic donated items.
5. An exciting live auction, in which attendees can engage in public bidding wars to win coveted items such as:

• A vacation stay in a historic and elegant French chateau.
• A full Rascal Flatts concert adventure package (with back-stage access).
• An all-inclusive Jamaican vacation getaway.
• A gourmet dinner party for 10, catered by The Hershey Company’s master chocolatier.
• A trip to the taping of the season finale of TV’s “The Biggest Loser.”
• An all-inclusive junket to a Major League Baseball ballpark … and more!
• A special appeal by Dick Trammel to help fund the Children’s Shelter’s On-Site School.

Persons seeking additional information or desiring to purchase tickets may contact Annual Giving Manager Frankie Rankin at frankie@nwacs.org or 479.795.2417. ext. 311. Sponsorships still are available, and individual tickets are available at $200 each.