Greenville, SC (Top40 Charts/ Food For Thought Organization) John Ondrasik, singer and songwriter of the Grammy-nominated and critically acclaimed Five For Fighting, the band name under which he records and performs, will be the musical guest at the fourth annual Food For Thought event, set for April 26-28, 2011, in Greenville, S.C.
"We have worked over the years to ensure our closing night concert will be deeply memorable, and we couldn't be more thrilled to have John Ondrasik enhance the lineup of stellar talent at this year's event," said Food For Thought founder Joe Erwin.
Ondrasik joins a robust array of entrepreneurs, food aficionados and social activists scheduled to highlight Food For Thought 2011. Presenters include renowned children's advocate and Harlem Children's Zone founder Geoffrey Canada; author and social activist Sir Kenneth Robinson; advertising innovator turned consumer advocate Alex Bogusky; global drinking-water crusader Doc Hendley; Leigh Anne Tuohy, whom Sandra Bullock portrayed in the movie The Blind Side; and innovative restaurateur (and former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey) Art Smith.
Over the last two years the concluding musical event has brought guests together in an intimate and memorable way. Past Food For Thought performers include Rosanne Cash (2010) and Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary fame), who shared the stage with his daughter Bethany Yarrow and famed cellist Rufus Cappadocia (2009).
Ondrasik has spent the past decade writing deeply personal songs that include social messages, invoke the human spirit and make emotional connections. His breakthrough came in 2001 with the Grammy-nominated song "Superman" from Five For Fighting's platinum-certified album, "America Town." Already climbing the charts prior to Sept. 11, 2001, "Superman" went on to have a life of its own, becoming a song of healing for the nation. Ondrasik joined more than a dozen superstar musicians for the legendary fundraiser The Concert For New York City, which paid tribute to all the firefighters, police officers and paramedics affected by Sept. 11.
Ondrasik continually crafts songs with material drawn from his personal experiences in regards to love, war, culture, family, humanity and mortality, which have been heard in his more recent hits, "100 Years" and "Slice." In addition to his musical accomplishments, he has made a personal commitment toward causes that are important to him. In February of 2007, he launched a unique charity-driven website, https://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com, which raises money for various charities when users view video clips provided by visitors to the site.
Ondrasik has also been a dedicated supporter of the U.S. troops. Over the years he has performed for troops across the world on his USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour, including Hawaii, Guam, Japan and Guantanamo Bay. He also produced a CD compilation of major recording artists that is free to every active service person in the U.S. Armed Forces. Since 2007, more than 750,000 CDs have been distributed in Iraq, Afghanistan, military hospitals, USO centers and to various troop support groups, and more than 350,000 songs have been downloaded from the Army/Air Force Exchange online store.
The musical performance's presenting sponsor, DXM Marketing Group, is located in Savannah, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla., and specializes in custom analytics and production for direct mail, e-mail, social media and customer relationship management marketing channels for a diverse customer base. The company is also a specialist in the digital print arena for publishing and collateral design.
"Not only is John Ondrasik an incredible singer and songwriter, but he deserves great credit for his dedication to our nation's first responders and military troops," commented Ray Owens, president and chairman of DXM Marketing Group, the presenting sponsor of the event finale which will be held at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities.
To learn more about Food For Thought, visit https://www.foodforthoughtconference.com.
