Description
| Synopsis | |
| A story of unconditional love and acceptance where you least expect it Imagine yourself a thirteen-year-old hundreds of miles away from home, in a strange city, and your mom leaves you at a bus station and drives off into the night with her lover. That’s the real life story of country music star Jimmy Wayne. It’s a miracle that Jimmy survived being hungry, homeless, and bouncing in and out of the foster care system, and sleeping in the streets. But he didn’t just overcome great adversity in his life; he now uses his country music platform to help children everywhere, especially teenagers in foster care who are about to age out of the system. Walk to Beautiful is the powerfully emotive account of Jimmy’s horrendous childhood and the love shown him by Russell and Bea Costner, the elderly couple who gave him a stable home and provided the chance to complete his education. Jimmy says of Bea, “She changed every cell in my body.” It also chronicles Jimmy’s rise to fame in the music industry and his Meet Me Halfway campaign-his walk halfway across America to raise awareness for foster kids. Imagine being thirteen, in a strange city, hundreds of miles away from home, and your mom abandons you at a bus station, driving off into the night with her lover. It’s a miracle Jimmy Wayne survived his growing-up years. Hungry, homeless, and bouncing in and out of the foster care system, Jimmy spent more nights wandering and sleeping in the streets than he cares to remember. His father left before he was born. And his mama, when she wasn’t in a mental hospital or behind bars for various small offenses, was simply too overwhelmed, trying to survive herself. Walk to Beautiful is the powerfully emotive account of Jimmy’s childhood and the unconditional love and acceptance Russell and Bea Costner gave to Jimmy. This elderly couple provided a stable home and the chance for him to complete his education. Jimmy says of Bea, “She changed every cell in my body.” After his high school graduation, Jimmy went on to earn a degree in Criminal Justice because,as he says, “I knew a lot about it.” But in his heart Jimmy wanted to write songs and sing. A music company opened its doors to Jimmy, and he moved to Nashville to pursue his dreams. He had several memorable hits, such as I Love You This Much , Paper Angels , and Do You Believe Me Now , which remained at #1 for three consecutive weeks on the Billboard Chart. But success was not satisfying. Jimmy remembered where he came from, and he wanted to giveback. With his Meet Me Halfway campaign-a 1,700 mile walk from Nashville to Phoenix-Jimmy walked halfway across America, raising awareness for foster children. Along the way he not only found a lot of crazy things, such as coins, keys, a plastic Jesus, and a Lucille Ball ashtray; but he also found himself. And more important, he found a way to forgive the people who had hurt him. Jimmy learned how to walk to beautiful-and so can you. Imagine yourself a thirteen-year-old hundreds of miles away from home, in a strange city, and your mom leaves you at a bus station parking lot and drives off into the night with her lover. That’s the real life story of country music star Jimmy Wayne. It’s a miracle that Jimmy survived being hungry and homeless, bouncing in and out of the foster care system, and sleeping in the streets. But he didn’t just overcome great adversity in his life; he now uses his country music platform to help children everywhere, especially teenagers in foster care who are about to age out of the system. Walk to Beautiful is the powerfully emotive account of Jimmy’s horrendous childhood and the love shown him by Russell and Bea Costner, the elderly couple who gave him a stable home and provided the chance to complete his education. Jimmy says of Bea, “She changed every cell in my body.” It also chronicles Jimmy’s rise to fame in the music industry and his Meet Me Halfway campaign: his walk halfway across America, 1,700 miles from Nashville to Phoenix, to raise awareness for foster kids. Join Jimmy on his walk to beautiful and see how one person really can make a difference. ENDORSEMENTS “If your story could use a better chapter, take inspiration from Jimmy’s.” -Max Lucado, New York Times Best-Selling Author “It reads like a movie to me, and if so, I’ll be the first one in a seat to see it.” -Dolly Parton “Walk to Beautiful will open your eyes to the hurting people around you.” -Frank Harrison, Chairman and CEO, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated; Chairman and Cofounder, With Open Eyes |
