Lady Antebellum launched 7FOR7 last week, a week-long campaign where the band travels across the country to surprise and fulfill seven wishes for seven fans in seven days.
The special endeavor preceded the release of their fifth studio album 747 available in stores now.
The campaign started last Monday, when Lady A popped up in Miami, FL on their way to New York City and surprised South Miami Elementary Expressive Arts Center teacher Vivian Gonzales. The trio snuck into the music teacher’s classroom and surprised her with an instrument donation for the school with the help of friends at Little Kids Rock. Lady A also invited Gonzales and her husband on an all-expense paid vacation to New York City to attend the group’s album release show at Gramercy Theatre. Gonzales was nominated by her husband who describes her as a “a great wife, an amazing mom and a phenomenal music teacher” who “spends her days, nights and weekends coming up with lessons to engage every student she has in the world of music, and change their lives forever.”
The following day, during their appearance on Today, Lady Antebellum surprised nursing student Katharine Laventis, who lost both her parents at a young age and is now paying her own way through school. Laventis, who was in the crowd under the pretense that she and a friend had won free tickets to the taping, was recognized and pulled up on stage by the band during their on-air interview. The trio then completely shocked Laventis with their announcement that they would be setting up a scholarship with American International College to help offset the cost of her tuition.
On Wednesday, Lady Antebellum stuck around the city to surprise 9-year-old New Jersey native Kate Koval during her trip into Manhattan today. Koval was taken in by her grandparents as a baby after her parents died, and then adopted by her aunt after the death of her grandmother. Shortly after she moved in, she and her aunt lost their home in Superstorm Sandy. Koval’s aunt, who nominated her for the surprise, took her niece on a visit to the American Girl Store in NYC where she was told she’d be given her own special doll. Much to her surprise, the trio walked out with the doll in hand to present to Koval, in addition to announcing that they will be providing a year’s worth of groceries with the help of Crock-Pot Slow Cookers.
For the fourth day, Lady Antebellum hopped on over to Fort Meade, Maryland to surprise Carrie Warfel, an army wife and mother of four who tirelessly takes great care of everyone around her. Warfel was nominated by her sister, but everyone on the army base says she is a true hero who selflessly puts everyone else’s needs before her own, including a family whose daughter has cancer. Lady Antebellum snuck onto the military base where Warfel’s husband is stationed to throw her a surprise party and treated her to an indulgent day at the spa. On top of that, the trio shocked her even more with a trip for two to the 2015 ACM Awards and a Polaris for her husband.
On day five, Lady Antebellum took their 7FOR7 project back home today with a stop in Nashville, TN to surprise nurse and single mother, Kelly Blackburn. Blackburn diligently works 12-hour night shifts without complaining in order to provide for her young daughter and give her the best life possible. Lady Antebellum recognized Blackburn’s sacrifice and decided to surprise her with a fun lunch in downtown Nashville with all of her friends, including the trio themselves. On top of that, they gifted her with an assortment of amazing experiences: VIP tickets to Lady A’s New Year’s Eve show including a luxurious hotel stay, a CMA Mega Prize Pack for this year’s CMA Awards, tickets to the 2015 CMA Music Festival, one-year admission passes to the Nashville Zoo plus several other local attractions to enjoy with her daughter, and much more.
Lady Antebellum spent day six of their 7FOR7 project in Perry, GA surprising newly engaged Alexis Wonais, who was nominated by her fiance Jordan, who wanted to do something special for her. While the couple was having lunch in downtown Perry, the band came in singing an acapella version of “I Run To You” and invited them to be VIP guests at their show that night at the Georgia National Fair. On top of that, the trio announced they would be covering the bride-to-be’s wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses, in addition to a 5-night honeymoon at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Mexico.
And finally, on day seven, Lady Antebellum made a wish come true in Music City today for 22-year-old Shelby Parker, a journalism major at CSU Bakersfield with aspirations to become an entertainment journalist in Nashville. The group surprised Parker by taking her to Country Weekly and securing her a mentorship with the reputable magazine’s Editor-in-Chief so that she could begin to pursue her dream career. They also granted her a red-carpet interview, complete with brand new laptop and camera, for the premiere of the new movie “Best Of Me,” for which the trio wrote and recorded the track “I Did With You.”
