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December 18, 2005

Singing Sullivans to offer Broadway-style evening

By Melissa Koontz

Transcript Features Editor

For the last 11 years, a Norman family has offered their hearts and voices to the community during the Christmas season in hopes of raising money to help the hundreds of women and children affected by domestic violence and sexual assault.

At 7 p.m. Friday, Elizabeth “Betty” Sullivan and her family of Singing Sullivans once again will dazzle individuals and families with their harmonious talent during their free concert in Sharp Concert Hall of the University of Oklahoma’s Catlett Music Center, 500 W. Boyd St.

Money raised from donations will benefit the Women’s Resource Center and the Norman Shelter for Battered Women in Norman.

Kristy Stewart, Women’s Resource Center coordinator of crisis intervention services, said the Sullivans — including Betty, her husband Jim, daughters KT, Heather and Stacy, and sons Tim and Pat and daughter-in-law Robin Brooks — offer not only the Women’s Resource Center a wonderful gift, but also the community by doing for them what they have loved to do together as a family for many years.

“With the exception of two years, I’ve gone every year,” she said. “It’s become really a tradition for my family. And I think it’s true for other families; it’s just part of their holiday celebration.”

Stewart said she remembers the concert raising close to $10,000 for the United Way agency.

“Betty Sullivan sings a song and we pass the basket around and people put money in it. The whole family is just so talented. They’re just genuinely good people,” she said.

More than 10 years ago, when Stewart started working for the Women’s Resource Center, she got to know Karen, Tim Sullivan’s wife, who was committed to helping victims of sexual assault.

“She went on and worked for the YWCA in Oklahoma City, where she also focused on sexual assault,” Stewart said. And Jim is on the board of directors for the Women’s Resource Center.

When the Sullivans coupled the family’s focus on helping assault victims with their annual tradition of singing in the family’s east Norman home every Christmas, the result became what is now the popular Sullivan Family in Concert.

“It wasn’t (attended much) at first, but either last year or the year before there was a line to get in,” Stewart said. “It was standing room only.”

The concert will include Broadway-style entertainment featuring many styles of vocal music, including cabaret, seasonal, country and show tunes.

For more information, call 325-4101.

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