Hoping Hearts will provide support to individuals and organizations whose stories inspire hope and touch the heart. The project itself was inspired by an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution - the newspaper for which Grizzard wrote for more than 20 years and a benefit sponsor - about a young blind Angolan woman, Teresa Junqueira, who, as the article said, was robbed by the war in her country of "her husband, her home, her sight and almost everything else she had in this world. Except hope." Atlanta-based CARE, which introduced AJC reporter Don Melvin to Teresa, will be one of the recipients of a portion of the proceeds from the benefit, along with several local individuals and organizations.

It will be the first time A Tribute to Lewis Grizzard has played in Atlanta, the city the Moreland, Georgia native called home for most of his adult life, except for a brief side trip to Chicago. Created by his widow, Dedra Grizzard, and former manager, Steve Enoch, A Tribute to Lewis Grizzard has been a year in the making, playing in other cities and states as it was fine-tuned for its special Atlanta premiere.

"Ever since Lewis died in 1994, Steve and I have been constantly approached by many of Lewis' fans who sorely miss his columns and concert tours, so we began thinking about a stage portrayal," said Dedra.

"We were fortunate in that it didn't take long to find the perfect person to play Lewis... when people see and hear Bill Oberst in stage, they'll feel like they got their best friend back." Enoch agrees.

"I was with Lewis at hundreds of his concerts, and Bill does a great Lewis Grizzard. There's never going to be another Lewis, but this is as close as we will ever come to seeing him on stage again. I think Lewis would be proud." Adds Dedra. "And the Fox is exactly the right place for the show to make its Atlanta debut because it's a place Lewis played often and loved playing."

Grizzard's daily column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution was syndicated by 450 newspapers from 1979 to 1994, and his concerts and 18 best-selling books led him to TV appearances on The Tonight Show, Larry King Live, and Designing Women. The New York Times called him "A Mark Twain for our times," and the Los Angeles Times said of Grizzard, "You don't have to be Southern to be hooked by him."