The Salvation Army Announces John and Jayne Simmons as 2019 Christmas Campaign Chairs

ALTON – The Salvation Army is pleased to announce community leaders, John and Jayne Simmons, who will serve as the organization’s 2019 honorary Christmas Campaign Chairs.

The Salvation Army’s Christmas Campaign in Alton, IL begins November 29 and ends December 24, 2019. This year’s goal will be announced at the Kettle Kickoff on November 22, 2019. The money raised during the campaign funds Salvation Army programs throughout the year, including food pantries, homeless shelters, housing assistance, emergency assistance and Christmas assistance.

“Thanks to the Salvation Army, there is hope. Through their fundraising efforts this holiday season, the Salvation Army is able to provide vital services throughout the year and during the holiday season, giving everyone the Christmas they deserve. My wife, Jayne, and I are proud to co-chair the Tree of Lights Campaign and support these efforts.”

John Simmons founded Simmons Hanly Conroy in 1999 with seven employees and a focus on asbestos litigation. Under his leadership, the expanded to a national litigation firm with almost 300 employees, including over 100 attorneys, spread between six offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis and Alton, Illinois. Today, he serves as chairman of the firm, which represents clients from across the country in the practice areas of asbestos and mesothelioma, dangerous drugs and medical devices, prescription opioid litigation, sexual abuse litigation, environmental litigation and other mass torts and complex litigations.

Simmons started the firm because he believed he could provide a higher level of legal care to clients by combining legal expertise with service-minded values. In 2009, his vision led him to start the Miles for Meso 5K, which raises awareness for mesothelioma cancer and funds for research. To date, the race has raised more than $700,000.

One year later, Simmons’ vision expanded yet again when he and the firm made a joint $10.2 million donation to build the Simmons Cancer Institute on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Springfield. The Cancer Institute is the only one of its kind in downstate Illinois. Physicians there see more than 20,000 patient visits per year, and no matter the financial resources patients may have, they are never turned away from care.

Motivated by Simmons’ core belief of giving back to the community, firm employees have donated more than $1 million of dollars to local charities and events through the Simmons Employee Foundation. Additionally, under his leadership, the firm has donated nearly $20 million to cancer research nationwide and hundreds of thousands of dollars to local non-profits and organizations under his leadership.

Following high school, Simmons married his high school sweetheart, Jayne, and joined the U.S. Army. After serving as a combat engineer for two years, he returned home to East Alton to work with his father building houses. John’s father inspired him to become a lawyer; and within months, he enrolled at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville as a political science major. He graduated a short time later with honors and went on to earn his J.D. from Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas while working part-time representing nonprofit organizations and churches. He and Jayne have four children and one grandchild.

“We are pleased to have John and Jayne co-chair our Kettle campaign this year,” said Lieutenant Lily Reinier. “We are looking forward to a great season and being able to give back to the community in the coming year. Your help will be appreciated by going to www.RegisterToRing.com and signing up to ring bells. Every hour makes a difference to those in our community.”