Jenny Simmons shares more than just her vocals at her concerts.

The Christian artist advertises her performances as music and stories. Simmons shared an intimate acoustic set and personal stories at the Madigan Army Medical Center Chapel, Oct. 18. A live television feed also brought the performance to the patients' hospital rooms.

Simmons is most known for her decade long career as the lead vocalist for the Christian alternative pop/rock band, Addison Road. The band officially broke up in August, and Simmons is now pursuing a solo career.

She is the daughter of Chaplain (Col. ) Steve Chisolm, the Deputy Director of the Air National Guard Chaplain Corps. She shared stories of growing up in the military and helping her sister through a deployment when her husband was deployed.

"I've seen glimpses of what your families go through," Simmons said to the audience. "We want you to know we care and we're grateful."

A few years ago Simmons met Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Bill Hawkins, the director and supervisor of the Clinical Pastoral Education Program at Madigan Healthcare System, at a music festival. Since that initial meeting Simmons and Hawkins have kept in touch looking for the right opportunity for her to travel from Tennessee to perform for the JBLM community.

"She came here on her own to minister and care for people," Hawkins said.

Simmons traveled on her own accord to the Pacific Northwest for a variety of performances and interviews at JBLM, Lacey, Mill Creek and Seattle. She spoke to the audience about how her husband tells her she's crazy for performing for free.

"It is crazy," Simmons said. "It doesn't make rational sense. I just felt like I was supposed to do it."

Simmons' musical set featured popular hits from Addison Road, including "What do I know of Holy" and "Hope Now." She also performed the single "Heaven Waits for Me" from her upcoming debut album set to be released in February. Afterward Madigan staff, families and patients spoke one-on-one with the popular Christian artist. One woman, wearing a hat, surgical mask and medical gloves, spoke to Simmons and talked about the biblical scriptures Simmons spoke about. Simmons then found out the woman was terminally ill and had six months to live.

"It makes the whole trip worth it," Simmons said with tears in her eyes. "I don't care about being on stage. I love people. Nothing else competes with music when strengthening people's lives."

Simmons has traveled to and performed at a variety of military installations across the United States and overseas. Her sister is involved with Protestant Women of the Chapel at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii and Addison Road traveled with military youth overeas as part of Military Community Youth Ministries. Her performance at Madigan was her first in a military hospital.

"I hope it's a blessing for your heart and encourages you to be strong," Simmons said after her set.