Country Singer Reveals Deeper Reason He Raised $2 Million for St. Jude Children's Hospital
It’s always heartwarming to see a celebrity we admire using their public influence to make an incredible difference.
Ten years ago, “Hootie and the Blowfish” singer Darius Rucker visited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for the first time. Since then, Rucker has hosted an annual benefit concert to raise money to donate to the hospital.
The “Darius & Friends” concert has become a yearly tradition for CMA Fest attendees, who look forward to watching Rucker sing alongside other country music stars.
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This year, the concert featured some big names, including Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Brett Young and surprise guest Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum.
The sold-out concert attracted 2,400 country music fans, and was followed by a golf tournament and silent auction. The fundraiser earned $425,000.
.@dariusrucker is a leading light of country music’s support of St. Jude. His annual Darius and Friends benefit concert has raised more than $2 million, and this year’s 10th edition sold out even before the guest lineup was announced. #StJudeInspire https://t.co/pl5Wu6hOET
— St. Jude (@StJude) June 7, 2019
Thanks to this year’s successful concert, the 10-year fundraising effort has earned a grand total of $2 million. The money goes a long way toward funding St. Jude, which never bills its patients’ families for medical treatment. Instead, the hospital receives all of its funding from compassionate donors.
Danny Thomas founded St. Jude on the belief that “no child should die in the dawn of life.” The hospital continues to operate on the idea that we must do all that we can to ensure children don’t have to suffer.
“Danny Thomas passed away in 1991, but he left us with an enduring legacy and commitment to saving the lives of children everywhere. We won’t stop until no child dies from cancer,” the St. Jude website reads.
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Rucker recently revealed the reason the hospital’s mission still inspires him after all these years.
“I was struck on that first visit by how St. Jude not only cares for their patients, but also their patients’ families,” Rucker said in a press release on his website. “They believe that a financial burden is the last thing a family should face when their focus needs to be on helping a kid get better, and St. Jude makes sure that their patients never pay a dime.
“It’s an honor for us to be able to help them continue such an important mission.”
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Rucker’s own mother, who worked as a nurse, instilled in him a passion for serving others.
“Oh, yeah. My mom raised me that way,” Rucker told St. Jude. “We didn’t have much, we were poor growing up. She was a nurse, and trying to raise these kids. But she always instilled in us that if we could help somebody, we should.”
Liftable, a section of The Western Journal, has reached out to St. Jude Children’s Hospital for comment but has not yet received a response. We will update this article if and when we do.
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