Country music artist Randy Owen, founder of Country Cares for St. Jude Kids®, visits with St. Jude patients during the annual Country Cares seminar in Memphis.
When Randy Owen met Danny Thomas for the first time more than 20 years ago, little did he know what an important role he and a legion of country music fans and radio stations would play in the lives of children.
Inspired by Thomas' passion for fighting childhood cancer and other deadly diseases, Owen would rally his fellow artists in the country music industry, their fans and the radio stations that aired their music to get behind a new campaign, Country Cares for St. Jude Kids®, to help raise needed funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Owen said the importance of helping St. Jude hasn't changed in the years since Country Cares began reaching out to listeners. "A deejay's voice on the air talking about how important the work we do at St. Jude is no less important than when we started," Owen said. "Doing something good for children doesn't change because the economy's bad, it doesn't mean the children don't get sick."
Today that legacy of caring continues as about 650 country music artists, music industry executives and radio station personnel gather in Memphis for the annual Country Cares for St. Jude Kids seminar January 14-17. The weekend features roundtable discussions and special presentations on how to lead successful radiothons. But the highlight for most attendees, from veteran seminar participants to newcomers to the Country Cares program, is the opportunity to tour the hospital and meet the patients and their families.
Patients like Jeremy, 10, who is battling craniophymgioma, and Chase, 16, with osteosarcoma, both of whom had the opportunity to meet with Owen on Thursday, January 14. They were joined by patients Thomas, 8, who has acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and Julia, 13, who traveled from Bolivia for treatment after her diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Chase, a big country music fan, brought two cowboy hats for Owen to autograph, and their talk ranged from duck hunting in Arkansas to a cure for hiccups. Owen and Thomas talked about their dogs (Thomas has four), while Owen asked Julia about her family back home. And Owen got Jeremy to smile when he commented on Jeremy's "good muscles."
Thanks to the dedication of the country music industry and the many fans of country music, Country Cares for St. Jude Kids has become one of the most successful radio fundraising events in America. And that support is needed now more than ever as St. Jude meets the challenges of a struggling economy. And Owen said he is as committed than ever to helping St. Jude.
"What I see for the future is to keep doing what we're doing," Owen said. "What I can do is encourage people. I can't make them do something. I can't make radio stations or companies do things. But I can do my best to encourage them to see that supporting St. Jude is a win-win for all of us."
Owen strongly repeated his own belief in the mission of St. Jude and urged everyone involved in country music to rededicate themselves to the cause of finding cures and saving children.
"There's nothing like it. There's nothing like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. There's nothing like the St. Jude Country Cares program," he said. "This is the most important thing I've done in my life besides take care of my wife and children."
