Randy Owen is part of one of the most successful country music acts of all time, but that isn’t his proudest accomplishment. The  Alabama frontman’s biggest achievement is the money that has been raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through Country Cares, which was created by Owen in 1989, and has raised an astonishing one billion dollars in the 35 years since then.

For Owen, it was a chance encounter with Danny Thomas, the founder of St. Jude, which changed everything for him. From that point forward, it was helping St. Jude, not seeking his own fame or success, which became the driving force for him.

“I was driven,” Owen shared with Everything Nash and other outlets while at St. Jude. “I was inspired by Danny Thomas. When I met Danny in Atlanta, Georgia, he expressed to me that he would love to see the country music industry, and as he said, ‘your people,’ get involved in helping raise money for the kids at St. Jude. And so I felt something in my heart. It wasn’t something that passes by and goes away.”

When Owen began Country Cares, he could never have imagined that he would one day be part of a fundraising initiative that raised a billion dollars for St. Jude.

“I never imagined,” Owen conceded. “But if you have something in your heart that you’re really passionate about, and you really care about — there’s a difference in doing this for a front and doing it because you care about it, and I care deeply about this. I have for all these years.”

When Owen began trying to raise money for St. Jude, which offers free healthcare for children battling cancer and other serious illnesses, it was long before there were cell phones, so he would have his bus pull over at truck stops so he could use the pay phone.

“I chased a lot of DJs around on the telephone, begging, pleading, sometimes getting pissed off, because they weren’t onboard with doing Country Cares,” Owen said. “Some of them never came around, which I know who they are, and I’ll never forgive them, because how could you not want to do something to help save the life of the beautiful kids? I thought that was so cold when they’d say no…I was passionate about it.”

Old Dominion was the recipient of this year’s Angels Among Us Award, given to an artist or band that has shown unwavering dedication and support to the work of St. Jude. For Old Dominion, their support of St. Jude can be traced directly back to Owen.

“He’s been over the past couple of years a really great mentor for us,” lead singer Matt Ramsey said. “We played the June Jam with them, and we’ve listened to their music constantly backstage, always. We’ve been listening to them and looking up to them, and idolizing them. So this is extra special to be here with him and to play some music with him.”

It was at St. Jude when Old Dominion first met Owen, and were immediately starstruck by the singer.

“I remember we were kind of hovering around him, and he was like, ‘Which one of you is the lead singer?’ I said it was me, and he goes, ‘I feel every jump and kick I’ve ever done on stage, so you be careful,'” Ramsey recalled with a laugh.

For more information, or to make a donation to support the work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, visit MusicGives.org.