St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is once again launching its This Shirt Saves Lives campaign, raising money to help St. Jude continue to offer free medical care to children battling cancer and other serious illnesses. And once again, several country artists, including Ashley McBryde, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Russell Dickerson, and former Angels Among Us Award recipients, Lady A, all taking part.
Several country music artists also spoke out about the important work of St. Jude, while at the annual Country Cares Seminar, where Brothers Osborne were this year’s recipients of the Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award.
“I’ve obviously been here before over the years, probably three or four years ago,” Chris Lane says. “But this is my first time as a parent, and it definitely hits different. I feel like I was tearing up all day just thinking about my kids, and putting myself in their parents’ shoes, and what they must be going through, and imagining my kids, if that would ever happen.”
“It’s really cool,” American Idol alum Noah Thompson says. “I didn’t really expect to come here today and feel the way I felt … I didn’t really think I’d feel the way I felt. It’s really inspirational. These kids just haven’t given up hope, and that’s really inspirational to me.”
“it’s just positive energy,” George Birge says. “They’re literally performing miracles every day here, and what I’ve been telling everybody is, the thing that is most fulfilling for me, being here, is seeing the future that they give the kids, the success stories. The chance for kids that might not otherwise have had a future, they come here, go through something really tough, but then on the other side, get to go chase their dream, and get to go be a normal person, and create a life afterward.”
“Seeing the way they approach the situations in these children, and the positivity they have, I think that’s one of the biggest things,” adds Dylan Schneider. “I think it’s a mind over matter thing. The doctors, and the people who work here, it’s like, ‘We’re not going to quit. We’re going to figure this out, no matter what, and we’re going to get it done.’ I think that’s beautiful.”
Brothers Osborne could have chosen any charitable organization to support, but for both John and TJ Osborne, supporting St. Jude was an easy decision.
“It’s weird in some ways because there’s so many people doing so much,” TJ told Everything Nash and other outlets, speaking of receiving the Angels Among Us Award. “When I think about the doctors and the people that are on the ground every day with St. Jude, certainly anytime we have an opportunity to work with St. Jude, we always jump at it. But at the same time, maybe it’s just the way we are — we always feel insignificant for whatever reason.
“But then I think to be recognized, there’s a lot of emotions around that,” he continued. “But I can tell you, the biggest takeaway from it is when you do something, and you don’t really realize how much it inspires or how much it is helping, and then from another person’s perspective. to see that that’s what has happened, it’s just incredibly inspiring to keep doing it and keep upping the game.”
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital offers medical care completely free to children battling cancer and other serious illnesses, along with providing free housing and meals for the families. To find more information, or to make a donation, visit StJude.org.
