Brothers Osborne are the latest recipients of the Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award, honoring their ongoing support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Both John and TJ Osborne received the honor during the annual Country Cares weekend, started more than 30 years ago by Randy Owen.
“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.”
John, who is the proud parent of twins, admits he sees St. Jude in an entirely new way, now that he is a father.
“It absolutely hits differently,” he said. “To have a healthy childhood, you’re just lucky. So much of it is luck with chance. Going through the nine months with my wife, you’re just waiting for the next appointment, and anything can happen. You just kind of slowly thread the needle, and by the time you get to the end, you’re like, ‘Okay, we’re okay.’ And we are so grateful and we’re so lucky, and that doesn’t happen for everyone.”
Now that he is a father, TJ had a harder time seeing the children who are being treated at St. Jude, unlocking new emotions of what the parents must be going through.
“I looked up at the TV on the background, [and] I see a little kid who clearly has chemo. He’s losing his hair,” he recalled. “And I had to look away. I can’t handle that right now. I’m six months into being a dad, I’m so tired. I can’t talk about it right now.”
During the ceremony, where the reigning ACM Duo of the Year also performed, they spoke about the significance of the Angels Among Us Award, more than any other honor or accolade.
“We’ve had a lot of achievements and awards and stuff, and this is by far one of the most important, that I’ll always hold dear to my heart,” John said, when accepting the award.
When they were announced as this year’s recipients of the Angels Among Us Award, the singers said they were humbled to be recongized for their charitable efforts for St. Jude.
“What an amazing honor to receive the Angels Among Us Award from St. Jude,” John said at the time. “We constantly find inspiration when spending time with the patients and families of St. Jude. Together with other artists and country radio listeners, we can make a difference in helping ensure no family receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, allowing the focus to be on helping their child live. It’s an incredible mission, and we are grateful to be in a place to support such an amazing cause.”
Other recipients of the Angels Among Us Award include Florida Georgia Line, Lady A, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, John Rich, Darius Rucker, Scotty McCreery and more.
St. Jude offers completely free medical care to children battling cancer and other serious illnesses. They also provide free housing and meals for the families. To find more information, or to make a donation, visit StJude.org.