Country rocker Darius Rucker raised $425,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during his 10th annual “Darius & Friends” benefit concert, bringing the total raised by his organization to more than $2 million over the past decade.
Over 2,400 people attended the event, which served as an unofficial warm-up event for the CMA Festival in Nashville this weekend. Country stars including Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Travis Denning, and Brett Young all joined Rucker on stage during the show, with the 53-year-old announcing the impressive fundraising feat following the concert’s conclusion on Thursday.
“10 years ago I visited @StJude and knew I wanted to do everything I could to help those kids and the amazing doctors who work tirelessly to find cures,” Rucker said. “Because of all of YOU, we’ve raised over 2 million dollars for them. Thank you.”
“I was struck on that first visit by how St. Jude not only cares for their patients but also their patients’ families,” said Rucker in a statement 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,” he continued. “It’s an honor for us to be able to help them continue such an important mission.”
Rucker is known for his extensive charity work. In 2014, the former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman released a song about a young boy who won his battle with cancer. The single, entitled “Possibilities,” was written by the boy’s father as a way of thanking the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital staff who helped save his son’s life.
“Music is really good at giving people hope to think things are going to get better. That’s what this song is all about,” Rucker said at the time. “I think a lot of parents, when their kids get sick, hope is so hard to find. When I heard it, I was excited to do it.”
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