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Darius Rucker Helps Raise Enormous Donation For St. Jude

Published Jun 10, 2019 By Miranda Raye

Darius Rucker / Instagram

Many country stars have the kindest hearts. That kindness shows in times of need, as artists mourn the passing of a legend or comfort a fellow star who lost a loved one. That kindness shows during times of disaster, as artists help raise funds for victims of various devastating events.

But no “one” thing needs to happen for country stars to showcase their kindness. Some spend their entire year helping a charitable cause of their choosing. Miranda Lambert‘s MuttNation Foundation helps shelter pets find forever homes, Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren volunteer in Uganda, and Willie Nelson hosts his annual Farm Aid concert to help farmers.

Many more country stars devote themselves to helping St. Jude Children’s Hospital. We’re sure you’ve seen photos of your favorite singers sporting the recognizable St. Jude t-shirts that read “This Shirt Saves Lives.”

One star with a long-standing devotion to St. Jude is Darius Rucker. The “Wagon Wheel” singer has been helping raise funds for the hospital over the course of a decade, and even wrote a song inspired by a patient he met (2014’s “Possibilities).

Rucker hosted his tenth annual “Darius and Friends” benefit concert for the hospital on Monday (June 3), which was sold out before its performers were even announced. The proceeds of the concert, which took place at the Ryman Auditorium, were donated to St. Jude.

Rucker followed up the benefit concert with a golf tournament and a silent auction the next day (June 4). The three events helped him raise over $425,000 for St. Jude this year.

With that total factored in, Rucker has now raised over $2 million for St. Jude over the course of the past decade, WKRN news reports.

“I was struck on that first visit by how St. Jude not only cares for their patients but also their patients’ families,” Rucker told the news outlet. “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. It’s an honor for us to be able to help them continue such an important mission.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcaJN9_H7Hw/

Hats off to Rucker for helping raise so much money for such a worthy cause! Those funds will be able to help so many people…

Tune in below to listen to his song “Possibilities,” which was inspired by a St. Jude patient he met years ago.