Martina McBride with St. Jude patient Christian. Photo courtesy of St. Jude.

Randy Owen, Martina McBride, Kix Brooks, Lauren Alaina and Edens Edge were among more than 25 country artists who made their way to Memphis over the weekend to tour St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and visit with several patients and their families as part of Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Seminar. The seminar kicks off Country Cares for St. Jude Kids’ radiothon season.

Country Cares was started by Randy Owen in 1989 after he appealed to his fellow country artists, radio stations, and loyal fans to help support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude. Since it began, Country Cares has raised more than $400 million for St. Jude.

“There’s no way you can walk through the halls at St. Jude and not think of your own children,” Martina McBride said. “I’m going to hug them a little tighter when I get home, I can tell you that. This is such a wonderful place of hope. Anything that we can do to help St. Jude, we should just do it, because they are literally saving lives and finding new cures for cancer that they share with the whole world.”

“For me, St. Jude has always been very inspiring,” Kix Brooks said. “These kids have no concept of not making it. That inspires me and, it makes you realize, ‘I’ve got a responsibility to make sure it happens, that these kids make it.’ This is the thing people have to remember. This is not a desperate, sad place. If anything, these kids are so strong and they have hope.

In addition to the artists, the seminar hosts nearly 800 radio and music industry professionals who work together to execute the annual radiothon fundraisers for St. Jude. Throughout the weekend, attendees heard inspiring stories from St. Jude patients and shared tips and tricks on how to create successful radiothons.

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