Photos From Country Cares for St. Jude Kids

Group shot from Country Cares

Jewel plays with a patient.

The 21st annual Country Cares for St. Jude Kids® seminar was held over the weekend (1/15-16) in Memphis. Artists and radio representatives from around the country gathered to continue building on the successful radio fundraising program that has made more than $365 million to support St. Jude’s mission of finding cures and saving lives.

There were sessions on planning successful radiothons, tours of the hospital, meet and greets with patients and their families, and opportunities to learn more about treatment at St. Jude.

Attendees included Country Cares founder Randy Owen, Carrie Underwood, Jewel, Joe Nichols, Little Big Town, Darryl Worley, Blaine Larsen, Steve Azar, Danny Gokey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steel Magnolia, and many others. The 2010 Country Cares for St. Jude Kids® seminar concluded Saturday evening with the always popular Songwriters’ Dinner with performances by Owen, Lee Miller, Wayne Carson, Brice Long, Jim Weatherly and Wynn Varble.

Carrie Underwood visits a patient.

“You realize how hard St Jude’s works to put the power to get well in their hands,” Larsen marvels. “They try really hard to let them go home, whether it’s to apartments near the hospital or back to where they actually come from… which they do by working aggressively on a treatment protocol that the family can take back to their doctors… since children do better when they’re in a more natural environment. You see these kids, the families… and they’re fighting for their lives. That’s something to be scared about… only there’s so much joy, so much faith.”