Keith Urban Honored With St. Jude Angels Among Us Award
Randy Owen, patient Faith and Keith Urban. Photo: Kayla Schoen / CRS
Keith Urban received The Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award yesterday (March 19) at CRS in Nashville for his outstanding commitment and service to the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
During the St. Jude program at CRS, iHeartCountry Brand Coordinator/SVPP Gator Harrison interviewed Urban about the importance of his support for St. Jude throughout his career. After the discussion, Owen surprised Urban with the award, having made the first call to his fellow artists in 1989 to rally around St. Jude from the stages of CRS. St. Jude patient Faith was in attendance to help Owen present the award to Urban.
“Being recognized with the Angels Among Us Award is not something I take lightly,” says Urban. “I’ve witnessed the courage shown by the children and families at St. Jude for more than 20 years, and it never ceases to amaze me. By standing together, we’ve been able to help St. Jude continue advancing research and treatment for children around the world with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is an absolute honor to stand behind a mission this meaningful.”
Urban has supported St. Jude for more than 20 years and began visiting the hospital in 1998. In 2015, St. Jude named him the founding Artist Ambassador of the Connected Caring program, connecting Urban and patients to share personal stories and a love for music. Over the years, Urban has participated in countless benefit concerts, radiothons, livestreams, St. Jude marketing campaigns, a special album release and meet-and-greets with St. Jude patients.
“Country music has a long and meaningful history of supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Keith Urban stands among our most enduring champions,” says Ike Anand, President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. “We are grateful to Keith and the country music community for their continued commitment to the St. Jude mission. Thanks to the generosity of artists like Keith and Randy Owen, St. Jude is able to advance lifesaving research and treatment while also bringing moments of joy and comfort to patients and families through the power of music.”
Music Gives to St. Jude Kids helps to raise more than $70 million annually to accelerate research and treatment by St. Jude to help children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The program unites more than 350 radio and music partners in the shared mission.
