Nashville Stars Show Country Cares About Sick Kids

Country stars know a thing or two about heartbreak and disappointment, as their songs often demonstrate, but this weekend some of country's biggest names gathered to show they also know a few things about fundraising, kids and compassion, too.

From Thursday through Saturday, country and crossover stars like Carrie Underwood, Jewel and American Idol's Danny Gokey joinedcountry radio folks in Memphis to attend the Country Cares seminar, an effort to educate and raise money for the very worthy St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which treats kids with cancer.

The event was the culmination of the highly successful radio campaign. Since 1989, country radio deejays and artists have taken to the airwaves and helped raise more than $365 million in pledges from listeners eager to help.

According to the Country Cares Web site, the seminar attracted about 650 country music artists, execs and radio station personalities who attended "informative sessions on planning successful radiothons and have the opportunity to tour the hospital, meet patients and their families, and learn more about the lifesaving treatment happening every day at St. Jude."

Country star Randy Owen founded Country Cares more than 20 years ago, and attended the seminar on Thursday. There, he met children like 10-year-old Julia, who traveled from Bolivia for treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and Chase, 16, who's battling osteosarcoma and brought two cowboy hats for Owen to autograph.

"Doing something good for children doesn't change because the economy's bad, it doesn't mean the children don't get sick," Owen said on the Country Cares Web site. "There's nothing like the St. Jude Country Cares program. This is the most important thing I've done in my life besides take care of my wife and children."

Anyone looking to donate to the Country Cares program can click here — you can even make your donation in honor your favorite country artist.

Photo of Carrie Underwood courtesy of the_diet_starts_monday via Wikimedia Commons. Photo of Randy Owen and St. Jude Kids courtesy of St. Jude Biomedical Communications.