If there is one charity that unites the country music community, it’s St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
Brett Young, RaeLynn, Cassadee Pope, John Rich, LOCASH and A Thousand Horses joined Olympian Shawn Johnson East and CMT’s Marley Sherwood at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Monday (Nov. 26) to unveil St. Jude’s new This Shirt Saves Lives t-shirt design in a star-studded benefit concert and fashion show.
Rich, who raised $1.4 million for St. Jude when he competed on 2011’s Celebrity Apprentice, kicked off the night with a two-song acoustic set that included “Ring of Fire” and an original he wrote for the children at the hospital.
A fashion show followed Rich’s performance and paired the This Shirt Saves Lives tee with custom designs from ABLE, Cavanagh Baker, Eric Adler, The Showroom, Tribe Kelley, Uncommon James, Ruckle & Rye, Vinnie Louise, Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James, Holly Williams’ H. Audrey and Jessie James Decker’s Kittenish.
Patient Allie Allen, who accompanied Kelsea Ballerini to the 2015 CMA Awards, was among the celebrity models along with various influencers including Kelleigh Bannen, Rebecca Sweet, Brittney Cole Kelley, and the Bobby Bones Show’s Amy Lunchbox and Eddie. Former patient Tori modeled a custom look by Cavanagh Baker that paired the shirt with a skirt made of fabric painted by St. Jude kids. Tori’s mother, who was in the audience, placed the winning bid for the skirt during the event’s live auction.
Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley led the crowd in a “No More Chemo” celebration for Ian, a patient who just completed his treatment at the facility.
The This Shirt campaign is in its second year and has led to more than 70,000 monthly donors supporting the life-saving mission at St. Jude. The only way to acquire a This Shirt Saves Lives tee is by becoming a Partner In Hope through the initiative’s website.
Join the movement by using the hashtag #ThisShirtSavesLives.
Enjoy scenes from Monday’s launch:
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Cassadee Pope
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A Thousand Horses
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Brett Young
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Brittney Kelley
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Caroline Hobby
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Landyn of Living with Landyn
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Brian and Brittney Kelley
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Bobby Bones
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Lunchbox and Eddie from the Bobby Bones Show
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Cavanagh Baker and Rebecca Sweet
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Jessie James Decker