Alabama's Randy Owen's name is now immortalized at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The patriarch of Country Cares, the hospital's fundraising partnership with the country music community, just had a patient room dedicated in his name.

Owen started Country Cares in 1989 at the behest of Danny Thomas, the founder of St. Jude. The dedication of the patient family room to Owen and his family comes on the 30th anniversary of the program — a massive, life-changing success that has raised more than $800 million to date.

This weekend, 900 people from the country music community (including Taste of Country and many Townsquare Media radio stations) are attending Country Cares weekend to prepare for radiothons and other fundraising activities in 2019. Nearly 200 stations nationwide participate. Owen is always a part of the weekend, typically hosting the songwriting night on Saturday night.

This Moment from Saturday Left Randy Owen In Tears

Rick Shadyac, President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising arm of St. Jude, says that like Thomas, Owen is instrumental to the fight against cancer. "Randy Owen has rallied the country music community like no other for 30 years to make a tremendous difference in helping St. Jude fulfill its lifesaving mission for our patients and their families," he says.

On Feb. 7-8, Taste of Country will assist more than a dozen country radio stations in raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with a webathon/radiothon. Nearly $7 million has been raised during the previous five joint efforts, with much more raised from other TSM stations later in the year.

Country Artists at St. Jude Through the Years

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