That’s what it’s all about.
Justin Moore has had an incredible career in country music already. He’s had 13 chart-topping singles, his albums have been certified 13x platinum by the RIAA, and though he’s never gotten the recognition he deserves at the awards shows, he’s had incredible longevity by country music standards in still cranking out hit after hit 15+ years after his debut album.
But more important than any of that, he always uses his fame to help others.
For the past five years, Justin has hosted his annual Justin Moore St. Jude Golf Classic in his home state of Arkansas, helping to raise funds for the incredible work done by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. As most already know, St. Jude provides lifesaving treatment for children with cancer, and doesn’t charge the patients or their families for their care. They do truly amazing work, and deserve all the support they can get.
For this year’s golf tournament, Justin was joined at the Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock by retired MLB pitcher Adam Wainwright and Miss Arkansas 2025 Camille Cathey, among many others, for the two-day event which ended up raising over $477,000 for St. Jude, bringing the total raised by Justin over the past five years to over $2 million.
And one of those special guests at the tournament was Owen Church, a 19-year old cross country runner from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock who was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 4 and received treatment thanks to St. Jude.
Church shared his story with attendees at a dinner ahead of the golf tournament, crediting the treatment he received at St. Jude as a child with allowing him to run cross country today:
“By the grace of God, he gave the doctors the wisdom to help me out. It was a long journey, two-and-a-half years of ups and downs with the strong chemo therapy. But, right after that chemo therapy dropped, I had my own ‘No Chemo’ party, and started running, and that became my outlet…
I am a living testimony. I am back running and competing at Division I – the highest level of competition in collegiate athletics because of St. Jude. They gave me my life back from being that sick, tired kid in a hospital bed to being out on the cross country course or running around the UA track, and it is surreal. I just want to emphasize how much St Jude has changed my life.”Â
It’s stories like Owen’s that underscore why the work of St. Jude is so important, and the difference that people like Justin Moore are making in the lives of children battling these horrible diseases.
Justin’s an incredibly humble guy, and I know he doesn’t want (and wouldn’t like) any recognition he receives for his work. But at a time when there’s so much negativity out there, it’s important to recognize people like Justin who are doing such incredible work and putting their fame work for such a good cause.
Because at the end of the day, that’s really what it’s all about.
