Darius Rucker Raises More Than $2 Million for St. Jude Hospital

Darius Rucker is thanking fans for helping him raise more than 2 million dollars for St. Jude Hospital over the past decade.

The milestone was reached with this year’s 10th annual Darius & Friends benefit concert and the accompanying golf tournament and silent auction. Rucker says one visit with the kids and their doctors at St. Jude years ago inspired him to make a difference.

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“I was struck on that first visit by how St. Jude not only cares for their patients, but also their patients’ families,” Rucker said in a statement. “They believe that a financial burden is the last thing a family should face when their focus needs to be on helping a kid get better, and St. Jude makes sure that their patients never pay a dime. It’s an honor for us to be able to help them continue such an important mission.”

10 years ago I visited @StJude and knew I wanted to do everything I could to help those kids and the amazing doctors who work tirelessly to find cures. Because of all of YOU, we’ve raised over 2 million dollars for them. Thank you. #DariusandFriends -- https://t.co/gGhqFgtbIl pic.twitter.com/hQh1DXxUzs

— Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker) June 6, 2019

Organizers say this year’s benefit concert and golf tournament raised a record-setting $425,000. The fundraising event has become an unofficial kickoff to CMA Fest in Nashville.

Meanwhile, Rucker is back with the band that made him a household name. 25 years after releasing their smash album Cracked Rear View, Hootie & the Blowfish are touring the U.S. The band has been playing all their hits, including “Hold My Hand” and “Time,” as well as some of Rucker’s solo country material. Get the full list of dates here.