Music, patients help seminar attendees reenergize for radiothon season

St. Jude patient Ellen sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for attendees of the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids® seminar in Memphis.

When 5-year-old Ellen Taylor walked out on the stage, microphone in hand, everyone in the audience was reminded why country music cares for the kids of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Ellen is winning her fight against the cancer that threatened her life, thanks in part to the support from the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids radiothon program. Ellen's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" started the last day of the 21st annual Country Cares seminar on a perfect note and drew a standing ovation from the country radio station representatives and industry executives in attendance.

"Coming to the seminar is a wonderful way to recharge your charity batteries. It's a great way to ground me and ground my staff—to remind us of what's important and why we're helping," said Bill Black, program director of WKSJ in Mobile, Alabama. Black's station has a 16-year history of participating in the Country Cares program and he has been to seminar every year for the past 10 years.

"When we come back and get started on our radiothon, we really feel like we have a connection there," said Black.

Those connections have helped fuel the success of Country Cares across two decades, something that St. Jude Radio Advisory Committee board member Don Langford said is a testament to the commitment of the radio stations as well as the vision of Randy Owen. Country Cares was founded by Owen after a meeting with St. Jude founder Danny Thomas.

"Randy made a speech to country radio (in 1989) and had this vision of everyone working together," Langford said. "I am still amazed how, 20 years later, that vision has held."

It was Owen who recruited Langford to come on board the program just after its first year. Langford played an instrumental role in retooling the program into the success it is today.

But for Langford, the connection is now more than through radio. Twelve years ago, doctors told him his daughter had Hodgkin disease. Right then, the importance of St. Jude and his work in supporting it, crystallized.

"It was overwhelming," he said when recalling walking through the hospital doors as the parent of a child with cancer. But, he said, "they made it very clear to me as a father that my job is to help her get well, and it's the hospital's job to cure her and to figure out how to fund it."

After breakfast Saturday, representatives shifted their focus to learning how they can help raise those funds during the working portion of the weekend. Participants attended roundtable discussions aimed at helping new stations better understand how a radiothon works and providing real-case scenarios of successful radiothons.

Those sessions were especially helpful to stations new to the Country Cares program, like Tulsa, Oklahoma station 98.5 KVOO. "This is our first year and everybody at the station is as excited as can be about it," said Luke Jensen, the station's program director. "I'm glad (our radiothon) is close to seminar so that it's all fresh in our minds." The station will hold its Country Cares radiothon the first week of March.

"I wish all American citizens could experience St. Jude, but they can't. So it's our job to tell them our experiences and hope they get as excited as we are," said Jensen.

Richard C. Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude, attended Saturday's luncheon to thank country radio for its support of St. Jude and to acknowledge the terrible tragedy occurring in Haiti. He assured those at the seminar that St. Jude stands ready to assist children in Haiti suffering from cancer or other catastrophic diseases the hospital treats. A full statement is available on www.stjude.org.

Following the roundtables, panel discussions on programming, and sales and luncheon speakers, the seminar welcomed a special guest, noted Hollywood movie and television producer Tom Shadyac, the brother of ALSAC's CEO. While regaling the audience with quips about celebrities and his work in the movies, he also spoke about the importance of supporting St. Jude and the valuable work that Country Cares does for the children.

"Gosh, you guys get it so right," he said, comparing them to George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, whose actions had such a great impact on his community. "You are the guys who make it happen. Thank you, sincerely, because you make it work. We love you. We do. The kids love you."

Tom Shadyac turned the microphone back over to his brother as Rick Shadyac hosted his first "Meet the Patients" program. In his role as emcee, Shadyac continued the legacy set by his father, former ALSAC CEO Richard C. Shadyac Sr., who began the "Meet the Patients" program in 1992.

"This was my dad's favorite thing to do," Shadyac said. "It's neat for me to carry on with this tradition. I feel very, very blessed to have an opportunity to care on his mantle. His spirit lives on here."

During the program, Shadyac talked with several patients and their families, including Evan, 8, who is being treated for neuroblastoma; sisters Jayla and Felicia Lee, 5 and 6, who are being treated for optic pathway glioma; and 7-year-old Anthony Lawrence and 2-year-old Colin, both of whom have a tumor called ependymoma.

The parents talked about how they came to be at St. Jude and what the hospital has meant to them. While Colin fell asleep in his dad's arms, Jayla and Felicia flirted with the audience, and Evan and Anthony Lawrence both brought down the house when they accepted invitations to sing.

"You know, I have people ask me 'Why did I do this? You were a lawyer; you lived in Washington, D.C.,'" said Shadyac. Then he turned toward the children and their parents on the stage. "This is it. Easiest decision of my life."

Colin's dad, Ian, thanked the Country Cares station from his hometown in Connecticut. "It's awesome what you guys have done. I want you to know your money's gone to excellent work.

"I have hope for tomorrow, and I live today in a way that is very meaningful," he said. "Whatever the outcome, the moments we have with Colin are ones that St. Jude helped provide and you can't replace that. The money you donate, that your communities donate, it does make a difference. We've got to win the battle."

The Country Radio Seminar concluded Saturday night with the annual Songwriters' Dinner, which featured performances by the writers of many well-known country hits and a special tribute to former ALSAC CEO Richard C. Shadyac who passed away in September 2009.

"Randy was close friends with my dad, who was the CEO of ALSAC for 13 years," Shadyac told attendees. "Together, they worked to make Country Cares into the program it is today, always striving to achieve the dream of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas of a day when every child would leave St. Jude healthy, happy and cured."

Following the tribute, songwriters Lee Miller, Wayne Carson, Brice Long, Jim Weatherly, Wynn Varble and Randy Owen took turns playing some of their well-known hits. The songwriters brought the crowd to their feet with songs such as "You're Gonna Miss This," "You Were Always on My Mind," "Nothing On But the Radio," "Midnight Train to Georgia," "Waitin' on a Woman," and "Tennessee River."

Owen ended the evening with a stirring performance of the song "Angels Among Us," as the crowd stood up and joined in the singing.

"I want to applaud each and every one of you for your commitment to helping St. Jude save the lives of children fighting cancer and other deadly diseases in communities everywhere," Shadyac told attendees.

"All of you play a critical role in sharing the message and mission of St. Jude with millions of country music fans across the nation. As the needs of St. Jude and our patients continue to grow, we are so fortunate to have the support of the country music industry to help us continue our lifesaving work."