Our Where Bloggers Live group came up with the prompt of “If I could donate $100,000 to any charity, which one and why?”
And after our Memphis visit in 2009, there’s no other answer in my head besides St. Jude’s Research Hospital.
Quote of the day: “Hope is the ability to listen to music of the future. Faith is the courage to dance to it in the present.” Peter Kuzmic
It all started when Rob and I purchased a package trip to Memphis to benefit a local dental organization. This was back in 2009, and part of the trip included a tour of St. Jude’s.
Now, if you’re anything like me, you’ve heard of St. Jude’s and maybe even seen the commercials around the holidays.
But this place is like no other. I’m no poet, but it redefines what compassion looks like in action.
I hope you join my email Family. It’s the place where I share things even before creating on my blog. It’s also my space for fun and positive content. In addition, you also get my free eBook when you sign up, but that’s not the best part.
The best part is being part of my community, where we inspire and lift each other up.
One of the things we learned on our tour is how this amazing place came to be. Maybe you’ve heard the story?
If not, sit back and enjoy the miracle.
It started with a young man named Danny Thomas, who was broke, uncertain, and praying for direction.
Legend has it that he placed his last few dollars into a church offering and asked St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes, to help him find his way. In that prayer, he made a promise: if his path became clear, he would build a shrine in St. Jude’s honor.
Years later, after success found him and his career flourished, Danny Thomas didn’t forget that promise. Instead, he reimagined it. But not as a traditional shrine, but as a living one. It became a place where children fighting life-threatening illnesses could receive world-class care without their families ever seeing a bill.
In 1962, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened its doors in Memphis, Tennessee, grounded in one powerful belief: no child should die at the dawn of life. That promise was born out of faith, gratitude, and compassion, and still guides everything St. Jude does today.
What makes St. Jude different is simple, yet profound:
Families never receive a bill for treatment, Travel, housing, or food.
Let that sink in for a moment.
It’s bad enough when we, as older adults, hear that we have Cancer or an illness. But can you imagine when it’s your child?
A child who has not neglected their Health or done anything to create this disease.
When a family finds out that their child is facing cancer, fear takes over. How do you process the fact that not only do you have to do everything possible, but how do you also have to afford it?
And St. Jude removes one massive burden from that moment: the financial one.
Parents are free to focus on what matters most, which is being present with their child, without worrying about insurance battles, hospital invoices, or choosing between treatment and bankruptcy.
That alone would be enough to make St. Jude my favorite charity. But wait, there’s more.
Here’s something many people don’t realize:
The research done at St. Jude is shared freely with hospitals and doctors around the world.
That means breakthroughs made in Memphis don’t stay behind closed doors. They ripple outward. They help children far beyond the walls of the hospital.
In fact, childhood cancer survival rates have risen dramatically over the decades because of research pioneered and shared by St. Jude. That’s not just charity, that’s paying it forward.
One fact that we learned on our tour that was mind-blowing was: “When St. Jude first opened, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was under 5 %. Today, it’s around 94 % for children treated with current protocols.”
This reminds me of how, when we share what we know, we can help so many other people along the way.
As we were led on our tour around St. Jude’s, we were struck by how the facility takes into account the whole family, and not just the patient.
Families often relocate temporarily so their child can receive treatment. St. Jude makes sure they have a place to stay, meals to eat, spaces to breathe, and moments of normalcy during an otherwise unimaginable time period.
There are playrooms filled with laughter.
Art projects taped to walls.
Music drifting through hallways.
This isn’t just a hospital. It’s a place where hope is practiced daily.
And if it’s one thing that I’ve learned in all of my research and reading, it’s that your mindset and environment affect you deeply.
Supporting St. Jude and learning more about their mission changed how I look at my own life.
I know that sounds crazy, but when you see how there is good in the world, you stop feeling disconnected and forgotten and realize that we can help.
Doing something for others is truly life-changing. Whether you physically help, financially help, or even just spread the word, you can make a difference. Not just with St. Jude’s, but any cause that speaks to your heart and inspires you to show up in whatever way you can.
That perspective shift is a gift in itself.
You can see much more about St. Jude’s Research Hospital on their FB page, which is where I got many of these photos.
Style is about expression.
Aging is about perspective.
And life, at any age, is about purpose.
Supporting causes that align with your values is one of the most powerful ways to live intentionally.
For me, St. Jude will always be my favorite charity because it is all about hope, helping out, and positivity…even when the world may seem against you.
Where Bloggers Live
What is Where Bloggers Live?
It’s all kinds of different prompts that started with our homes and have evolved to all different kinds of fun prompts.
Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and hear all about the personal backstories and interesting details? The best part of this group is that I learn something new from everyone’s different perspectives.
FYI, we don’t all post at the same time since we all have different schedules and live in different parts of the world.
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Sally at Within a World of My Own
I hope I thank you enough because your support allows me to continue this journey, which I Love!!!
Supporting a blog can be easy and free. Just visiting my pages, clicking my links (especially for Small Businesses and sponsored posts), and sharing the things you like on your social media make a huge difference. Spreading the word is how I can reach more wonderful people like you!
Or feel free to “buy me a coffee” which is a monetary way to tell me that you enjoy reading my blog (and allows me to purchase more yarn patterns, haha).
The post How One Visit Made St. Jude My Favorite Charity appeared first on Jodie’s Touch of Style.
