Eric Church supported one young fan in a major way this month when he donated $10,000 to 10-year-old Makenna Wallace’s school jog-a-thon after she made the request during Church’s concert in San Francisco.
Wallace was in the crowd with a sign asking Church to sponsor her for the fundraiser, and the North Carolina native spotted the message and had the poster brought on stage, where he proclaimed, “I will sponsor you for your jog-a-thon.” He also told Wallace, “I like your shades, by the way,” noting that she was wearing a pair similar to his own signature aviators.
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The Union Democrat reports Church was true to his word and sponsored Wallace to the tune of $10,000, giving a check for the amount to the 10-year-old’s school, Soulsbyville Elementary School.
“As her parents we were like, ‘go for it,’ but it was only kind of an idea,” Wallace’s mom, Megan Wallace, shared. “When it happened, it was unbelievable. We were in shock. It was surreal. We were so proud of her, we just kept telling her.”
“He had no clue anything about her, us, or our community,” she added. “But he saw her, recognized and followed through with this generous donation that is going to help this school tremendously. We are just so thankful and grateful for his generosity.”
In a message to the singer, Megan said, “Thank you for fulfilling my daughter’s dream and thank you for being amazing as a person and helping our small community.”
The school’s jog-a-thon had actually taken place one day before Makenna attended Church’s show, still wanted to do her best to catch the country star’s eye with her neon green sign, which she was planning all week. The bright color did the trick, with Church noticing Makenna and her sign during his song “Pledge Allegiance to the Hag.”
Soulsbyville’s jog-a-thon was raising money for a new primary-grade playground and had a goal of raising $25,000. The total hasn’t yet been calculated and final donations are due on Friday. Makenna jogged around three miles on the day of the event and raised $735, though Church’s donation made her total a whole lot higher.
“If I could say anything to him I would say, thank you, you’re my hero, stuff like that,” Makenna said of Church. “I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh this is really happening?’ I was really shaky. I was happy, nervous, it was awesome.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Jason Kempin
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