Eric Church surprised one little fan with a very generous gift during his concert on Saturday night (Sept. 28), as part of his ongoing 2019 Double Down Tour.
The country star was in the middle of his set at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., when he noticed 10-year-old Makenna Wallace holding up a neon-green sign asking him to sponsor her Soulsbyville Elementary School’s jog-a-thon.
Church had one of his security guards bring the poster up to the stage, where he then held it up for the crowd to see. He also agreed to Wallace’s wishes saying, “I will sponsor you for your jog-a-thon.”
The entire audience, including Wallace’s parents and sister, enjoyed watching the moment unfold before their eyes, and they erupted in cheers following the singer’s act of kindness.
“When it happened, it was unbelievable.” Wallace’s mother Megan told local newspaper The Union Democrat, of the whole experience. “We were in shock. It was surreal. We were so proud of [Makenna], we just kept telling her.”
The Union Democrat reports that Wallace had raised $735 toward her school’s jog-a-thon by running three miles worth of laps before she attended Church’s concert. At the show, her family gave their information to one of Church’s employees.
On the following Monday (Sept. 30), a member of Church’s staff e-mailed the California-based school asking for more details about the fundraiser. Once they received more information, they sent a follow up email with news that Church and his wife Katherine planned to donate $10,000 toward Makenna’s tally for the fundraiser.
“If I could say anything to him I would say, thank you, you’re my hero, stuff like that,” Wallace said. “I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is really happening? I was really shaky. I was happy, nervous, it was awesome.”
The money raised from the fundraiser will go toward building a new playground on the school property.
Eric Church is currently nominated for three CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year.
