Kellie Pickler Has a Soft Spot for Seniors

Like many country stars, Kellie Pickler uses her celebrity status to help charitable organizations. But her favorite charity is a little unusual: the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). “I love working with different charities, but the big foundations and organizations already get so much exposure and so much attention,” explains Pickler. “I wanted to bring awareness to a smaller charity that might not have gotten that kind of attention had I not helped them. The AARP is amazing, and I can really relate to it. My grandparents raised me, so I know the struggles that they have to go through financially and legally and all that.

“What a lot of people don’t know is that four-and-a-half million kids in America are raised by their grandparents, and over seven million are part-time with their grandparents,” she continues. “It’s really amazing to see how much those numbers have grown, and really sad. It’s great to get out and help these elderly people who are struggling but want to take on the responsibility of raising their grandkids because it’s better than having them thrown into foster care.”

Recently, Pickler donated half her winnings ($25,000) from an appearance on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader to the AARP. In May, she performed at the AARP-sponsored Grand Rally outside the Capitol building in Washington, DC. “It was just to bring awareness and educate people about the situation,” she says. “There were so many grandmas and grandpas there at the show. I spoke on my experience and living with my grandparents, sang a couple of songs, and actually performed a song I wrote about my grandmother. It was really a magical day, a very special day.”