Luke Bryan recently marked the beginning of a four-year team-up in support of a foundation he helped start in honor of his late niece.
Bryan and his wife, Caroline Bryan, plus his sister- and brother-in-law Ellen and Bo Boyer, founded the Brett Boyer Foundation in 2017. The Franklin, Tennessee-based organization honors the Boyers’ first child and Bryan’s niece, Sadie Brett Boyer, who was diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome and a congenital heart defect (CHD), the Boyers shared on the foundation’s website. The family lost Brett when she was only 7 months old. They established the Brett Boyer Foundation in her honor to raise CHD Awareness, raise research funding, offer financial and mental health support for hospitals and families, and advocate for inclusion for those with Down syndrome, per the foundation’s core focus areas.
Earlier this month, Bryan worked a shift at a Raising Cane’s location in Franklin, outside of Nashville (including surprising some customers at the drive thru). The shift kicked off his new team-up with the restaurant chain’s CEO, Todd Graves, in support of the Brett Boyer Foundation. Graves is making a $1 million donation — $250,000 each year for four years — to benefit the organization. Graves said in a statement it’s “amazing” seeing the family turn “something so tragic” into “something so beautiful,” in an effort to save lives. Bryan noted during a press conference that “the people in the office at the Brett Boyer Foundation are working tirelessly that this million-dollar support goes directly to families that are dealing with kids that have congenital heart disease.”
“The Brett Boyer Foundation is a family charity and I’ve watched this Foundation grow over the years from the support of people like Todd,” the five-time Entertainer of the Year winner said in a statement. “We know 36 kids who are alive today because of The Brett Boyer Foundation and we want to see that number grow to thousands in the future.”
Bryan has made giving back a priority throughout his career in the music industry. In 2024, the Academy of Country Music recognized Bryan at the 17th ACM Honors with the ACM Lifting Lives Award. The Georgia-born singer-songwriter received the recognition for his dedication “to improving lives through the power of music, has a generosity of spirit, and is committed to serving others,” the Academy of Country Music stated in its definition of the award. The Academy also noted that Bryan is in good company with previous Lifting Lives Award recipients, including Lady A, Dolly Parton, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood and more. Bryan said at the recent press conference that in his home, he aims to demonstrate manners, politeness, humility, hard work and other qualities for his teen sons, “and obviously, having a charitable aspect to your heart and your soul just makes you the person we want them to be.” Now, especially after accomplishing tons of career goals over the past 20 years, Bryan hopes to do his part with charitable giving. That includes the Brett Boyer Foundation and growing “a bigger platform (to) help more families.”
“If I could tell Brett anything today… We love you. We miss you, and your legacy lives on,” Bryan said. “What her mother and father do in her name, and watching her name get to live on and…do so much good for kids… The fact that we can make sure kids never get the diagnosis that she got, and I think it’s really important that in years to come, we can change the narrative on what CHD is.”
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