A little over a year after a tornado devastated the community of Bowling Green, Kentucky, country music star Lauren Alaina is teaming up with the DISH Network to help those within the area with recovery efforts.
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While speaking to PEOPLE about the TV special, Operation Appreciation: Bowling Green, which will air on Saturday (March 18th), Alaina spoke about immediately leaping at the opportunity to help those in the area. She was also inspired by someone close to her.
“My manager, Trisha, has a cousin who lives in Bowling Green and she was just reaching out, trying to get some help for her community and we learned about this family who had lost everything, and I mean everything,” Lauren Alaina explained. “The whole house caved in on top of them, all of their stuff was gone. The mother actually passed away. The kids were very injured.”
Immediately after hearing stories about the devastating storm, Alaina quickly got to work with her foundation, My Kinda People. “I pulled money out of the foundation and got [community members] clothes and furniture and school supplies,” she shared. “Everything that the kids would need. And Trisha and I actually drove it down there to them.”
Lauren Alaina then said that when she saw the storm’s aftermath with her own eyes, she stated that the pictures and videos of the devastation were nothing like it was in person. “It was heartbreaking,” she told the media outlet.
Lauren Alaina Talks About TV Special To Help Those In Need
Meanwhile, Lauren Alaina opened up about how she was approached to do the TV special. She noted that the network had no idea she had firsthand experience with the Bowling Green area. She considered it a major opportunity.
“It was totally such a God thing,” Alaina explained. “It felt like to me, because I would’ve done just about anything and would still for that community because of that family and because I met them and saw how much their lives changed.”
Lauren Alaina then pointed out that the family is just one example of those greatly impacted by the storm. “It was a real honor for me to be able to go back and be a part of the show. It was a beautiful night.”
Lauren Alaina also shared that she has a history of creating music amid disasters. She wrote her first song after her aunt was in a car accident. She was 9 years old at the time.
“I sang it to her in the hospital,” Alaina further recalled. “And so that developed my understanding of writing and music and what I could use it for. After a tragic event like that, it’s healing. So, to go there and provide part of a night of just music and love is a reminder that they’re not forgotten.”
Lauren Alaina went on to add that she considers herself a “vessel” for those in need.