Jason Aldean is becoming as well known for his charity endeavors as he is for his chart-topping songs. The singer, who has hosted the Concert for the Cure, to raise money for breast cancer research, annually for the last 11 years, also has a soft spot for a hometown children’s charity, which is why he hosted his second Concert for the Kids on Aug. 11. The event benefited the Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital, Navicent Health, in Aldean’s hometown of Macon, Ga.

“I wanted to try to do something for my hometown and give back to where I came from, and so, what better way to do that than with kids?” Aldean told The Boot and other reporters at a recent media event. In 2016, the inaugural Concert for the Kids took place on a smaller scale but raised about half a million dollars.

“I mean, I’ve got two kids and one on the way, so I get it. I would be devastated if something happened to one of my kids,” Aldean adds. “I can’t imagine what parents go through when stuff like that happens, and I can’t think of a better thing to give to and try to support than a children’s hospital. And if I’m going to do it, I want to do it in my hometown.”

Aldean’s 2017 Concert for the Kids, which also featured rising star Luke Combs, raised more than $700,000 for Aldean’s hometown children’s hospital.

“Macon will always be my roots,” Aldean shared in a statement. “When I moved away to chase music, all I wanted to do was make my family and hometown proud. But, I’m just a singer. I’m honored to be able to do do what I do to help raise money, but the doctors and staff are the heroes and are changing these kids lives.”

In addition to his Concert for the Cure for breast cancer research, Aldean also tries to honor breast cancer survivors at each of his shows by giving them the VIP treatment. He says he likely gets much more out of the experience than they do.

“Every show, we have a breast cancer survivor who comes to the show and hangs out backstage and gets a chance to see the tour, see what’s going on behind the scenes. They come in and eat dinner with us, and just get the royal treatment for the day. It’s really cool,” Aldean says. “That’s been really cool. You meet a lot of great people and hear a lot of great stories — some that are still fighting it, some that have beat it, some that may not beat it. It’s cool to even be able to roll out the red carpet for them for a day and let them have a great time and come out and talk to them for a little bit and spend some time with them. It’s really cool. I really enjoy that a lot.”