Morgan Wallen Starts Charitable Foundation 'More Than My Hometown'

Morgan Wallen has created a new charitable foundation titled More Than My Hometown, the title of his lead-off single from his second studio album, Dangerous: The Double Album.

According to the foundation’s official website, More Than My Hometown is centred around the four pillars of family, community, guidance, and love.

Wallen’s foundation has stated a plan to help young individuals find a forever home, work with communities to develop after-school programs with community leaders for at-risk youth, make donations of educational technology, musical instruments, and sporting equipment to lower-income communities and orchestrate interactions between children and veteran hospitals.

As stated on the foundation’s official website, the music artist was moved to create the foundation in inspiration of his parent’s adoption of Wallen’s now sister, Lacey Shyann Wallen on July 12.

Wallen says, "Since my parents fostered and now officially adopted my sister Lacey, I’ve witnessed what love and care can do for a child that didn’t have it before. She has transformed into a confident, trusting, and happy kid. There are many elements that aid in the development and protection of an adolescent’s life, and that is why I created the foundation, so a child’s resources are not limited due to their circumstances."

The launch of the foundation follows Wallen’s recent return to the spotlight after speaking out on the video that surfaced of him using a racial slur earlier this year. In the interview with Good Morning America, Wallen said, “I was around some of my friends, and we just, we say dumb stuff together. And it was, in our minds, it’s playful … that sounds ignorant, but it ... that’s really where it came from and it’s wrong.”

The artist also admitted that, although he did not use the word frequently, it was one he has used with this specific friend group before and didn’t mean the term in a derogatory manner.

He added, “It’s one of my best friends ... he was, we were all clearly drunk. I was asking his girlfriend to take care of him because he was drunk, and he was leaving. I think I was just ignorant about it. I don’t think I sat down and was, like, ‘Hey, is this right or is this wrong?'”

Following the initial incident, Wallen was suspended indefinitely from his label, Big Loud and Republic, had his music pulled from streaming services and radio, and he was banned from making an appearance at this year’s ACM Awards and Billboard Music Awards, despite his six nominations. Reflecting on that night, Wallen issued lengthy apology videos and a statement stating that he, at the time, was on “hour 72 of a 72-bender” and had checked himself into a rehab facility post scandal to work towards sobriety.

He has now since returned to Big Loud Records.

Those looking to learn more or get involved with More Than My Hometown can do so by visiting the foundation’s website, Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter pages.

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Image: via morethanmyhometownfoundation.org