People have this image in their head that all rock stars think about are fame, booze, and women.
But that oversimplifies what is, in essence, a very real human being. Steven Tyler definitely shows us that he’s not just a rock star on-stage but most importantly, off it.
This is because Tyler is thinking of women. Not in the way you would normally associate with rock stars. In fact, the Aerosmith frontman has made it his personal mission to champion the cause of abused women and even made a donation from his charity, Janie’s Fund, to the tune of half-a-million dollars to renovate one home in Memphis.
The home in question is run by Youth Villages, a foundation that provides help to children with emotional, mental, and behavioral problems. The home has been renamed Janie’s Home after Aerosmith’s Janie’s Got A Gun hit song from 1989. It’s an apt name because the song talks about a girl that faced abuse from her family. The Grammy-award winner also provided artwork for the home.
At the “scarf-cutting” ceremony for the home earlier this year, Tyler said, “This does my heart and my soul good.”
Up to 14 girls can be accommodated at the home at a time and they will be provided the necessary therapy to get back to a normal life.
“As you can only imagine, being in a band with guys for 50 years, you can have problems,” Tyler explained. “And rather than quit, I decided to go to this treatment center for co-dependency.”
As he underwent treatment, Tyler soon noticed that the women there had faced abuse, whether emotional or physical, at some point in their lives. “That touched me,” Tyler said. “So when I got out of there, I laid that all on Janie.”
“All the girls I met had been abused either physically, mentally, verbally, you know. At least 90 percent of ‘em all,” he added.
One 14-year-old girl who was abused at a young age was proof that a loving home that offered therapy could make all the difference.
JaBrayia, a resident of the home, said, “The reason that I am at Janie’s House is that I experienced sexual abuse at the age of three. Through Janie’s House, I can learn a lot about my past and learn I was not the only one that had been through the same problems.”
Tyler is determined to keep helping these survivors. “I’m gonna bring this Janie’s Fund with me wherever I go,” he said. “It’s like a dream come true.”
To date, Janie’s Fund has already raised roughly $4 million and Janie’s Home is the second that the singer has opened. The first one was opened in Atlanta in 2017.
“We wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for Steven and his dream of Janie’s Fund,” Patrick Lawler, CEO of Youth Villages, said at the grand opening.
Replaced!