Carrie Underwood’s Surprise for Heroic Young Fan Will Melt Your Heart [Watch]
Carrie Underwood surprised an enterprising young fan who is raising money for frontline workers during the pandemic with a generous donation toward her cause during an appearance on Drew Barrymore's new talk show.
The country superstar appeared on the Drew Barrymore Show on Tuesday (Jan. 12), joining Barrymore and 7-year-old Hayley Orlinsky in a video chat surprise for the youngster, who began making bracelets in 2020 to raise money for local healthcare workers. When she heard that some healthcare workers did not have access to sufficient personal protective equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Orlinsky began selling her bracelets to raise money to help them out.
Her original goal was $200, but Orlinsky has since raised a total of more than $27,000, with no end in sight.
In the touching video below, Hayley and her mother, Lori, join Barrymore via Zoom to talk about the project. Partway through the conversation, Barrymore mentions that Underwood is "loving what you're doing," and Hayley's mom prompts her to share that her favorite song is Underwood's "Before He Cheats." With that, Underwood herself pops up live on the video screen, causing the astonished girl to bury her face in her hands in shocked joy.
"Hi, Hayley!" Underwood begins. "I wish so much that I could be looking at you face-to-face, in-person right now. You're adorable!"
"You're a perfect example — it doesn't matter how old you are, where you are, whatever it is that you're into," the country star says, "You took your love of making bracelets and you used it to make the world a better place, so yay, Hayley!"
Barrymore then announced that she was donating $5,000 to the cause, and Underwood chimed in that she, too, would contribute $5,000. The donations will go to a local children's hospital in Chicago.
"Oh my gosh! That's gonna help the hospital, and it's gonna help with vaccinations, and we are so thankful. Wow!" Hayley's mother exclaimed.
Underwood herself has not been idle during the pandemic. She's made a series of from-home appearances to promote her music, and she also released her first-ever full-length Christmas album, My Gift, in September of 2020. She recently announced the upcoming release of her first gospel album, My Savior. Underwood has not yet revealed a release date, but in a video to fans, she said the project is set to drop before Easter, which falls on April 4.
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