A tribute to Aerosmith’s 1989 hit song, “Janie’s Got a Gun,” a home for abused and neglected girls has been opened by rock icon Steve Tyler in Memphis, Tennessee.
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During the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Tyler revealed that in addition to gifting “Janie’s House” to the Youth Villages Bartlett Campus, he had also donated US$500,000 to renovate the shelter.
The home will host 14 girls at a time or roughly 26 to 30 annually, offering them the support and therapy to continue with their lives.
While struggling with addiction at a treatment center, Tyler met several female abuse survivors, the singer told reporters.
"All the girls I met had been abused either physically, mentally, verbally, you know. At least 90 percent of them all," said Tyler.
"This does my heart and my soul good. This is real," he said.
The song, “Janie’s Got a Gun,” was written in their honor and tells the story of young girl taking revenge from her father after years of abuse. In an effort to them further, he partnered with Youth Villages, a NGO which builds shelters around the country, to bring awareness to the issue of neglect and abuse.
Tyler is also the force behind Janie’s Fund which has raised US$4 million and funded the construction of the first shelter to be opened in Atlanta in 2017 and possibly a third center in Las Vegas later this year.
"I'm gonna bring this Janie's Fund with me wherever I go. It's like a dream come true," Tyler said.