Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler opened Janie’s House, a home for abused and neglected girls, on Monday.
Tyler attended a “scarf-cutting” dedication to officially open the house, which he helped renovate.
Tyler donated $500,000 to renovate the home at Youth Villages in Bartlett, Tennessee.
It’s called Janie’s House after Aerosmith’s 1989 hit song “Janie’s Got A Gun.” The song is about a girl who was abused by her family.
“You guys are doing this for so many people,” said Tyler.
Tyler donated half-a-million dollars to create Janie’s House.
“This does my heart and my soul good,” he said.
Janie’s House in Bartlett will house about 14 girls at a time and give them the support and the therapy they need to lead normal lives after being abused.
Tyler says he was in a treatment center and realized that he had to do something to help the abused girls he was meeting. He says he also realizes his hit song had real meaning.
“All the girls I met had been abused either physically, mentally, verbally, you know. At least 90 percent of ‘em all,” said Tyler.
“The reason that I am at Janie’s House is because I experienced sexual abuse at the age of three,” said JaBrayia, a Janie’s House resident.
JaBrayia, 14, says Youth Villages and Janie’s House has changed her life.
“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.”
“I’m gonna bring this Janie’s Fund with me wherever I go. It’s like a dream come true,” said Tyler.
Janie’s Fund has raised about $4-million. This is the second Janie’s House Tyler has opened. The first opened in Atlanta in 2017.
