Friends Help Jeffrey Steele Honor Late Son

Friends are rallying to help famed Nashville songwriter Jeffrey Steele honor his late son, Alex, at a benefit concert Thursday at Nashville's Rocketown concert venue. Keith Anderson, Billy Dean, heavy metal star Sebastian Bach and newcomers Lo Cash Cowboys will join Steele for a concert, with all proceeds benefiting the Alex Lavasseur Memorial Scholarship program.

Steele, who has penned countless hits including 'What Hurts the Most' for Rascal Flatts and 'The Cowboy in Me' by Tim McGraw, is grateful for the support from his pals which will help him further the program he started to honor his son. "Rocketown is a club in downtown Nashville where we have this program that gives kids who don't have the money a free membership so they'll have a place to go," Steele explains. "They can keep coming as long as they keep their grades up, so not only can they come into the club and skateboard, they get encouragement in their schooling as well."

Anderson says he would do anything for Steele, who produced his current album 'C'Mon.' "He's like a brother to me. The first time we met it was like brothers getting together," Anderson says. "Alex was such an amazing kid; he was the most daredevil kid I've ever seen, just cocky as heck."

The singer says he and Steele really leaned on each other right after Alex's death. "A few months after Alex died, my mother was diagnosed with brain cancer. We were recording my album at the time, and those were some pretty dark times. We had to make ourselves get up and go to work every day," Anderson recalls. "They asked me to do the show last year and I already had something scheduled, so this year they asked me early and I blocked out the whole week to be here for him."

Kids who enroll in the program get their own customized skateboard with Alex's photo on it. Steele says this would mean so much to his son, who one day had hoped to have his own line of skateboarding merchandise. "We have from 10 to 15 kids in the program. We keep it small so we can give them personal attention," Steele says. "At the end of the program each year the kid who has the best grades gets to spend a weekend with skateboard champ Tony Hawk."

Steele says while the program honors his son, it is also very meaningful for him. "You have to realize how blessed you are. You can't ever take that for granted and you have to try to help others in any way you can. I'm here in Nashville chasing my dream and with this scholarship fund we are helping kids keep their hopes and dreams alive."

To find out more about the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Scholarship, visit www.rememberalex.com.