Jay DeMarcus and former Tennessee Titans football star Kevin Carter collaborated for the seventh year to host the fundraiser Kevin Carter’s Waiting for Wishes Celebrity Waiters’ Dinner, Tuesday night (May 8) at the Palm restaurant in Nashville.

It’s one of the year’s more unique charity events, as Kevin and Jay welcome their fellow pro athletes and country entertainers, who actually serve as “waiters” for the guests attending the event. Waiting for Wishes benefits the Kevin Carter Foundation and Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee, which grants wishes to seriously ill children.

John Rich, Kix Brooks, newcomer Jana Kramer, Laura Bell Bundy and Jamie Johnson of The Grascals were among the stars waiting tables and helping out at the event. Joe Don Rooney was also on hand to support Jay.

The gala evening included a dinner and both silent and live auctions to raise money for the two causes. Jay received plenty of assistance from his fellow stars who donated items to the silent auction, including Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert.

Jay was pleased by the celebrity turnout. “I have a lot of blackmail material on most of these guys, so they have to come,” he joked. On a serious note, Jay noted that Make-A-Wish is an organization that he and his Rascal Flatts mates have always supported. “We have been involved with this foundation as long as we’ve been a band,” Jay said. “It was a natural thing to get involved in this event when Kevin reached out to me. The support from everyone has been great. I think it’s one of the best events we do all year long and I’m very proud of it.”

Photo by: Randi Radcliff