COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry has surprised middle school students in Ohio by showing up at a musical concert and donating $100,000 to help student athletes in the city’s South-Western schools.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that Perry was drawn to Finland Middle School on Friday after seeing a TV report about teacher Mary Mulvany starting a foundation to raise scholarship money to cover fees.
South-Western schools earned national attention when athletics and extra-curricular activities were eliminated after a failed levy in 2009. The ballot request was later approved by voters, and sports, clubs and other activities were resurrected for a fee.
Perry says he wants to sponsor as many children as possible and wants part of the money to go toward Finland and some to the foundation.
article by Associated Press via thegrio.com
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The event, titled “Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert,” was organized by country singer and native Oklahoman Blake Shelton. Joining Rucker and Usher, who worked with Shelton on The Voice, are country stars Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts and Reba McEntire, among others listed in the lineup.
“I’m hoping it will raise a lot of money,” Shelton told Billboard after announcing his project during last Tuesday’s edition of The Voice. According to Reuters, the May 20 tornado was the deadliest windstorm to hit the United States in two years and left 24 dead and 377 injured. After decimating the city of Moore and surrounding areas, the tornado caused an estimated $2 to $5 billion worth of property damage and loss while over 1,200 homes were left destroyed.
The proceeds from the benefit concert will go to the United Way of Central Oklahoma May Tornadoes Relief Fund and will be used for recovery and rebuilding needs. The concert will be held tomorrow, May 29, and is set to air on NBC at 9 p.m. EST. According to the network, tickets went on sale Saturday morning and were sold out within five minutes.
article by Lilly Workneh via thegrio.com
Be nice, worship God and eat pigs’ feet: That’s how Jeralean Talley of Inkster, Michigan says she lived to celebrate her 114th birthday today — and be crowned the oldest person in the United States. Using census records, the Gerontology Research Group verified her title after the previous oldest American, Elsie Thompson, died at 113 in March. Talley is still a youngster, relatively speaking, compared to the world’s oldest person, Jiroemon Kimura, who is 116 and lives in Japan.
In a phone conversation on the eve of her 114th birthday, Talley told TIME, “I feel okay.” These days, the supercentenarian lives with her daughter Thelma Holloway, 75, and says she passes the time by watching The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Wheel of Fortune as well as listening to baseball on the radio – though she doesn’t have a favorite team. She can stay up as late as midnight and feasts on her favorite foods: potato salad, honey buns, McDonald’s chicken nuggets and Wendy’s chili.
After 39 years of setbacks and determination, Jackie Hill’s (pictured above right) dream of becoming a chef came true on Thursday when she graduated summa cum laude from Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) with an associate’s degree in culinary arts, reports Philly.com. With that amazing achievement, the 55 year-old Philadelphia mother and grandmother became the first in her family of ten to receive a degree.
“I have watched Jackie grow from being very tentative as an adult returning to school to a whole different level of poise and grace,” said Karen Stout, president of the school who spoke to Philly.com. “Hill’s story is like that of many other adult women,” Stout continues. “They are women needing to find themselves and build confidence.”
Growing up, Hill was daddy’s little girl and her father, a preacher, was her entire world. He was her cheering squad and made her feel that she could do anything. It was her father who bought her first Easy-Bake Oven and a chef was born. She fed her dad exquisite edible concoctions with that little oven and he promised to set her up in business one day. Tragically, that was not to be.
Hill’s world spiraled out of control quickly when her father passed away. The 16-year-old teen, stricken with grief, began “acting out.” She dropped out of high school, ran away from home, and then wound up pregnant. Four more children would soon follow.
“I have watched Jackie grow from being very tentative as an adult returning to school to a whole different level of poise and grace,” said Karen Stout, president of the school who spoke to Philly.com. “Hill’s story is like that of many other adult women,” Stout continues. “They are women needing to find themselves and build confidence.”
Growing up, Hill was daddy’s little girl and her father, a preacher, was her entire world. He was her cheering squad and made her feel that she could do anything. It was her father who bought her first Easy-Bake Oven and a chef was born. She fed her dad exquisite edible concoctions with that little oven and he promised to set her up in business one day. Tragically, that was not to be.
Hill’s world spiraled out of control quickly when her father passed away. The 16-year-old teen, stricken with grief, began “acting out.” She dropped out of high school, ran away from home, and then wound up pregnant. Four more children would soon follow.
Back in the early 1940s, it was almost unfathomable for the collective imagination to conceive of African-American and female pilots, particularly lending their talents to the battle of World War II. And yet, at roughly the same time, programs were developed by the U.S. military that made that seeming improbability a reality.
Elder James H. Brown, one of the prestigious Tuskegee Airmen (the corps of African-American pilots who participated in World War II), and Jane Tedeschi, a former member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) corps, are products of such programs. They challenged the popular stereotypes of the times that promoted the belief that neither black men nor women were fit to be pilots.
While their paths never crossed during the war, Tedeschi had always wanted to meet one of the brave Tuskegee Airmen, some of whom were stationed near the base where she served, and whose exploits she admired.
Tedeschi just recently got to do just that, bonding with Brown for the first time over their unique places in American history. On May 17, through a partnership between the Brookdale senior living community where Tedeschi resides, and Wish of a Lifetime, an organization that fosters appreciation for seniors by fulfilling life-enriching requests, Jane got her decades-old wish. Sixty-eight years after the end of World War II, Jane, now 93, and Elder, 87, finally had the chance to connect. The result? Mutual appreciation and thanks.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qajY8OjfGJs&w=560&h=315]
Mos Def has never been afraid of a good scrap. The rapper is involved in a new fight, and it’s against New York City and their controversial stop-and-frisk policy. Teaming up with the Center for Constitutional Rights, Mos Def released an anti-stop-and-frisk PSA video.
In case you don’t know: stop-and-frisk is deemed controversial because it allows police to search any individual without reason, other than “probable cause.” Critics say that it unfairly stops Black and Latina people, and the stats back this claim up: according to a study released in February, 97 percent of people stopped in New York City were either Black or Latino.
In Mos Def’s video, we see all the disturbing stats, plus some footage of an anonymous police officer talking about some of the NYPD’s dirty polices. In the background, you hear a new Mos Def track called “Don’t Tread on Me.”
Read more: http://globalgrind.com/news/mos-def-dont-thread-on-me-stop-and-frisk-psa-video#ixzz2UBLYH7ay
NBC Southern California – The National Institutes of Health awarded UCLA a grant to study the genetic causes of autism in African-American children. Areva Martin of the Special Needs Network says “there’s a void” of qualified health care officials to make the diagnosis in communities like South LA. The study hopes to change that, and aims to recruit at least 600 African-American families who have a child diagnosed with autism.
Watch video of this story by clicking here.
Related Stories:
- BET’s Centric to Premiere Autism Awareness Documentary Featuring Tisha Campbell-Martin, Nicole Ari Parker & Blair Underwood
- Charmin Bear Charms Autistic Boy
article by Dr. Bruce Hensel via thegrio.com
NBC Chicago – Desiree Rogers is adding another line to her resume. Mayor Rahm Emanuel tapped the former White House social secretary to chair the board of Choose Chicago.
Rogers is currently the CEO of Ebony and Jet. Choose Chicago is a marketing organization that works to lure businesses, tourists and conventions to the city. Rogers takes over for Bruce Rauner, who is expected to run for Illinois governor on the Republican ticket.
Rogers and Emanuel worked together in the Obama White House during his time as chief of staff. Click here to read more.
article by Marcus Riley via thegrio.com
As our hearts here at GBN continue to go out to all those affected by the monstrous tornado in Oklahoma on Monday, below is a list of varying ways to aid its residents. The following relief organizations are working in the area:
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross has several shelters open in Oklahoma and Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles have begun delivering hot meals throughout the affected areas. The Red Cross is also working to link loved ones in Moore who are OK through a website called Safe and Well. Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, donate online, or donate by phone at 1-800-RED CROSS.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is activating disaster response teams and mobile feeding units to help residents and rescuers in Moore, as well as in other locations in the Plains and the Midwest that were impacted by tornadoes. Donate online or text STORM to 80888 to contribute $10 to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts or make a donation by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY. If you’re sending a check make sure you put the words “Oklahoma Tornado Relief” on the check, and mail it to: The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 12600, Oklahoma City, OK. 73157.
Operation USA
Los Angeles-based international relief agency Operation USA announced it’s providing emergency aid where needed to community-based health organizations across Oklahoma. Donate online, by phone at 1-800-678-7255, or by check made out to Operation USA, 7421 Beverly Blvd., PH, Los Angeles, CA 90036. You can also donate $10 by texting AID to 50555. Corporate donations of bulk quantities of disaster-appropriate supplies are also being requested.
Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief
Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief says it has deployed at least 80 volunteers to respond to severe weather in Oklahoma. Those interested in helping can make a tax-deductible donation to the BGCO’s Disaster Relief ministry online or call (405) 942-3800. You may also send checks to: BGCO Attn: Disaster Relief 3800 N. May Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73112.
Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritan’s Purse, which provided relief to residents of Moore after the devastating tornado in 1999, deployed two Disaster Relief Units from their North Carolina headquarters before dawn on Tuesday. One will be based in Moore, and the other in Shawnee. Samaritan’s Purse is looking for volunteers to help with the relief effort. You can donate online or by phone at 1-800-528-1980. To give by mail, please send donations to: Samaritan’s Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607-3000.
Save the Children
Save the Children is mobilizing staff to provide support, relief and recovery services to communities and families in Oklahoma. The organization is prepared to deploy their Child Friendly Space kits in shelters, creating safe play areas for kids. They are also ready to deploy infant and toddler hygiene materials to support young children displaced from their homes. Text TWISTER to 20222 to donate $10 to Save the Children and help the response effort. You can donate online or call 1-800-728-3843.
Operation Blessing International
Operation Blessing International, a Virginia-based humanitarian group, is deploying to Moore, after working on tornado relief in Granbury, Texas, following last week’s storm there. A caravan of OBI emergency equipment was sent to Moore, including a construction unit, mobile command center, trucks full of tools and supplies, and a team of construction foremen. You can donate to the group online or donate by phone at 1-800-730-2537.
article via usatoday.com
CeCe Bruce, a waitress at an Indianapolis eatery, received a $446 tip on a $6 bill for her positive attitude. Bruce has been waiting tables at Steak and Shake for two years, while attending school part time.
“Serving is our bread and butter,” Bruce told WTHR. ”So if we’re not nice, then we don’t get tipped good.” The hardworking waitress said she was having trouble with a table who was giving her a hard time, but she “just kept smiling and going on because that’s what you got to do.”
Shortly after, one of her regular customers, Miss Jo, left her the very generous tip. This is the biggest tip Bruce has received and says it was just in time to pay the bills. To see video of Bruce’s story, click here.
article by Carrie Healey via thegrio.com