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Posts tagged as “donations”

Oklahoma Thunder Forward Kevin Durant Donates $1 Million to Disaster Relief

Kevin Durant in front of the hometown fans (Getty Images)

Via Daily Thunder:

Per the Red Cross, Kevin Durant has given a $1 million donation to the disaster relief fund.
“The Red Cross relies on its donors to perform its mission in relieving human suffering following disasters,” said Janienne Bella, regional CEO in a release. “Mr. Durant’s gift and support to Oklahoma comes at a time of great need and we’re forever thankful for his generosity.”
Yesterday Durant tweeted, “Praying for the victims of the Tornadoes in OKC these last few days..Everybody stay safe!”

It’s also well-worth mentioning that Kevin Durant did not announce this donation. Rather, the Red Cross was the first to point out Durant’s contribution (which was made through his personal charity arm, The Durant Family Foundation), with Kevin letting his donation do the talking.
The devastation in Oklahoma was as stunning as it was swift, and any little bit helps. The Red Cross’ localized branch is the best place to go if you want to contribute as Kevin did.

Fats Domino’s Katrina-damaged Grand Piano Finally Restored

A photo of musician Fats Domino lies in the street next to his home in the heavily damaged Lower Ninth Ward December 24, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Nearly four months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area, the worst-hit parts of New Orleans and surrounding areas are still uninhabitable. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
A photo of musician Fats Domino lies in the street next to his home in the heavily damaged Lower Ninth Ward December 24, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Nearly four months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area, the worst-hit parts of New Orleans and surrounding areas are still uninhabitable. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A white Steinway grand piano salvaged from musician Fats Domino’s home after Hurricane Katrina has been restored and will be the centerpiece of an exhibit in New Orleans’ French Quarter.  The piano was damaged after water poured through a broken levee during the August 2005 storm, flooding Domino’s home in the Lower 9th Ward.  Its restoration came through $30,000 donated to the Louisiana Museum Foundation.  
The largest gift of $18,000 came from Allan Slaight, a retired music producer in Miami. Other donations came from Sir Paul McCartney, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Tipitina’s Foundation. The piano was to be unveiled Thursday at the Old U.S. Mint, now a museum in the French Quarter.  It will be part of the Louisiana State Museum’s music exhibition opening in 2014 but separately will go on display at the Mint in June.  A second Steinway piano belonging to Domino is on permanent display at the Presbytere Museum in the exhibition “Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond.”
“Fats Domino is a seminal figure in American music, and he will have a prominent place in the coming Louisiana music exhibit,” said Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, who oversees the Louisiana State Museum. “His beautiful grand piano, fully restored, will serve as the perfect symbol for Louisiana’s resilient nature and ever-evolving musical heritage.”
Born in New Orleans in 1928, the pianist, singer and songwriter sold more than 65 million records between 1950 and 1963, made Billboard’s pop chart 77 times and its rhythm and blues chart 61 times.  Katrina tore into Louisiana and Mississippi on Aug. 29, 2005. Flooding from storm surge and broken levees washed over an estimated 80 percent of New Orleans.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press; article by Stacey Plaisance via thegrio.com

GBN Community: Help Kickstart "The Flyers and The Crawlers," An Anti-Bullying Children's Book

Flyers and crawlersAuthor and daycare practitioner P.B. Jeffrey recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to publish a children’s book, “The Flyers and The Crawlers,” as part of an anti-bullying education initiative for kids.  Once her goal is met, Jeffrey intends to donate 200 copies of the book to daycare facilities, school libraries, and anti-bullying conventions across the country.

Author PB Jeffrey and Family
P.B. Jeffrey, husband Lennox and daughters

Bullying is an issue that affects the African-American community, and is fast becoming a multi-cultural epidemic, both in person and online.  Since bullying may begin as early as preschool, and because young children best learn from stories, books, and other educational media, a children’s book series about bullying is an effective tool for preventing the onset of bullying in the next generation.
Jeffrey is trying to raise $4,000 by May 24. Donations of even $5 make a difference. To donate or learn more about the campaign, please go to http://kck.st/ZWYR8K.  
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOQ3v2AR6Wc&w=560&h=315]
 

Beyoncé Teams Up with Goodwill on New Tour for Donation Drives

Beyonce (PHOTO CREDIT: KEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE)
As Beyoncé kicks off her Mrs. Carter Show tour in Belgrade, Serbia tonight, she’s announcing a new partnership with Goodwill for her North American tour dates.

Goodwill will host donation drives for clothing, electronics and other small household goods at all her stops across America. The money earned from the sale of these donated items will “help people with disabilities and disadvantages, and anyone facing challenges to finding employment,” read a press release.
“Goodwill helps people get back to work by providing education, job training and placement,” said Beyoncé. “I wanted to team up with an organization that puts people first and works every day to help them improve and re-establish their lives.”
In other related news, the ESSENCE Festival headliner is also teaming up with “Miss a Meal” to fight hunger. “Miss a Meal,” run by Houston’s Bread of Life, encourages people to skip meals and donate the money to help the hungry. Currently, Bread of Life, serves 14,000 meals a month to locals in Houston.
 
“I was 13 and my sister Solange was eight when we started donating and serving meals to the homeless after church,” said Beyoncé in a statement. “There were people from all walks of life, even children, who needed a meal. We learned that we are all three paychecks away from poverty. It was a lesson in humility for all of us.”
article by Derrick Bryson Taylor via essence.com

Detroit Receives $8 Million Worth of Donated Police Cruisers and Ambulances

detroit ambulances
The business community donated $8 million dollars worth of police cruisers and ambulances to Detroit to improve emergency response times, said Mayor Bing on Monday.

With the donation, the city of Detroit now has 23 new ambulances, allowing the city to replace its current fleet of ambulances which frequently break down.

“This is not about downtown; this is not about Midtown; this is about the neighborhoods, so we can go out into these neighborhoods and let our people know that we support them, and we have not forgotten about them,” Bing said.
Bing says this is an indication of how the city and business leaders are working together to fight crime in the city.
“We believe these additional vehicles will enhance the visibility of the police and fire efforts in the city of Detroit, improve safety and security in our neighborhoods and have an immediate and lasting impact for everyone who lives, works and plays in our city,” said Roger Penske, founder and chairman of Penske Corp., the Bloomfield Hills-based transportation services firm.
Pictures of the new vehicles shown at a press conference revealed that the cruisers added to the fleet were Dodge Chargers, Ford Tauruses and Chevrolet Caprices. The EMS vehicles were Horton Terrastar ambulances.  The new cruisers and ambulances are being outfitted with new equipment and should be ready to use within the next two to four months.
article via yourblackworld.net

First Lady Michelle Obama Delivers Easter Gifts to Military Families

First lady Michelle Obama smiles during a reception for Ireland's prime minister in the East Room of the White House on March 19, 2013 in Washington, DC. President Obama met with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny prior to the annual St. Patrick's Day lunch hosted at the Capitol. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

First lady Michelle Obama smiles during a reception for Ireland’s prime minister in the East Room of the White House on March 19, 2013 in Washington, DC. President Obama met with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny prior to the annual St. Patrick’s Day lunch hosted at the Capitol. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Michelle Obama marked the first day of spring with an early Easter celebration as she delivered holiday treats to military families and children.  The first lady stopped by the Fisher House at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Wednesday as families decorated Easter cards.
She asked the children if they were ready “to show me how to make some stuff.”  Mrs. Obama, accompanied by first dog Bo, carried a basket full of cookies made by the White House pastry chefs in the shape of the Portuguese water dog.  She also brought tickets for the families to attend the White House Egg Roll on April 1.  The Fisher House program provides temporary housing for military families while their loved ones receive medical care.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press by Stacy A. Anderson via thegrio.com
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Homeless Man Who Returned Ring Gets Over $175K in Donations, Reconnects with Family

Billy Ray Harris’ story has inspired a windfall of donations.
When Kansas City homeless man Billy Ray Harris returned Sarah Darling’s engagement ring last month after she accidentally dropped it in his cup, it could have been the end of the story.  Instead, the experience has changed his life.  In the weeks since his good deed went viral, Harris has gained national attention, and supporters have raised over $175,000 for him to find a new home.
Something even more valuable happened: Harris is back in touch with his family, from whom he was estranged for the last 16 years.  Amid the media storm around the engagement ring episode, Robin Harris, Billy Ray’s younger sister, happened to come across an article about her brother, and reached out to the local news station that first reported the story for help tracking him down.
“When I turned my head, I recognized the name, and I turned back around and I looked at the picture again, and it was my brother,” Robin told TODAY.com. “I called and I said, ‘that’s my brother. I’ve been looking for him for 16 years.'”  Robin, who still lives in Texas where the family grew up, said she made repeated efforts to find her brother over the years, but had heard varying reports about his whereabouts, and was even once told that he had died.

Howard University Donates Dorm Furniture to Schools in Central America

dorm_furniture_121226Last summer Howard University in Washington, D.C., mounted a major campaign to spruce up its residence halls. Walls were painted, new carpet installed, and bathroom fixtures renovated. In addition, the university replaced more than 2,000 mattresses and added new room and lounge furniture in the residence halls.
As a result of these upgrades, Howard donated 184,000 pounds of bed frames, book cases, desks, chairs, dressers, and other furniture to schools in the United States and Central America. Working with the Institution Recycling Network and the international charity Food for the Poor, Howard packed up nearly 2,300 pieces of furniture for shipments to 12 different sites. Most of the furniture was shipped to schools in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.
article via jbhe.com

First Lady Michelle Obama Drops Off 900 Gifts for Annual Toys for Tots Drive

First lady Michelle Obama (C) greets Toys for Tots volunteers
First lady Michelle Obama (C) greets Toys for Tots volunteers during an event at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling on December 11, 2012 in Washiington, DC. The toys were donated by the staff members of the Executive Office of the President to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots Campaign. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
First lady Michelle Obama dropped off 900 gifts yesterday as part of a Toys for Tots event in Washington, D.C. An annual drive of the Marine Corps, the campaign received the huge donation from the White House where Mrs. Obama began collecting toys for the program in 2009.

The toys were collected from residents of the White House, including President Obama and the first couple’s daughters Sasha and Malia, in addition to employees, friends and corporate donors.

Keshia Knight Pulliam Helps Raise $1M For Spelman College

(L-R) Spelman board member Vickie Palmer, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Rosalind G. Brewer, Dr. Beverly Tatum, Millie Smith

Keshia Knight Pulliam helped to raise more than $1 million for her alma mater, reports the YBF blog.  The former “Cosby Show” co-star, who graduated in 2001 with a B.A. in Sociology and a concentration in film, teamed with Spelman College Board Members to host a Fall Fashion Presentation and fundraiser at SAKS in Atlanta.

Among the attendees: Ne-Yo’s fiancee Monyetta Shaw, Spelman College President Dr. Beverly Tatum,  actress LaTanya Richardson and Andrew Young’s wife Carolyn Young.  The luncheon included a champagne toast and live auction.  The money raised will go toward scholarships to benefit Spelman students who are unable to graduate due to financial hardship.

Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2012/11/keshia-knight-pulliam-helps-raise-1m-for-spelman/#vdHu0z8vAhHtUhll.99