Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles took time on Thursday morning to help out with the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in her hometown of Houston.
“I feel like Houston is one of the strongest cities in the world,” Biles told Good Morning America. “It is amazing to see everyone giving back. Even people that have lost everything in this storm, they’re even coming and volunteering so that’s super exciting to see.”
Biles was helping distribute supplies at the Lone Star Convention and Expo Center in Conroe, Texas.
American heroes working in Houston stopped to take a pic with American Gold Medalist Champion Simone Biles. Thanks for the support. #unitedpic.twitter.com/3NfjMmCE0D
Biles was at her home in the Houston area during the storm. On Thursday, she tweeted: “we still need your help – (clothes,food,blood) everything counts. donate donate donate.”
You know the old saying, ask and you shall receive? It works!
Especially if Kevin Hart is making the request. The funnyman put in a plea to his A-list friends Sunday to follow his lead (he donated $50K) in opening their check books to all those affected by Harvey.
And they came through.
Like our girl Beyonce. The H-town native promised to help the hurricane victims through her BEYGOOD charity.
In the meantime, her pastor outed her for already secretly donating a substantial amount. There are whispers around the Web the “Halo” singer gave $7 million. Y’all heard it here first *wink*wink.
Chris Brown took to Twitter yesterday to meet Kevin Hart’s challenge by donating $100,000 to Red Cross, despite being weary of the org.
HOUSTON TEXAS my prayers are wit you! I just sent 25k your way to help all the families in need 🙏🏽 @kevinhart4real I accepted your challenge pic.twitter.com/EgCjyT8IKV
Don’t say Kevin doesn’t have a heart…again sorry, not sorry.
Today Jamie Foxx, made his city proud by not only donating $25,000 to GlobalGiving, a non-profit that uses worldwide crowdfunding tactics for charity projects.
Just when you thought you couldn’t love Bruno Mars any more than you already did.
I know…impossible.
Well, it’s very likely when the “Versace on the Floor” crooner announced donating $1 million to Flint, Michigan’s relief efforts to decontaminate the city’s lead laced water supply.
More specifically proceeds will go to The Community Foundation of Greater Flint, a local charity which works with nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the health and development of children affected by the water crisis, as well as supporting small and minority-owned businesses in the area.
Bruno made the announcement on stage at Auburn Hills, Michigan, close by to Detroit and Flint.
The Guardian reports Bruno released this statement about the much needed donation.
I’m very thankful to the Michigan audience for joining me in supporting this cause. Ongoing challenges remain years later for Flint residents, and it’s important that we don’t forget our brothers and sisters affected by this disaster. As people, especially as Americans, we need to stand together to make sure something like this never happens in any community ever again.
Thanks Bruno for remembering the forgotten Flint residents still affected by the 2014 fatal water crisis.
The “Love on the Brain” pop star is showing some more love to Malawi girls—by not only providing school scholarships, but bikes too.
Yes, bikes. No, she’s not searching for the next Ayesha McGowen.
Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation teamed up with bike-sharing platform ofo to donate bikes to Malawi girls receiving secondary school scholarships. So they can have a dependable way to get to class.
Transportation is a major prob in the SouthEast African nation, girls have to travel long distances to get to class, which isn’t safe or doable.
Hence only an 8% attendance for secondary school compared to 4.6 million attending primary.
Let’s sprinkle some black girl magic on this equation.
Rihanna, who visited Malawi in January as a Global Ambassador for education, proud to be leading the charge, here is what the Navy’s queen had to say:
I’m so happy about the Clara Lionel Foundation’s new partnership with ofo because it will help so many young people around the world receive a quality education, and also help the young girls of Malawi get to school safely, cutting down those very long walks they make to and from school all alone.”
By donating $10Gs to the Renaissance School of the Arts in Harlem today, through the AdoptAClassroom.org non-profit. The national org gives teachers (who shell $600 outta pocket for pens, paper, trapper keepers, etc) and their students much needed school supplies.
“Growing up, I watched how my Mother cared for her students, both as an educator and outside of the classroom. I realized very early just how important it is to have an adult in your corner, and for many kids that adult is often a teacher,” said Common. “I’m proud to support AdoptAClassroom.org and their partnership with Burlington to help provide classroom supplies to teachers and students in need.”
The coat factory is also throwing a hat in the cause. Pun intended. Don’t think I don’t see you rolling your eyes. Y’all love my corny jokes.
Anyway back on topic. Burlington is pushing their down-coat loving customers to donate at least a $1 to AdoptAClassroom.org to ease teachers pocketbook burdens by running the campaign in all 599 stores across the country.
The Save Our School Supplies (SOSS) drive will run through August 19, 2017. All the money raised will be doled out to teachers this fall where nearby Burlington stores exist.
So get to shopping guys, so teachers can shop less.
How else would you explain Kendrick Lamar’s obsession with giving away cars?
Most recently thefive time Grammy-winning rapper surprised super fan Jennifer Phillips with a wheelchair-accessible van during a tour stop in Texas on Friday.
The Dallas native—who has gone to every Kendrick Lamar show in the Big D—started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the van.
Kendrick Lamar and his Top Dawg Entertainment record label must have caught wind of the quadriplegic’s wish because she was was whisked backstage to meet the Humble rapper, and given a handwritten thank you tee.
Last but not least Kendrick gave her the money for the van.
Now that’s an unforgettable night. Jen will be a K.L. stan for life behind this.
She’s even plotting the next Kendrick concert.
“Next time I’m driving myself to your show,” Phillips wrote on Instagram.
Fair warning, it likely won’t be a V-class Mercedes Benz type whip.
So please, please, please don’t give this really good dude flak for that like when he bought his lil sis a Toyota Camry for her high school graduation.
I’d rather a Camry (nice ride, BTW) than a bus pass. That’s all I’m sayin’.
And I’m sure Jen, who injured her spinal cord in a car accident in 2007, is appreciative of the comfortable ride.
Minute Maid better watch their back, ’cause Mikaila Ulmer is coming through with her Me & The Bees lemonade, and she’s got some major backup.
From heavy hitters.
The Houston Chronicle reports current NFL players—Arian Foster, Glover Quin, Duane Brown, Jonathan Grimes, Omar Bolden, Bobby Wagner, Darius Slay, Sharrick McManis, EJ Manuel and Malick Jackson—banded together to invest $810K into Mikaila’s lemonade stand-turned-grown-woman biz. (Me and The Bees lemonade is on Whole Food shelves, y’all)
“She’s so humble,” Foster told the Houston Chronicle. “You always have to be open and willing to learn, and she is. I’m learning from her, too. It’s a cycle. You have to keep an open mind and continue to grow.”
“Of course, any time you invest in anything you look at if it’s going to be profitable,” Foster said. “We look for companies that match our main focus of developing a good product, but are also good people and do it for the right reasons. It’s more than about money to us. We believe that investing in small black businesses is extremely important.
The beverage tween and Austin native, met Arian Foster and Glover Quin at “Been Brilliant Entrepreneur Day” at Holthouse Boys & Girls Club in Houston Thursday.
“It’s awesome that I get to work with and around these two,” Ulmer said while sitting next to Foster and Quin, according to the Houston Chronicle. “They’re very smart. I learned a lot from them in the past couple of hours. I’m very happy that I’m able to work with them and they invested in my company and them helping us and mentoring us and believing in our mission. I think we have a better chance of achieving our goals. That keeps me pumped and excited every day.”
Mikaila, who also charmed $60,000 out of those temperamental sharks on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” using her great-grandmother’s recipe of flaxseed sweetened with honey.
What really makes Mikaila our queen bee is her donating a portion of profits to preserve honey bee colonies.
