Never one to turn a blind eye to a worthy cause. Magic worked his by opening his wallet and pulling out a whopping $10 milly to get at risk Chiraq youth summer work.

Through the Hall-of-Famer’s City Youth Empowerment org, he’s agreed to gift the windy city the massive check to widen the scope of the “One Summer Chicago Plus” and offering 5,000 jobs to kids vulnerable to committing crime.

The two-year program is for 16-to-19 year old’s that are or have been in the juvie system or missed more than six weeks of school. Eligible youth will be placed in a 25-hour a week summer job, become a mentee and enter “cognitive behavioral therapy and social skills building.”

The cause sparked Magic’s interest when studies showed that disadvantaged youth’s chances of committing crime were cut in half when they were in the program. Even 16 months after the two-month jobs ended the statistics remained the same.

Magic told The Sun Times this about his generosity:

Providing disadvantaged kids with alternatives is a step in the right direction toward helping them reach their full potential and curb violence in our neighborhoods.

The paper reports that 1,000 teens were hired and counseled last year. Thanks to Magic it will be 2,000 this year and 3,000 next year.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel thanked Johnson for filling the void the federal govt left–they withdrew from funding summer jobs for youth–with his donation to the city.

“Through this generous grant, more youth will stay safe, active and engaged this summer while getting the skills and on-the-job training necessary for a bright future,” the mayor was quoted as saying.

Anything we can do to turn Chiraq back to Chicago is a plus in my book.