{Throwback Thursday} Jill Scott and the Blues Babe Foundation!

In a city where in 2007 a “Stop Snitching” campaign made headlines and violence was rampant caused the then city mayor to hold a rally in the streets, where the high school drop out rate is hovering around 53% and crime and violence is ever-present a rose has bloomed from the concrete in the heart of North Philly. The brainchild of Grammy-award winning singer, author and poet Jill Scott is the Blues Babe Foundation. Founded in 2003 originally as a scholarship granting organization; “We wanted to fill the gap and assist students who had the grades to go to college, yet needed the money,” says Executive Director, Aisha Winfield. But since inception the Blues Babe has truly taking on the ultimate goal of founder Jill Scott who says she started Blues Babe to tell kids and youth that you can come from this neighborhood and still do extraordinary things. A native of North Philly where the Blues Babe offices reside, it was important to Jill to make sure that the community was invest in making sure Philly looked good, so the foundation has created the Clean up Your Neighborhood Program. Other programs include Music in the Classroom- where Blues Babe teams up with organizations to help provide music in Philadelphia schools and College Bound, a free and exciting series of college prep workshops for high school students and parents. Perhaps it’s largest program, Camp Jill Scott for kids ages 9-12, is a free one-week day camp operated on 10 acres of outdoor bliss at Cherokee Day Camp. Students are provided with transportation from community centers around the city. “Camp Jill Scott, always has a waiting list, so we are looking into ways to partner with organizations and expand the camp for more kids to attend,” says Winfield.

Blues Babe Foundation Presents Camp Jill Scott from Jon Kaufman on Vimeo.

Realizing the negative media about young people, Jill wanted the foundation to focus on collectively empowering teens in the community. As a yearly staple at Camp Jill Scott you will find Teen counselors, in essence the foundation has also created a way to combat the unemployment rate of black teens, yet another way to “Give Back.”

I had to ask for our faithful readers how one can get involved with the Blues Babe Foundation and while the foundation is only in Philadelphia at this time, expansion may be on the horizon. The foundation is always accepting proposals for collaboration on events and programs, additionally everyone can participate in the Blues Babe Foundation Do or Donate http://vimeo.com/26776617 campaign. If you have the money, make a donation to help further this cause, but your time is just as valuable by taking a short survey, you can assist the foundation in creating further programming.

Round of applause to Miss Jill Scott, the Blues Babe Foundation staff and volunteers on dawning a new day in North Philly with a program for everyone, that is touching the lives of many.

For more information on the Blues Babe Foundation visit bluesbabefoundation.org.