2014 was full of good deeds from some our favorite celebrities and of course, we love that! Here is our top ten (well 11 we just couldn’t narrow it down to 10) list of celebrity giving acts for 2014, let us know which one was your favorite and be sure to share the list with your friend and family. Happy New Years Good People!
Young Jeezy
We loved to Jeezy show the world that indeed #GivingIsGood when back in September Jezzy and his Street Dreamz Foundation donated to the real estate company Jay Morrison Academy. With the help of Young Jeezy, students interested in having a successful real estate career will be awarded a free scholarship at the academy including two bi-weekly mentorship calls with real estate agent Jay Morrison, four lessons on “How to Become a Real Estate Investor,”virtual protege lessons, a Jay Morrison Academy textbook and more. Jeezy said he hoped the donation would help young people develop a lifelong career and that this is what life is about, giving back! We couldn’t agree more, thank you Jeezy!
Nicki Minaj and John Wall
Back in March Nicki Minaj and John Wall made us all smile big when Nicki made the wishes of five year old with Stage 3B Burkitt’s Lymphoma, come true. Her biggest wish was to meet Nicki Minaj and she did, plus she got her very own pink wig from her favorite celebrity. The effort was kicked off by NBA Slam Dunk Champion John Wall who recorded a video asking Nicki Minaj to make Miyah’s wish come true. The video went viral on social media and Nicki took notice, tweeting we’ll see what we can do. Miyah and her mom traveled by train to hang out with Nicki and they defiantly flicked it up for Instagram, making sure that little Miyah will have this memory for ever. Kudos to John Wall and Nicki Minaj on making her wishes come true and she looks so cute in her pink wig! Sadly in earlier this month, little Miyah lost her battle to lymphoma, may this little angel forever rest in peace.
Kanye West and Common
And you say Chi-city?! We’re giving two thumbs up to two amazing Chicago rappers – Kanye West and Common who joined forces to give back to the city that raised them by providing 15,000 jobs for the young people of Chicago over the next 5 years.
“Obviously, one of the biggest reasons our kids are going through what they’re going through is because of poverty. I was doing an event in the neighborhood and there were some kids from Englewood and I said, ‘Man, what do y’all really need? What’s gonna stop this?’ And they were like, ‘we need money. Man, if we could work.’ They want a chance,” Common said. The Common Ground Foundation, Kanye’s charity, Donda’s House Inc. and the Chicago Urban League in an initiative to supply employment opportunities to the community, known as The Chicago Youth Jobs Collaborative. For it’s first summer an estimated 3,000 youth had a job! Can we take a moment to salute these two, way to go!
Beyonce
All hail Queen B and how she gives back! Beyonce gave $7 million to help grow the Knowles-Temenos Place Apartments in her hometown of Houston. Originally launched in 2007 in response to the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Knowles-Temenos Place Apartments houses men and women who otherwise would likely be homeless. The facility supports its residents by providing meals, job readiness training, HIV/AIDS screenings and case management services, with an overall goal for residents to reach full self-sufficiency. And it was well needed, a 2014 Houston Homeless Count showed that on a given night about 5,351 people in the city were living without stable shelter. And let us also add that while on tour with husband/rap mogul Jay-Z, the power couple donated a portion of the proceeds for the “On the Run Tour,” to the Shawn Carter Foundation – to provide scholarships for students.
Drake
And they don’t have no awards for that! In April, Drake voyaged to Houston ins hopes of making the wish of 15 year old, Kennedy Brown a young girl in a serious battle with cancer. Her story touched thousands including her high school pals who threw her a ‘high school in a day’ experience, crowned her prom queen and congratulated her in a private graduation ceremony. The students, created a hashtag ‘drakeforken,’ within hours of the story airing on local Houston new affiliate KTRK, it went viral, trending in Houston and other US cities, Twitter lit up with #drakeforken. Sadly Kennedy passed away just three months later in July, how amazing is it that one of her dying wishes was fulfilled- rest in peace Kennedy. Thank you Drake!
Alicia Keys
In September Alicia Keys kicked off the #WeAreHere movement to channel her music and her fans to social justice causes, from stricter gun laws to criminal justice reform, from gay rights to global girls’ education. Keys donated $1 million of her own money to 12 causes including: All Out, a gay rights organization; CARE, the aid group; Equal Justice Initiative, which combats racial inequity in the criminal justice system; the Future Project, which empowers high school students in America; Girl Rising, which supports girls’ education around the world; Keep a Child Alive, which helps children affected by H.I.V. and AIDS; the Trevor Project, which prevents suicide among gay and lesbian youths; the Trayvon Martin Foundation, which fights racial profiling; and War Child, which supports children in conflict areas.
Jason Brown
Once a $37 million center, Jason Brown gave up NFL for farming and made us swoon when he donated his first harvest to people and need, but it gets better as Brown has pledged that all of his farm’s harvest will go to feed the hungry throughout North Carolina.Jason had never done it before. He learned by watching YouTube videos and asking other farmers for tips – Really, good people. Food pantries and shelters in Durham, Wake Forest, Oxford, Warrenton, Granville County, Knightdale, Garner, Raleigh and Henderson received the reaps of the first crop and will continue to for as long as Jason runs the farm. He will literally feed thousands of people, fresh farm vegetables, fruit and even dairy products for years to come. How amazing is that, way to go Jason, we thank you!
Black Lives Matter!
Perhaps one of my favorite acts of the year were the celebrities who joined in the Black Lives Matter movement. In August we lost Mike Brown, it started there with supporters from Nelly to Russell Simmons and many more sparking a conversation about race in this country and sharing the notion that our lives matter. It took two grand jury decisions both in the case of Brown and most recently the case of Eric Garner for mass protests and marches nationwide to breakout in support of our lives. We just want to take a moment to thank all of the celebrities who used their platform to spread the message. We can’t list everyone but know you are in our hearts. Thanks to Nas, Lebron James, Russell Simmons, The Game, Usher, Solange, Derrick Rose and many, many more!
President Barack Obama
In February President Barack Obama launched a new initiative to provide greater opportunities for young black and Hispanic men. The initiative is called “My Brother’s Keeper, through this initiative the White House is partnering with businesses, nonprofits and foundations to address disparities in education, criminal justice and employment. ‘Let the Church Say Amen.’ The initiative includes a $200 million commitment from foundations and the help of business leaders and celebrities.
“By almost every measure, the group that is facing some of the most severe challenges in the 21st century, in this country, are boys and young men of color,” said the President at the initial press conference. Groups have invested $150 million in the program, according to the White House, and have pledged to invest another $200 million over the next five years. Obama signed an order to establish the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, which will determine best practices both inside and outside government to address the challenges faced by young minority men.
Keke Palmer
Boundaries were broken as Keke Palmer starred on broadway as the first black Cinderella; but what we love most is Keke’s constant commitment to giving back! From joining with to encourage girls to explore careers and other opportunities in STEM with DoSomething.org to doing her part to make sure that girls authentically love themselves. In November she joined forces with BCG friend Saving Our Daughters to “Save Our Cinderella’s”. Palmer hosted a talk session with girls of New York’s Boys & Girls Clubs to focus on overcoming self-esteem challenges including bullying. The program also emphasized strong self-esteem and aim to empower girls to save themselves and become influential ‘princesses.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant continues to be “The Real MVP” in our eyes when it comes to giving back. Kevin’s giving runs deep from donating millions last year to the OKC tornado relief, to getting Nike to donate over $1 million worth of products to kids in need, Kevin makes giving a serious priority. This year his family launched The Durant Family Foundation which helped over 10,000 families over the holidays with everything from thanksgiving dinners to complete Christmas! In March he joined forces with Strong and KInd to encourage 1 million people to take the pledge to be both strong and kind. KIND donated $1 million to the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation which Kevin is using to create specialized education and after-school programming for at-risk youth. Aside from his work with Strong and Kind pledge, he has deeply rooted ties to the DMV area and is laser focused on giving back to his hometown. Over the summer, he returned to his hometown in Seat Pleasant, Maryland to present $150,000 donations to three youth programs including: the Seat Pleasant Activity Center, Community Kinship Coalition and the Maryland Jaguars Youth Organization.
Honorable Mention!
Mo’ne Davis and Lupita Nyong’o
Although these two moments don’t actually continue giving back, we have to say they gave us and young girls everywhere hope and for that we must mention Mo’ne Davis and Lupita Nyong’o. Over the summer Mo’ne Davis and her sports skills made her explode as an overnight sensation. She made the cover of Sports Illustrated – the youngest black female to do so, she inspired young athletes everywhere.
2014 was no doubt the year of Lupita, but these words rang bells and lit our hearts! “When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.” As we go into 2015 BCG friends let us never forget that our dreams are valid and we must continue to work towards them!
Let’s just say it was a beautiful year of giving, this is just a tip of all the wonderful acts of good that took place, especially the giving that happens in everyday communities. To everyone who commits their time and their lives to living for someone other than just themselves, we say thank you. As 2014 comes to a close, we want to wish all of our supporters a very Happy New Year – we hope your 2015 will be prosperous and blessed. Thank you so much for your support of BCG throughout the year, we look forward to doing and covering more good in 2015!
