Bruno Mars has announced a massive donation to help those affected by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
The singer announced that he will be donating $1 million to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint during his sold-out concert in Detroit on Saturday.
“I’m very thankful to the Michigan audience for joining me in supporting this cause,” he said in a statement after making the announcement. “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.”
The city of Flint faces on-going problems after 100,000 residents were exposed to drinking water tainted with high levels of lead in 2014.
Britney Spears announced last week that she will donate $1 from every ticket sold during her Las Vegas residency to help restore schools in Louisiana after the devastating floods of 2016.
Funds will go to the Louisiana School Boards Association’s Fund for Restoring Schools.
“I am so proud to be able to give back to my home state and help the Louisiana School Boards Association,” Spears said in a news release. “I can’t wait to see all my amazing fans when I return to Vegas for my last run of shows this year!”
“We’re excited and appreciative of being able to work with both to raise dollars to assist our local school districts that have been negatively impacted by the floods,” said Scott Richard, executive director of the Louisiana School Boards Association. “The LSBA is humbled by the generosity of the many donors for this effort, and, we’re especially excited about the opportunity to partner with the first lady of Louisiana and Britney Spears.”
The LSBA plans to make its first distribution of funds in the coming weeks.
Spears’ four-year Vegas residency will end in December.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2017 Voice Awards program will recognize television and film writers and producers along with community leaders for outstanding efforts to raise awareness and understanding of mental illnesses and/or addictions.
The 12th annual Voice Awards, highlighting the theme Honoring Those Who Serve: Hope, Resilience, and Recovery, will spotlight efforts that provide hope and support to past and present military service members and their families who have faced mental health and addiction challenges. This year’s event will be held on August 16, 2017, at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles.
The Voice Awards will be hosted by celebrity chef Robert Irvine, who has been an ardent supporter of issues affecting military personnel and their families through the Robert Irvine Foundation. With more than 27 years in the culinary field, chef Irvine has cooked his way throughout the world in restaurants, hotels and on the high seas. As the host of Restaurant: Impossible, he saved struggling restaurants across America by assessing a restaurant’s weak spots and helping owners and managers overhaul them. He has received special recognition for his commitment to the U.S. military when he was designated Honorary Chief Petty Officer by the U.S. Navy; in 2015, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society bestowed upon him the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment and Support of Our Service Members.
In addition to honoring community-based consumer, peer, and family leaders who champion recovery from mental illness and/or addictions, the Voice Awards also will recognize writers and producers for their exemplary portrayals of military service members, their families, and the path to recovery. This year’s finalists include the feature films Captain Fantastic and Megan Leavey; documentaries Almost Sunrise, Iron Will, and The S Word; and television shows Chris Gethard: Career Suicide (HBO), Jane the Virgin (CW), One Day at a Time (Netflix), The Warfighters (History Channel), and This Is Us (NBC).
Aug 15, 2017 07:30 am
The 16th Annual ADAPT Community Network Golf Tournament will be held at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, New York on Monday, September 25th, 2017.
Mr. G to Host The 16th Annual ADAPT Community Network Golf Tournament
This annual tournament attracts over 250 golfers for a uniquely enjoyable day of golf and entertainment in support of ADAPT Community Network. All proceeds from the event fund the delivery of life-affirming programs and services to children and adults with disabilities and their families.
The golf tournament will be hosted by Mr. G, four-time Emmy award winning meteorologist, WPIX 11 News.
“Mr. G has been dedicated to helping ADAPT raise awareness about the many programs and services we offer for many years,” says Edward R. Matthews, CEO, ADAPT Community Network.
For the second consecutive year, the event will include a presentation of the ADAPTCommunity Network Corporate Champion Award, which will be presented to one of ADAPT’s generous supporters, Mark Senders, Principal at Pilot RB, which will also sponsor this year’s tournament. This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate the power to inspire and lead as role models for people with and without disabilities.
After working as an attorney for a life insurance company, Mark Senders joined the predecessor of Pilot RB in 1978. Family owned and operated for over 50 years, Mark and his family helped transform the business from one that dealt primarily with individuals to one that focused on helping organizations in designing, implementing and servicing benefit programs for their employees. Mark and the team at Pilot RB represent many not-for-profit and commercial organizations in the New York metropolitan area. Mark has been involved with and supported ADAPT Community Network for many years. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania law School and the Wharton School of Business, Mark has been in the Employee Benefits business for more than 35 years.
The 16th Annual ADAPT Community Network Golf Tournament is presented by the Carmel family.
Tournament Schedule
9:00 am: Player Registration & Breakfast Served
10:30 am: Shotgun Start
4:00 pm: Cocktails Begin
5:00 pm: Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres, Award Ceremony & Raffle
7:00 pm: Event Ends
Irv Gikofsky, also known as Mr. G, has been delivering forecasts on New York television for almost 40 years.
New York’s most popular TV weatherman, Mr. G, began his career as a school teacher at Albert Einstein Intermediate School in The Bronx. While a teacher, he created New York City school system’s first computerized weather program for use by children and their teachers. After teaching in public school for a decade, Mr. G was recruited right out of the classroom to become a TV weatherman at New York’s WCBS-TV, Channel 2 in 1977.
Mr. G joined WPIX as the weekday weatherman in 1993 where he has won four Emmy Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award. In 2008, Mike Wallace presented the Friar’s Club Life Time Achievement Award to Mr. G. In addition, PIX News at Ten has been named Best Newscast by numerous prestigious outlets including the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association and the New York Press Club
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An ardent supporter of education, Mr. G is very involved in working with students. He has visited over 500 schools, especially in lower income school districts, speaking to students about the importance of education.
Since its inception, he has participated in New York City’s “Principal for a Day” program, declaring that day “homework and test free” and always gets a standing ovation! In addition, June 30, 1993 was proclaimed “Mr. G day” in the Bronx for his motivational work with children.
Mr. G continues his series of lectures as “Professional in Residence” at his alma mater Hofstra University where he speaks on radio and television broadcasting. Mr. G was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens where he attended P.S. 201 and J.H.S. 218. He graduated from Francis Lewis High School and went on to Hofstra University where he earned a BA degree in History. He received a MA degree in Secondary Education from Hofstra and pursued doctoral studies at Yeshiva University.
When his is not forecasting or involved in charitable endeavors, Mr. G can often be seen running in Central Park, and has run New York City Marathons many times. He has run over 60,000 miles or three times around the planet.
ADAPT Community Network (formerly UCP of NYC) is the leading not-for-profit agency and a pioneer in providing programs and services that improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. For over 70 years, ADAPT Community Network has created a more inclusive world for New York City children and adults with a variety of challenges. ADAPT Community Network’s breadth of over 100 comprehensive programs include education, health, technology, residential, and recreational services for thousands of individuals and families annually. Their programs are delivered by thousands of trained and dedicated staff, including a number of employees who have disabilities themselves.
Aug 15, 2017 06:00 am
Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ), established in early 2009, is a fundraising effort founded by Paul Haggis and friends that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty and enfranchisement in communities around the world. Over the past year, APJ has directed its efforts to raising enough funds to fully sponsor three schools in Haiti in support of the initiatives of Father Rick Frechette and his team. These schools aren’t just a place to learn but provide for a hot meal, clean water and a chance at the future to children who desperately need it. Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, APJ has focused its efforts on raising much needed funds for emergency relief efforts in the ravaged country that is only a few hours from our shores.
How you can help
Donations can be made directly to the APJ website with 100 percent of the funds raised going directly to Haiti. Artists for Peace and Justice remains steadfast in its determination to send every penny to those who need it. The organization has already begun the process of re-building 50 street schools in the slums of Port-au-Prince. The schools provide clean drinking water, hot meals and an education to the children of Haiti.
