50 Cent Does A GREAT Deed!!!
Opinionated rapper, 50 Cent put himself aside for an EXCELLENT cause on Sunday. 50 Cent, his G-Unity Foundation, and DKMS Americas hosted a bone marrow donor drive for Shannon Tavarez. For those of you who haven’t heard of Shannon, she is an 11 year old actress, who played “Nala” in The Lion King on Broadway, who was recently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
50′s drive was held at the Curtis Jackson Community Garden (Jamaica, Queens, NY) and had an overwhelming turnout of 4,000 donors. Check out the video that 50 sent out last week of he and Tony Yayo getting swabbed as possible matches, & to get the word out about Shannon:
GetSwabbed.org
Shannon will undergo major surgery next week-according to the NY Daily News, that may possibly save her life. They will be using umbilical cord blood from a not so 100% donor match. The reason finding a donor is so hard is that Shannon is both African-American & Hispanic, and our two cultures don’t have a high donor registration rate.
Shannon’s mom (Odiney Brown) told NY Daily News:
“I’m just praying everything works,”
“She’s in good spirits. She’s singing and playing the piano, She can’t wait. She calls this her ‘new birthday.” (NY Daily News)
Great job! Finally, something I can get behind 50 Cent on. This made me smile, I love when people put themselves aside to help out those in need, especially young children. I have personal experience dealing with a sick child so this just shows that there are great people out there willing to help in any way possible.
Source: AllHipHop.com & NY Daily News
Aretha Franklin & Condi Rice Collabo
Yes, you read that right, the Queen of Soul & former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice performed together for a great cause.
Ricky Carioti-The Washington Post
Aretha Franklin called on Condoleezza to play piano alongside her during her performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra-in Philadelphia of course. The concert was a gala benefit to raise money for the Mann Center (summer home for the Philadelphia Orchestra) & arts education.
Matt Rourke-AP
Many people may not know this, but Condi has always had a passion for music, and has been a pianist since a young child. She has played with the Denver Symphony, as well as, with the Chamber Music Group [Washington]. She has played for the likes of; Yo-Yo Ma, Queen Elizabeth II, and even embassy events! According to Wiki, her favorite band is Led Zepplin–WOW!!!
Matt Rourke-AP
Aretha Franklin needs no background information, we know she is the QUEEN, and we also know she tore down the house at that benefit gala-which may I add was able to raise over $500,000!!! R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Also featured on stage with Ms. Franklin was another R&B/Soul legend, Ron Isley.
Jeff Fusco-Getty Images
For the audience of about 8,000, the “classics” of the evening were Franklin’s own, from “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” and “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman,” through a foray into what Franklin calls “chu’ch.” Isley and Franklin also did a duet of “The Way We Were,” including asides about their shared musical past in the 1960s.-The Washington Post
Cover Page Photo Credit: Ricky Carioti-The Washington Post Read More
