Text by Niesha Miller. Portraits by Gomillion & Leupold. With a financially imperiled school district and funding for after-school programs being cut, finding a learning sanctuary for a young Philadelphia student can be difficult. Jill Scott, the Grammy Award-winning artist who has starred in movies and on television shows, knows how difficult it can be. She grew up here, surrounded by the poverty and drug dealing of North Philadelphia. She went to school in the city, graduating from Girl’s High School, and thrived because of the support that she found along the way. When she found out that her former sanctuary, the Cecil B. Moore Recreation Center at 22nd and Lehigh, was slated to close, she stepped in. “It’s where I played safely,” Scott remembers. “It’s where I learned to swim and not drown, where I did my first fashion show and my first talent show.” She lip-synced “Kiss,” the classic track by Prince while sporting a pink shirt and pink paisley jeans. “I played the air guitar and I tore the house down,” Scott recalls. Jill Scott keeps it local from Sarah Hoye on Vimeo. But by the mid-2000s, not long after Scott’s debut album went double platinum, the building needed a new roof. The basketball court and the pool needed to be repaired. Rather than fix the problems, the city was going to shutter the center. So Scott donated money, saving the facility
As posted on www.blackcelebritygiving.com on October 20th, 2011: 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
The Jill Scott Summer Block Party has already hit a few cities with incredible live music and a good time! Representatives from the Blues Babe Foundation distributed information and enjoyed spreading the word about the foundation with concert goers in New York on July 28th. If you are attending the block party be sure to stop by the information tables for the foundation at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ and Verizon Center in Washington, DC.
You are invited to: The Blues Babe Foundation re-launches their website "BLUESBABEFOUNDATION.ORG" August 5th, 2011 6:00pm - 8:00pm Blues Babe Foundation 2233 N. Broad St. 1st. Floor Philadelphia, 19132 Click here to RSVP. Join the brainchild of Jill Scott, the Blues Babe Foundation, for the re-launch of their website, BluesBabeFoundation.org. Let it be your online destination for all information regarding Blues Babe, from volunteer opportunities, Indigo Clothing, Camp Jill Scott, to making a donation. Enjoy an evening of networking, refreshments, and music, as we celebrate the site at Blues Babe Foundation's headquarters located in the heart of North Philly! The series of webisodes directed by Promo EST and produced by Aswad Creative will be shown at the event. Share this event on Facebook and Twitter We hope you can make it! Thank you, Blues Babe Foundation & Promo EST.
One Comcast Center 1701 JFK Boulevard Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 215 564 - 1288 Cheltenham Mall 2385 Cheltenham Avenue Philadelphia, Pa. 19150 215 885 - 1200 http://omegaoptical.net/ The Month of July's... Cocktails for a Cause! Take a break from your hectic schedule to relax at a social event with an exceptional community of dynamic professionals at Cocktails for a Cause. This month we are partnering with Omega Optical to support The Blues Babes Foundation - http://bluesbabefoundation.org/programs/camp-jill-scott/ The brainchild of Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter and poet Jill Scott, the Blues Babe Foundation was formed for the purpose of nurturing college-bound students of color, artistically and academically.” Additional information about this organization can be found at bluesbabefoundation.org Join us at our event and help us build the momentum as we endeavor to positively impact Philadelphia nonprofits. Cocktails for a Cause is hosted by a unique collaboration of individuals from the social, business and nonprofit sectors committed to utilizing... our time, talents and resources to heighten public awareness and raise funds for many Philadelphia nonprofits. The host committee for this event includes: Tumar Alexander, Lamont Brown, Monica L. Burch, William Carter, Esq., Kristen Hart, Raheem Islam, Loree Jones, Dr. Keith Leaphart, Roman McDonald, Joe Meade and Alisesha Vaughn. Guests who RSVP and make a DONATION will receive a Complimentary Appetizers and Drink Specials!!! Who: Omega Optical & Friends When: Friday, July 15th,
Pre-order tickets are now available for select shows for Jill Scott Summer Block Party Tour. A portion of the proceeds from each ticket sold goes to support the Blues Babe Foundation. Click here to get yours!
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