Category: Model Celebs

Oprah, Beyoncé,and More Celebs Help Raise Over $44 Million for Hurricane Relief

Talk about using star power to make a difference! A multitude of celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Stephen Colbert, and so many more came together last night (Sept. 12) to raise money for hurricane relief.

With Hurricanes Harvey and Irma both having massive devastation to not only parts of America but also in the Caribbean as well, relief efforts have sprouted all over to work towards rebuilding. A lot of big names came out for the Hand In Hand telethon, helping to raise over $44 MILLION for those affected by the hurricanes!

Throughout the night, celebs like Justin Bieber, Kerry Washington, Jamie Foxx, Reese Witherspoon, Dwayne Johnson, and so many more hit the phones and the TV screen to encourage people to donate to the cause. Stevie Wonder, Usher, and Blake Shelton, among others, also performed at the hour-long event.

Watch behind the scenes action below!

 

In addition to others, it was shared during the event that big names and companies had made pretty big donations to help. Apple donated $5 million, Albertsons Cos. and Merck each gave $1 million, and the NBA Players Association, which already donated $500,000, also stated that they would match any professional basketball player’s donation up to $20,000. All proceeds are going directly to charities directly working towards this hurricane relief including the Rebuild Texas Fund, ASPCA, Best Friends, Direct Relief, Feeding Texas, Feeding Florida, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, and United Way.

Amazed at all of the good that was done in just one hour! Of course, this doesn’t erase the damage and the loss that so many have endured in this terrible time, but hopefully it gives them hope and encouragement, as well as a starting place for rebuilding. My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to those affected.

 

Words of Wisdom: “You Have to Jump”-Steve Harvey

This video from Steve Harvey last year is one that I continually watch, if I’m honest. His impromptu speech during a break at Family Feud encouraged others to take a risk and jump into their life’s purpose. The viral video even spawned a new book and initiative for Steve, helping people to get to their next level of success.

Watch below!

Every now and then, I pull this one up, because, more and more, I’m starting to feel like this is my life. I’ll be honest. Every day that passes, I’m beginning to realize what my true jump is, what I really have to do to be fulfilled in life. But I’m SCARED TO DEATH. I take calculated risks, risks that I can control. Which I guess isn’t a real risk at all.

But the only way that you can really soar is to jump. I recorded a video last week on Snapchat about doing what you’re really passionate about, and not just going to a job every day that you don’t care about. Working for the weekend is not living! That’s existing.

Jumping into your destiny, once you’ve discovered what it is, is jumping into the unknown. Like Steve said, your parachute won’t open all the way when you first take the jump. You probably will hit some bumps along the way, get some cuts and bruises. “But eventually, the parachute has to open,” Steve said. That’s a promise. Another promise, though? If you never jump, your parachute will never open and you’ll never know what you could’ve accomplished or who you could’ve been. 

So I’m on the fence right now, or at the edge of the plane looking down, if you will. I’m scared to death of the unknown, but it’s about that time I make my jump.

Are you or have you jumped into your purpose, leaving behind the mundane? What encouragement would you give others like me struggling to make the jump?  

Words of Wisdom: “Become a Student of The Game”-Dwayne Johnson

I LOVE Super Soul Sunday and Oprah’s Master Class on OWN! Hearing about and learning from other people’s experiences (from actors and artists to writers and preachers) has been so inspiring and uplifting. I definitely encourage you guys, if you have that network, to watch, or even check out clips on YouTube!

I just watched Dwayne Johnson‘s Master Class episode this week, and there were so many great gems. The one that hit home the hardest for me was becoming a student of the game, aka whatever field that you’re in or want to be in. For Dwayne, as he moved from being one of the biggest names in wrestling, it was acting. And he studied it all, from producing to directing to marketing, all so that he could be an even more valuable asset outside of just the acting piece. “Know your business,” Dwayne advised. 

Watch below!

Having your own site, business, whatever, requires you know a lot more that just the bare minumum, especially in the beginning with no money to take other people on. For me, running this site requires I’m not only a great writer, but that I know social media, search engine optimization, marketing, video and graphics, monetizing, and more. I’m always reading from other bloggers on how to make this site better, and continue to learn. That’s what you have to do in order to succeed, and then actually implement what you learn!

The same goes for you! No matter what you want to do, you have to KNOW YOUR BUSINESS. You have to learn as much as you can in order to continue to grow, and keep learning! Things change, and processes become outdated. It’s your job to stay on top of it all. So commit to being a student of the game, whatever game it is that you’re playing!  

Kevin Hart Challenges Beyoncé, Dwayne Johnson and More to Donate Towards Harvey Relief

As we all know, the city of Houston and surrounding areas have been hit heavy by Hurricane Harvey. The catastrophic flooding has left at least ten dead, and thousands displaced from their homes. Seeing the footage has been heartbreaking and I continue to keep everyone affected in my thoughts and prayers.

Kevin Hart decided to step up and create a relief fund of his own for the victims,  and challenged different celebs like Beyoncé, Dwayne Johnson, Steve Harvey, and others to donate too.

“I think we’ve participated in a lot of challenges on the internet. Some meaningful, some meaningless, but we’ve all done them. At this point, I’m going to start a real challenge.”

Watch Kevin’s video below!

Kevin has already committed to donating $50,000, and raised closed to $200K since starting the fund yesterday. You can donate at the link below!

Other celebrities are using their platforms to help as well, like the Houston Texans’ own JJ Watt, who’s raised almost $1.5 MILLION dollars through YouCaring. Many have donated, but others in the surrounding areas have even taking their boats out to Houston to help rescue people! That’s what it’s all about, helping each other when we’re in need. Since, yet again, it seems like the government couldn’t care less…but I digress.

Kudos to Kevin, JJ, and everyone else getting involved! Continue to pray for and help these people hit by this storm in any way you can.

 

 

Common Will Host Imagine Justice Concert to Advocate for Criminal Justice Reform

Common is hosting a star-studded community concert in Sacramento to advocate for criminal justice reform!

The concert, called Imagine Justice, will be held on August 21 and will feature performances from J. Cole, Goapele, Los Rakas, Syncopated Ladies,  and Common himself! Van Jones, DeVon Franklin and Bryonn Bain are also set to speak.Imagine Justice is a free concert for the community, with over 30,000 people registered to attend!  It sounds like it’s going to be an amazing time, and will also continue to spark discussion and action towards criminal justice.

The day after, Common will join several organizations in the State Capitol to meet with the governor, caucuses, and other legislators to discuss upcoming bills. Then he’s going to head to Folsom State Prison to perform for the men there, along with Goapele and Mike Epps. So he’s definitely busy trying, and has been for quite some time, to evoke changes specifically when it comes to mass incarceration and reform bills.

The criminal justice system in America is definitely broken, and events like this continue the dialogue and education that need to happen. It’s awesome that Common uses his platform to speak out on criminal and social justice and is making change across this country!

 

%d bloggers like this: