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Source: Kanye West Purchases Second City In Wyoming To Bring Yeezy Production / Kanye West Purchases Second City In Wyoming To Bring Yeezy Production To The US
The adidas/Yeezy quagmire has finally found a solution. The three-stripe brand has finally decided it will sell it’s $1.3 billion worth of Yeezy apparel that it recalled after Yeezus went on an antisemitic crusade a few months back.
According to Hypebeast, adidas and Kanye West have come to an agreement to sell all the sneakers and apparel that adidas recalled from the shelves of sneaker stores across the board. And to avoid any kind of backlash from the decision, adidas will donate all the money they get to charity. Kanye, meanwhile will keep the 15% commission he’s entitled from every sale made from the Yeezy line (of course he will).
After months of speculation of what adidas would do with the remaining pairs of Yeezy sneakers it had in storage, rumors had began swirling that they’d do everything from give them away to incinerate them, to quietly move them on resale websites to make their money back and then some. But now we’ve finally gotten a concrete answer. They’ll just basically sell them for charity.
Hypebeast reports:
At the time of writing, it’s still unclear how much stock will be released to the market, what exact models and colorways will be launched and how it will drop (CONFRIMED App, online stores or wholesale retailers) as well as how much of the proceeds will be donated. “What we are trying to do now over time is to sell some of this merchandise…burning the goods would not be a solution,” Bjørn Gulden, CEO of adidas commented. The sportswear imprint pondered about donating all of the sneakers but felt that it would lead to them reaching the market in a volatile way.
It’s still going to reach the secondary market either way, but the question is what kind of resale value Yeezy’s will carry given the nature of Kanye West’s “canceling” in pop culture. After Kanye West’s deal with adidas was voided a few months ago, many expected resale prices for his Yeezy line to skyrocket, as they weren’t going to be sold or produced anymore. They didn’t. They experienced a slight bump in resale value but nothing remotely close to say a pair of Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1’s.
Now that we’ll be getting whatever stock is left, who knows if resale prices will rise or plummet in the wake of the new selloff. Either way, some charity out there will be more than glad to accept whatever monetary donation they get from adidas. And we can’t be mad at that.
What do y’all think of adidas deciding to sell their Yeezy stock and giving a portion to charity? Let us know in the comments section below.
Prophets Over Profits, a Brooklyn-based art collective that raises funds and awareness for marginalized voices, will hold its sixth annual charity event on Saturday (April 1) at immersive Brooklyn venue ArtsDistrict Brooklyn.
Inspired by the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, D.C., the collective’s mission is to empower more femme-led experiences, inspire consistent activism and encourage financial transparency in fundraising. This year, Prophets over Profits is supporting Girls Write Now, an organization thatbreaks down barriers of gender, race, age and poverty to mentor and train the next generation of writers and leaders for life.
Themed “Ain’t Foolin’ Us,” this year’s event will feature bands and DJs including Lion Babe, Hot Honey Sundays, SUSU, Synead, Big Body Kweeng, Miss Sabado and Hannah Noelle performing at ArtsDistrictBrooklyn, formerly known as House of Vans. The sprawling venue will feature local vendors and music in the main hall, a skate yard next to the East River, and art for sale curated by local woman-owned gallery The Locker Room. Girls Write Now mentees will be sharing powerful poetry while local comedians Kate Robards and Glorelys Mora will be curating two comedy hours in the Gallery Space.
At the event, guests can taste delicious meals catered by Beck + Call with cocktails by Ilegal Mezcal, mocktails by Curious Elixirs and brewskis by Heineken Silver. Taxi cab app Curb is offering a $5 discount to guests.
Prophets Over Profits founder Dani “SLOWKEY” Slocki, an award-winning producer and founder of virtual space vSpace, each year chooses a new organization that aligns with the collective’s mission.
“I recently learned that less than 3% of authors in the US are women of color. If we want to change the #StatusBro we must change the narrative by directly investing in diverse narrators,” says Slocki. “That’s why we’re proud to raise funds and awareness for the Girls Write Now.”
“Most investors and funders are men, which is why the majority of funds invested or donated will continue to be into other male lead businesses and nonprofits unless we call out unconscious bias,” she adds. “I truly believe most people want to help but they would rather have a trusted voice guide them than do their own research. I’m here to be that trusted voice.”
For those who can’t attend, vSpace is debuting the ArtsDistrict virtual twin to host a re-broadcast of the show. No hardware or app download is required, allowing anyone, anywhere, on any device to attend. Visit popdonate.com to learn more.
Scenes from the 2022 Prophets Over Profits event.
Sasha B Photography
Dolly Parton is not only talented, but she’s also charitable.
As the coronavirus began to spread worldwide in April 2020, the icon donated $1 million to the disease’s research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Data released this week shows that Moderna’s vaccine is 94.5% effective against coronavirus, marking the second vaccine with a high success rate.
But her coronavirus efforts are hardly the first time Parton has used her success for good. Beyond her support for the Black and LGBTQ+ communities, plus generous donations to the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, Save the Music Foundation, the Boot Campaign and more, see below for a timeline of the country star’s biggest philanthropic efforts.
1988 – The Dollywood Foundation
Parton originally launched the organization in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, with the goal of decreasing high school drop out rates. She then started the Buddy Program, in which Parton gave $500 to every seventh and eighth grader who finished high school. According to the organization, the initiative was successful and the dropout rate declined from 35 percent to just 6 percent.
1989 – $500 scholarship
Parton offered a $500 scholarship to every student in Sevier County who wished to attend Hiwassee College.
1991 – Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at Dollywood
The 30,000-square-foot aviary managed by the American Eagle Foundation shelters the largest collection of “non-releasable” bald eagles. Parton’s efforts to preserve the bald eagle earned her the Partnership Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2003.
1995 – Imagination Library
The Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library began sending one book per month to each enrolled child in Sevier County from birth until their first year of school. The library was founded in honor of Parton’s father, who was unable to read.
2000 – The Dolly Parton Scholarship
Every year, the $15,000 college scholarship is offered to five high school seniors in Sevier County, Tennessee. According to the Dollywood Foundation, the scholarship is awarded to those who “have a dream they wish to pursue and who can successfully communicate their plan and commitment to realize their dreams.”
2007 – Benefit concert for new Sevier County hospital
The concert raised $500,000, and both Dollywood and Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner theater pledged $250,000 each to the project, for a total of $1 million. LeConte Medical Center, the new hospital and cancer center in Sevier County, opened in 2010 and features a 30,000-square-foot Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services.
2016 – Telethon after devastating East Tennessee wildfires
The Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit for the My People Fund, which aimed to help residents hit hardest in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, raised more than $13 million. Chris Stapleton, Chris Young, Kenny Rogers, Lauren Alaina, Alison Krauss, Reba McEntire, Cyndi Lauper and more appeared at the event.
2016 – My People Fund
To continue her wildfire relief efforts, Parton launched the My People Fund, which provided $1,000 a month for six months to families whose homes were completely destroyed amid the natural disaster. The fund also donated around $8.9 million to those in need. The initiative still helps residents pay for rent and utilities, plus food and mental health resources.
2016 – Special Merit Scholarship
Parton awarded a $30,000 scholarship to two-year-old Evey Johns in celebration of Imagination Library’s accomplishment of shipping out one million books per month.
2017 – $1 million donation
Following the release of her I Believe in You children’s album, Parton donated $1 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in honor of her niece, who was treated for leukemia at that hospital.
2020 – Coronavirus efforts
Parton donated $1 million to coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna’s vaccine is 94.5% effective against coronavirus, according to early data.
2021 – Middle Tennessee Flooding Relief
Parton and her Smoky Mountain businesses raised $700,000 to help residents impacted by the catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee in October 2021. Parton chose United Way of Humphreys County to receive and distribute the donation at the suggestion of her friend and fellow country music legend Loretta Lynn.
“After the Sevier County wildfires in 2016, Loretta was one of the first who reached out to offer anything she could,” Parton said in a statement at the time. “It meant so much to me that Loretta — and so many folks — were ready to give in any way they could. This was just one small way I could help Loretta’s people for all they did to help my people. I hope that this money can be put to good use to help the people of Middle Tennessee with what they need during their recovery.”
2022 – Dollywood Education Coverage
The Dollywood Co. announced in February 2022 that it will cover 100% of tuition, fees and books for any employee who is furthering their education.
The investment in employee education was made via Herschend Enterprises, Dollywood’s operating partner. The program is available to all seasonal, part-time and full-time employees at Dollywood Parks & Resorts. Herschuend’s GROW U. offers more than 100 fully funded diploma, degree and certificate programs with 30 learning partners in areas including business administration and leadership, culinary, finance, technology and marketing. The company also provides partial funding — up to $5,250 per year — for 150 additional programs in fields including hospitality, engineering, human resources and more. Employees can enroll in the program on their first day of employment.
2022 – Pediatric Infectious Disease Research Donation
Parton made yet another $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville in June 2022, this time aimed at helping pediatric infectious disease research.
The donation will aid Vanderbilt’s Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases to continue its effort in understanding how viruses and bacteria cause disease, understanding and preventing resistance to antibiotics, diagnosing and treating infections in children with cancer and more.
2022 – Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy
Parton received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022. The award, presented by the international family of Carnegie institutions to honor innovative philanthropists, debuted in 2001 and is normally awarded every two years. It was not issued in 2021 due to the pandemic.
If this whole rock and roll thing doesn’t work out Dave Grohl can definitely pivot to pit boss. The Foo Fighters singer/guitarist was at it again this week, putting in nearly a full day of meat smoking and grilling to help feed the homeless in Los Angeles.
A week after feeding more than 500 people at a homeless shelter in L.A., Grohl got back in the pit this week to volunteer with the non-profit Feed the Streets, with the organization posting a short video chronicling the marathon meat sesh. Cued to Clarence Murray’s “Dancing to the Beat,” the clip depicted Grohl and his crew firing up the grill in the early morning, applying their special rub mix, stoking the flames and tending to the ribs well into the night.
By the following morning a long line snaked through MacArthur Park as Grohl and the team delivered and served the delicious meals to those in need. “On one of those wet and cold rainy days we received a text from none other than Dave Grohl (code name: Dolce & Gabana) — he said he heard about what we were doing and wanted to help out,” the organization wrote alongside the video of the much-needed help from the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who came down to pitch in during a year that has provided new challenges in doling out 3,500 meals a month to communities facing food insecurity who depend on Feed the Streets for five decent meals a week.
“We threw him into an upcoming activation. He spent 18 hours straight smoking brisket, ribs and pork — with a cooking crew. They stayed up all night and into the sunrise,” the message continued. “The next day Dolce and his team, exhausted and sleep deprived — packed up the food and drove it to MacArthur Park. All they had to do was drop it off and leave, however they decided to stay and work the line — serve the BBQ with our crew until everyone at the park was fed. If that ain’t a hero we don’t know wtf is. Stay tuned, D & G will be back on the blocks to serve Yucca and Skid Row soon!”
Last month Grohl pitched in to help Los Angeles’ Hope Mission during a driving storm to cook ribs, pork butt, brisket and sides for 16 hours to help serve around 500 guests in need and fellow volunteers.
The Foo Fighters are gearing up to hit the road for their first run of gigs since the shock death of drummer Taylor Hawkins last March in Colombia while on tour; at press time the group had not yet announced who will play drums on their 2023 dates.
In addition to a number of festival gigs at Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, Sonic Temple, Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, Harley-Davidson Homecoming, Fuji Rock, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, The Town and Sea.Hear.Now, the Foos recently announced gigs in Gilford, NH on May 24 (at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion), Rogers, AR on June 14 (at Walmart AMP) and Pelham, AL on June 16 (at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre).
Check out the video of Grohl’s grilling below.
Foo Fighters singer/guitarist Dave Grohl put down his pick and hopped into the pit to help Los Angeles’ Hope Mission feed the homeless last week in a marathon BBQ session that had the organization’s CEO singing the rocker’s praises.
“In the middle of our 350 mile run to end homelessness, we got the coolest video ever from Dave Grohl, of the Foo Fighters. Not only did I wish us luck, but he cooked for hundreds of people who live in our shelters in the middle of one of the worst storms,” the group’s boss, Rowan Vansleve, wrote alongside a video of Grohl manning the rib station last Wednesday.
TMZ reported that Grohl spent 16 hours in the kitchen whipping up ribs, pork butt, brisket, cabbage, coleslaw and beans, personally footing the bill for all the expenses and catching a nap in the parking lot while the meat was smoking. The rocker then reportdly helped serve the food, which fed around 450 guests and 50 staff members.
On Tuesday morning (Feb. 28), the Foos also announced three more headlining shows. The band is gearing up to play its first run of gigs since the shock death of drummer Taylor Hawkins last March in Colombia while on tour; at press time the group had not yet announced who will play drums on their 2023 dates.
In addition to a number of festival gigs at Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, Sonic Temple, Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, Harley-Davidson Homecoming, Fuji Rock, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, The Town and Sea.Hear.Now, the Foos announced gigs in Gilford, NH on May 24 (at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion), Rogers, AR on June 14 (at Walmart AMP) and Pelham, AL on June 16 (at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre); tickets for all three shows will go on sale to the public on Friday (March 3) at 10 a.m. local time here.
Check out the video of pit boss Grohl below.
When they go low, Robert Glasper goes viral. The Grammy-winning pianist and producer/songwriter could have stewed about the static he got from Chris Brown after he bested the “Iffy” singer for this year’s best R&B golden gramophone and Brown griped, “Y’all playing. Who da f— is this?”
Instead of getting into a social media showdown with Brown, Glasper did something way better: he took the insult and printed it on a t-shirt while promising to donate the proceeds to a charity. On Tuesday (Feb. 14) Glasper announced that after just four days those shirts had sold out already.
“Thanks for the support. A portion of the proceeds from this shirt will be donated to the Community Music Center of New Orleans,” Glasper said in an Instagram post featuring an image of the black shirt emblazoned with Brown’s insult. “A nonprofit created to share the music culture and music education in New Orleans, providing free music lessons to underserved youth. I can’t thank y’all enough for supporting this cause.”
At press time Glasper had not announced how much was raised by the limited-edition shirts.
After an avalanche of social media critique for his fit of pique, Brown posted an apology 24 hours later, DMing Glasper to express regret for his comments. ““Congratulations my brother.. I would like to apologize if you took offense to my reaction at the Grammys,” Brown wrote. “You were not the intended target and I know I came off really rude and mean. After doing my research I actually think your amazing…THE ORGANIZATION ISN’T DOING US BLACKS OUR DUE DILIGENCE. YOU AND I SHOULD never be in the same [category].. two totally different vibes and genres. So from one black man to another.. CONGRATULATIONS. HOPE YOU ARE ABLE TO FEED YOUR FAMILY FOR LIFE. God bless my G.”
Glasper’s righteous dunk on Brown is just the latest example of a musician turning hate into delicious haterade. It came six months after Maren Morris flipped her feud with Jason Alden’s wife, Brittany, over the latter’s transphobic joke into a “Lunatic Country Music Person” t-shirt that raised money for LGBTQ right organization GLAAD; the effort raised more than $100,000 for GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program and Trans Life.
Check out Glasper’s posts below.
Veterans located in Ohio will be getting some aid soon, and they have Joe Walsh to thank. On Wednesday (Jan. 18), the singer-songwriter announced that the proceeds from his sold-out November 2022 VetsAid benefit concert — named after his non-profit — would be going to help those who served.
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“Today I am thrilled to announce $650,000 disbursed in grants to our Ohio charity partners after VetsAid 2022,” Walsh shared via Instagram, along with photos breaking down the distribution of funds from the concert’s earnings.
According to a press release, VetsAid divided the proceeds from the concert event — which featured performances from Walsh and the James Gang, and special appearances from Dave Grohl, Nine Inch Nails, The Black Keys, The Breeders and the OSU Marching Band — to establishments chosen by Walsh and the organization’s board, with counsel from the Combined Arms Institute.
Save a Warrior, QL+ Foundation, Hire Heroes USA, Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Buckeye Chapter, Semper Fi & America’s Fund, Travis Manion Foundation and the National Veterans Memorial & Museum each received $75,000. Combined Arms received $58,000, while Canine Companions and VFW Post 9857 received $15,000 and $12,000, respectively. Stockhands Horses for Healing, Resurrecting Lives Foundation, Back the Heroes Rumble, Task Force 20, Pegasus Farm and Rickenbacker Military Families got $5,000 each.
VetsAid is scheduled to return this year, and will be taking place in San Diego.
“VetsAid is a traveling circus that we aim to share with as many military communities across the country as possible,” Walsh said in a press release. “So it is with great excitement that I can announce VetsAid 2023 is coming to ‘America’s Finest City’ this Nov. 12!”
See his announcement below:
Meek Mill, Kevin Hart and former Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin have teamed up again to make a major donations to Philadelphia schools. Following up their 2022 donation of $15 million to more than 100 Philly schools, according to a statement announcing the donation on Tuesday (Jan. 10) the trio will donate $7 million to local education causes for the 2023-2024 school year, with most of the funds going to support scholarships for low-income students at private schools.
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Mill — who, like Hart, is from Philly and attended city’s public schools — confirmed the news in a tweet that linked to a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, writing, “Gotta get the whole trap booming too… we come from public schools side!!!!!” Meek’s longtime friend Rubin, the billionaire Fanatics CEO and former Sixers boss, is also a Philly-area native. At press time a spokesperson for the trio had not disclosed which schools will be receiving the funds, but said the scholarships will be concentrated in the South and North Philadelphia neighborhoods where the rapper and comedian grew up.
In addition to the scholarships to 60 “private and parochial schools in need” for children from low-to-moderate incomes, the donations will also help fund laptops, tablets and WiFi connections and other classroom materials. Interested families have to provide proof of income and demographics showing that they are eligible to receive funding through the Earned Income Tax Credit program.
Over the past few years, Mill (born Robert Rihmeek Williams) and Rubin have donated more $17 million to local communities. Mill and Rubin previously launched a $2 million scholarship fund to help area students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money was earmarked for approximately 1,000 pre-K to high school students from low-income households during the 2020-21 school year to cover their tuition at private and parochial schools and provide access to much-needed at-home technology, including laptops, tablets and WiFi connection.
Check out Meek’s tweets about the donations below.
A social impact tech platform long aligned with the music industry has found success at the iconic Red Rocks amphitheater near Denver, raising money and awareness for more than a half-dozen non-profits working with nearly 30 artists and comedians in 2022.
Founded by CEO Brandon Deroche in 2015, Propeller was originally created for the band Incubus to help raise money for their foundation and educate donors about the various nonprofit groups the foundation was supporting, Deroche explains. It was designed to promote “a deeper level of involvement from the fans,” beyond charitable giving, he continues, educating fans on how to support causes by volunteering, advocacy work and contacting their local legislators.
“Fans might have known that a dollar per ticket from the show they attended went to a good cause, but they don’t always know who the organization is and what that organization does,” Deroche says. “It’s a missed opportunity to turn those fans into supporters of that cause. And that’s a big aspect of what Propeller tries to do – provide education and understanding of the different ways fans can take action.”
The goal for many non-profits, Deroche says, is to expand their marketing efforts to a younger audience, which is more difficult to reach in the current media landscape. By working with Propeller, non-profits are able to tap into the active fan bases of many artists, he explains.
The decision to partner with a venue was part of a larger effort to expand Propeller’s footprint and meet different types of audiences and artists. While Deroche was looking for the right venue partner, the city-owned management team behind Denver’s Red Rocks amphitheater was also looking for new charity-based partners to expand the venue’s own impact. After averaging about 80 shows a year for the past decade, Red Rocks had won approval to host 200 concerts in 2022 and was looking for ways to create a more meaningful experience for its growing audience.
“We recognize that artists want to have an impact, and venues do too,” says Brian Kitts, director of marketing & communications at Red Rocks. “When Propeller came along and said they could match the venue with the artist and the organization, we felt like it was the complete package.”
Propeller connected with every performer from the more than 200 concerts at Red Rocks in 2022, offering each the opportunity to support a cause of their choice with special activations including exclusive post-show meet and greets, memorabilia and side stage viewing access. That included an after-party with The Black Keys and Molson Coors for fans who took action to support Save The Music, with 100 winners selected from the audience at Red Rocks and chartered via private shuttle buses to a secret dive bar location.
“They make it really easy for me to show up, participate and raise awareness and a little bit of money for a good cause,” says comedian Bert Kreischer, who gave away free tickets and airfare to see his show at Red Rocks in September in an effort to raise money for Climate Action Now.
Before each show, a short video is shown encouraging fans to take action for the chance to win a ticket upgrade. Propeller also operates an interactive booth with a prize wheel on Red Rock’s upper deck section to engage fans.
In total, Propeller interacted with more than 95,000 music fans and raised $165,784 in its first year, “a very impressive first year here at Red Rocks,” says Kitts.
Propeller covers the costs of the activations and getaways included in the promotions it runs and collects a fee from each charity and non-profit it represents. Deroche says Propeller will be back in 2023 and is looking to expand even further.
“We learned a lot,” Deroche says. “We feel like we barely scratched the surface on what’s possible there. Next year we are looking to go a lot bigger with our efforts and really dive in and apply everything we’ve learned.”
Raised in the Philly hood, Meek Mill never attended an Eagles game growing up, much less tossed footballs inside the team’s practice facility.
Given the chance to show off his arm, the 35-year-old rapper and philanthropist lined up some area kids and had them go deep on the same field where the best team in the NFL trains. Meek Mill short-armed a wobbly pass that sailed about 20 yards and was hauled in by a kid to resounding cheers.
Let’s just say Jalen Hurts’ job is safe.
“He’s almost as unathletic as I am,” Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin teased Meek.
Meek Mill and Rubin shared laughs Tuesday (Dec. 13) at an outing arranged to brighten the day for children from families caught in the criminal justice system. Rubin, who recently sold his stake in the Philadelphia 76ers, co-founded the Reform Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to probation, parole and sentencing reform in the United States. Meek Mill, whose well-publicized prison sentence for minor probation violations became a lightning rod for the issue, is co-chairman of the organization.
His case grabbed the attention of criminal justice reform advocates after a judge in Pennsylvania sentenced him to two to four years in prison for violations of his probation conditions in a decade-old gun and drug possession case. He was incarcerated for months before a court ordered him released in 2018. Meek Mill successfully resumed his recording career and recently held a 10-year anniversary concert that celebrated his debut album Dreams And Nightmares. He’s been a big opening act of late, performing the title track and underdog anthem before Eagles games and at the World Series.
“I’ve got purpose on top of everything I’m doing,” Meek Mill said. “Before I went to prison, of course I was famous, of course I was making money feeding my family, but the purpose I have now, it actually started from the way people supported me.”
Meek Mill formed a friendship with Rubin and the billionaire became an ally in freeing him from prison. While Meek Mill was in prison, activists, celebrities and demonstrators rallied in 2017 for his release. “When I seen that with my own eyes, that type of support, which I never had in my life, I wanted to make sure I give that same support back to the world,” Meek Mill said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Born Robert Rihmeek Williams, he is now free of the court supervision he’s been under most of his adult life.
To their credit, years after Meek Mill’s release, the rapper and the mogul have remained steadfast in advocating for criminal justice reform. The Reform Alliance said the group has been responsible for 16 bills passed in 10 states that resulted in changes to probation and parole laws. Meek Mill was even honored in 2019 in his hometown of Philadelphia for his work as a criminal justice reform advocate and as a musician.
“We’ve actually created a pathway for 650,000 people to get out of the system already,” Rubin said. “And we’re just getting started. It’s hard to make change.”
Meek Mill and members of the Eagles including Darius Slay, Jordan Mailata, coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman mingled with 35 kids, took photos and ran combine drills. The kids signed honorary one-day contracts with the team.
“You’re all 12-1 for the day,” Sirianni said.
The kids moved across the street to the Wells Fargo Center and quizzed Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers on the usual hoops-themed topics. Allen Iverson or Steph Curry? Who’s your favorite player? But there were more serious inquiries about how to land internships and how to push through in a life that can be littered with hardships.
“You have the right to happiness and to smile and do everything you want in life,” Rivers told the kids. “These people here, Meek, Michael and everybody back here are here to tell you that there’s people in your corner. We’re going to fight for you. Fight for your families to make sure that one of you may be sitting here some day giving the same speech. Or one of you can be a doctor, a lawyer, an athlete. Whatever you want.”
Megan Parke spent almost three years in prison and gave birth to her son, Amir, while in jail. She was freed when he was 2½ years old and the family has settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Parke was on probation and hit with a technical violation, which in Pennsylvania means she had specifically violated one of the terms of her probation plan. Parke, who still has two years left on probation, said she was lucky the judge didn’t send her back to prison. She said Reform has offered her resources that could aid her and her case should problems arise in the future.
“That’s him right there,” she said, pointing at the 5-year-old boy running around the NFL complex. “He’s just so excited. These days just really mean a lot.”
Those memories are part of what it’s all about for Meek Mill. He missed Eagles games as a kid but once attended on a school trip a taping of The Randall Cunningham Show. “That was a highlight I’ll remember forever,” Meek Mill said. “With kids, I’m always doubling back, make sure I touch back to the people just like myself.”
