Providing a good education for children in the city of Philadelphia can be both challenging and expensive but thanks to three area natives, it\u2019ll become much easier for many families.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Award-winning hip-hop artist Robert Rihmeek Williams, known as Meek Mill, South Philadelphia born and North Philadelphia-raised, actor, comedian and Nicetown native Kevin Hart, and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, a Montgomery County native, stepped up to help close that financial burden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Collectively, they announced a donation of $7 million to 60 private and parochial schools in need, serving low-income students from underserved families with scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year at schools in and around Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The beneficiaries include dozens of schools across the City of Brotherly Love with a special focus on the particular neighborhoods where Mill and Hart are from. The funds will be distributed to the schools in grant form to provide need-based scholarships for low to moderate-income families.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
As many households have a lack of technology, the donations will also help fund classroom resources and access to much-needed at-home tech, including laptops, tablets and Wi-Fi connections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The money is sent to the schools by approved scholarship organization, Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools (BLOCS).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
BLOCS partners with more than 100 Archdiocesan and 300 private Catholic and non-Catholic schools to provide over 16,000 need-based scholarships each year and is a top scholarship organization in Pennsylvania. BLOCS also raises more than $50 million annually in private and corporate donations for families in need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cWe award tuition assistance to as many children \u2014 of any religion \u2014 as possible. Our work will continue until every family who desires a value-based Catholic education can afford one,\u201d according to information on BLOCS\u2019 website.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The families have to apply for the funding annually and must provide proof of income from the previous year and family demographics to qualify for funding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
This $7 million donation marks the latest addition to Meek Mill\u2019s and Rubin\u2019s ongoing commitment to give back to communities in need that has culminated in a total of $17 million in donations over the years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
These social good efforts fall on the heels of other initiatives hosted during the 2022 holiday season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Rubin and Meek Mill partnered with REFORM Alliance (to which they are co-chairs), the Philadelphia Eagles and the 76ers for the annual return of the \u201cSeason of Giving\u201d event \u2014 a special VIP experience for more than 30 children who have been negatively impacted by the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The day included a junior combine at the Eagles headquarters, a meet-and-greet with players such as Jalen Hurts and Darius Slay. The children also met with 76ers head coach Doc Rivers and attended a basketball game as the Sixers defeated the Sacramento Kings. Additionally, Meek Mill paid the bail for 20 Philadelphia women to reunite them with their families for the recent Christmas holiday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
REFORM Alliance was founded in 2019 and aims to transform probation and parole by changing laws, systems and culture to create real pathways to work and well-being.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cA justice system that holds people accountable and redirects back to work and well-being leads to stronger families and safer communities. Instead of keeping people trapped in a revolving door from probation\/parole to prison \u2014 which costs taxpayers billions of dollars \u2014 we\u2019re working to move people from the justice system into stability,\u201d according to REFORM\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n