Justin has admitted in the past that he and his family struggled so badly to get by that they went to food banks and on ‘The Ellen Degeneres Show,’ Justin got choked up while giving back at an elementary school!
Justin Bieber is the most generous celebrity in Hollywood. The 17-year-old heard that Ellen Degeneres was helping Whitney Elementary, a school in Las Vegas where most of the 610 students are homeless, don’t have food and are barely getting by — Justin donated $100,000 and toys!
Sherrie Gahn, the principal of the school, has been helping the school raise money for a decade and when she met Justin she started to cry! She told Ellen in an interview that after Justin performed for the students, signed shirts and gave them toys one child told her “I dream of dreams like this.”
Justin sang “Baby” and even answered questions from the children and told them he and Selena go to the movies on the weekend and “kiss!”
At one point Justin told Sherrie: “I had my grandparents and these kids have you.”
Justin has admitted in the past that he and his family struggled so badly to get by that they went to food banks and on ‘The Ellen Degeneres Show,’ Justin got choked up while giving back at an elementary school!
Justin Bieber is the most generous celebrity in Hollywood. The 17-year-old heard that Ellen Degeneres was helping Whitney Elementary, a school in Las Vegas where most of the 610 students are homeless, don’t have food and are barely getting by — Justin donated $100,000 and toys!
Sherrie Gahn, the principal of the school, has been helping the school raise money for a decade and when she met Justin she started to cry! She told Ellen in an interview that after Justin performed for the students, signed shirts and gave them toys one child told her “I dream of dreams like this.”
Justin sang “Baby” and even answered questions from the children and told them he and Selena go to the movies on the weekend and “kiss!”
At one point Justin told Sherrie: “I had my grandparents and these kids have you.”
Two Canadian teen girls are paying forward Justin Bieber's charitable spirit.
After landing in front of the stage at a Bieber concert in Toronto, 14-year-old Alexx Mowbray was pulled on stage and given the pop star's signed acoustic guitar,The Beacon Herald reports.
With her sister, Kelsee Casagrande, Mowbray decided without hesitation to auction off the guitar for charity. Proceeds will go to Bieber's Believe Charity and a local food bank in Stratford, Canada.
"We never even thought of selling it and keeping the money," Mowbray told The Beacon Herald. "If it can save lives, that's more important than money. And I'll always have my memories."
Bieber, who was named Huffington Post's top celebrity activist of 2011, is known for getting others involved. He has made a "Belieber" out of thousands of his fans, urging their support to charities like Pencils of Promise and City of Hope. Employing other quirky methods to spur giving, he's auctioned off his pet snake and his bike and played in a charity basketball game.
Inspired by the singer's ability to get his message out, Casagrande and Mowbray are now using their Twitter feeds to keep people up to date on the guitar auction. They say they're still finalizing plans for donating it.
In December, Justin Bieber paid a visit to Whitney Elementary School in Las Vegas to deliver a special performance and donate a large sum to help the school's underprivileged attendees. The pop superstar's heartwarming visit -- the Biebs even shed a tear! -- was captured and aired on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Wednesday (Jan. 4). After promising to visit a school in need during his appearance on "Ellen" in November, Justin arrives at Whitney Elementary to high-five the students and hug the appreciative principal, Sherrie Gahn. "I can really see in your eyes that you really want to make a change and you really want to help these kids, and I admire you," the 17-year-old tells the principal.
Justin not only performs his hits "Mistletoe" and "Baby" for the adoring kids, but also bestows a $100,000 check to Whitney Elementary, as well as $100,000 worth of toys to brighten the holidays of its students. "This is the first time they're gonna go home and want to go home for the holidays," says Principal Gahn, a sentiment that makes the singer tear up and turn away from the camera.
While Justin Bieber's noble act helped ring in the holidays, the singer toasted 2012 by performing on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" and releasing a collaborative single with Jaden Smith titled "Happy New Year." His next album, "Believe," is expected to be released this year.
In December, Justin Bieber paid a visit to Whitney Elementary School in Las Vegas to deliver a special performance and donate a large sum to help the school's underprivileged attendees. The pop superstar's heartwarming visit -- the Biebs even shed a tear! -- was captured and aired on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Wednesday (Jan. 4). After promising to visit a school in need during his appearance on "Ellen" in November, Justin arrives at Whitney Elementary to high-five the students and hug the appreciative principal, Sherrie Gahn. "I can really see in your eyes that you really want to make a change and you really want to help these kids, and I admire you," the 17-year-old tells the principal.
Justin not only performs his hits "Mistletoe" and "Baby" for the adoring kids, but also bestows a $100,000 check to Whitney Elementary, as well as $100,000 worth of toys to brighten the holidays of its students. "This is the first time they're gonna go home and want to go home for the holidays," says Principal Gahn, a sentiment that makes the singer tear up and turn away from the camera.
While Justin Bieber's noble act helped ring in the holidays, the singer toasted 2012 by performing on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" and releasing a collaborative single with Jaden Smith titled "Happy New Year." His next album, "Believe," is expected to be released this year.
It seems Lady Gaga isn’t quite the little monster she makes herself out to be as the pop singer held her spot at the top of the annual “Celebs Gone Good” list, released by dosomething.org last week.
One celebrity who did shake up the standings, though, was Stratford’s own Justin Bieber, climbing from the 10th spot last year to second place.
The 17-year-old’s jump comes after founding the Believe Charity Drive, which focuses on education, music and the well-being of children. Part of the profits from his holiday album Under the Mistletoe, which has sold more than two million copies, also went directly to the drive. Most recently, Justin invested in Sojo Studios, which creates Facebook games that earn money for charities.
But Justin couldn’t top Gaga, who advocated for gay rights and AIDS/ HIV awareness in Africa throughout the year. She also recently announced the 2012 launch of the Born This Way Foundation, which will focus on youth empowerment through anti-bullying legislation advocacy, mentoring and career development.
In the third spot was George Clooney for his advocacy for human rights in Sudan, which included an editorial he wrote in the Washington Post. Other celebs who remained on the list include Leonardo Di Caprio and Ellen DeGeneres.
At the bottom of the list was Taylor Swift, who dropped from the third to the 20th spot.
It seems Lady Gaga isn’t quite the little monster she makes herself out to be as the pop singer held her spot at the top of the annual “Celebs Gone Good” list, released by dosomething.org last week.
One celebrity who did shake up the standings, though, was Stratford’s own Justin Bieber, climbing from the 10th spot last year to second place.
The 17-year-old’s jump comes after founding the Believe Charity Drive, which focuses on education, music and the well-being of children. Part of the profits from his holiday album Under the Mistletoe, which has sold more than two million copies, also went directly to the drive. Most recently, Justin invested in Sojo Studios, which creates Facebook games that earn money for charities.
But Justin couldn’t top Gaga, who advocated for gay rights and AIDS/ HIV awareness in Africa throughout the year. She also recently announced the 2012 launch of the Born This Way Foundation, which will focus on youth empowerment through anti-bullying legislation advocacy, mentoring and career development.
In the third spot was George Clooney for his advocacy for human rights in Sudan, which included an editorial he wrote in the Washington Post. Other celebs who remained on the list include Leonardo Di Caprio and Ellen DeGeneres.
At the bottom of the list was Taylor Swift, who dropped from the third to the 20th spot.
Eight-year-old Jake Schafer’s day in Toronto began with a trip to SickKids for a round of chemotherapy, part of a routine to fight the cancer that is quickly spreading through his frail body.
Hours later, he was skating with Justin Bieber and half a dozen Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre, curly blonde locks poking out of his helmet as he took shots on Jonas Gustavasson.
“I was getting my equipment on and Justin Bieber came in when I was about to go out on the ice,” Jake said from a hospital bed on Thursday, where he was having another round of treatment.
“He just asked if he could come and skate and I said yes. He got his stick and went and taped it and then he put his skates.”
The outing was arranged by the Children’s Wish Foundation after Jake, who was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma last year, said his dream was to hang out with the Biebs.
Jake was too shy to say much to the pop star, but said he was pleased when Bieber handed him VIP tickets to his Wednesday night show at Massey Hall. Mistletoe is his favourite song.
After Jake appeared onstage at the show — as Bieber presented a giant cardboard check in the amount of $500,000 to the Children’s Wish Foundation, Sunnybrook Hospital and Project Medishare — he unwittingly became the centre of attention.
“All the teenage girls were asking me all these questions,” Jake said. “Is he nice and all that?”
Catherine Schafer, Jake’s mother, said her little boy was tired after the long day of fun, but in good spirits.
“He’s doing okay, but the cancer’s continuing to spread. So this was perfect timing,” said Schafer, who blogs about her son’s fight with cancer at jakesteam.ca.
According to The James Fund for Neuroblastoma Research, neuroblastoma is the fifth most common cancer in childhood, but it is responsible for a disproportionate number of cancer deaths in children.
Backstage before show, Bieber also surprised 10-year-old Jalissa MacLellan and 16-year-old Harvey Stephen — who are also fighting life-threatening illnesses — stopping in to say hello and give them each an autographed guitar.
“They were told that they were getting a Justin Bieber VIP experience, but we didn’t really let on that they’d be able to meet him,” said Paul St. Germain, spokesman for the Children’s Wish Foundation. “We wanted to make it a surprise for them when Justin walked in. And it was.”
The taped Christmas TV special Justin Bieber: Home for the Holidays premiered on MuchMusic and CTV on Thursday night.
Eight-year-old Jake Schafer’s day in Toronto began with a trip to SickKids for a round of chemotherapy, part of a routine to fight the cancer that is quickly spreading through his frail body.
Hours later, he was skating with Justin Bieber and half a dozen Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre, curly blonde locks poking out of his helmet as he took shots on Jonas Gustavasson.
“I was getting my equipment on and Justin Bieber came in when I was about to go out on the ice,” Jake said from a hospital bed on Thursday, where he was having another round of treatment.
“He just asked if he could come and skate and I said yes. He got his stick and went and taped it and then he put his skates.”
The outing was arranged by the Children’s Wish Foundation after Jake, who was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma last year, said his dream was to hang out with the Biebs.
Jake was too shy to say much to the pop star, but said he was pleased when Bieber handed him VIP tickets to his Wednesday night show at Massey Hall. Mistletoe is his favourite song.
After Jake appeared onstage at the show — as Bieber presented a giant cardboard check in the amount of $500,000 to the Children’s Wish Foundation, Sunnybrook Hospital and Project Medishare — he unwittingly became the centre of attention.
“All the teenage girls were asking me all these questions,” Jake said. “Is he nice and all that?”
Catherine Schafer, Jake’s mother, said her little boy was tired after the long day of fun, but in good spirits.
“He’s doing okay, but the cancer’s continuing to spread. So this was perfect timing,” said Schafer, who blogs about her son’s fight with cancer at jakesteam.ca.
According to The James Fund for Neuroblastoma Research, neuroblastoma is the fifth most common cancer in childhood, but it is responsible for a disproportionate number of cancer deaths in children.
Backstage before show, Bieber also surprised 10-year-old Jalissa MacLellan and 16-year-old Harvey Stephen — who are also fighting life-threatening illnesses — stopping in to say hello and give them each an autographed guitar.
“They were told that they were getting a Justin Bieber VIP experience, but we didn’t really let on that they’d be able to meet him,” said Paul St. Germain, spokesman for the Children’s Wish Foundation. “We wanted to make it a surprise for them when Justin walked in. And it was.”
The taped Christmas TV special Justin Bieber: Home for the Holidays premiered on MuchMusic and CTV on Thursday night.
WhatSellsBest.com has published the annual Top 10 Charity auctions sold (on eBay) in 2011, where the top fundraiser sold Eight (8) Seats at a Lunch Table for $2.3 Million. WhatSellsBest.com, a website tracking top items selling on eBay, has published the Top 10 Charity auctions sold (on eBay) in 2011.
A few runner-ups from the list; a Lock of Justin Bieber's Hair sold for $40,668; Taylor Swift concert tickets which included a meeting with the star fetched $9,100; and a New Orleans tour by Brad Pitt fetched $27,100. The top charity fundraiser (who is not in show business) raised $2.3 million by selling eight (8) Seats at a Lunch Table.
WhatSellsBest.com has published the annual Top 10 Charity auctions sold (on eBay) in 2011, where the top fundraiser sold Eight (8) Seats at a Lunch Table for $2.3 Million. WhatSellsBest.com, a website tracking top items selling on eBay, has published the Top 10 Charity auctions sold (on eBay) in 2011.
A few runner-ups from the list; a Lock of Justin Bieber's Hair sold for $40,668; Taylor Swift concert tickets which included a meeting with the star fetched $9,100; and a New Orleans tour by Brad Pitt fetched $27,100. The top charity fundraiser (who is not in show business) raised $2.3 million by selling eight (8) Seats at a Lunch Table.
Lea Michele and Justin Bieber have collected numerous nominations and awards in their respective fields, but they recently got a chance to win an award of a different kind. The Rachel Berry of "Glee" and the "Baby" hitmaker are currently vying for the top honors at the 6th annual Libby Awards, which is sponsored by PETA's youth division, peta2.
Having stood up for carriage horses in New York City, 25-year-old Michele lands the nomination of Top Animal Friendly Celebrity. In the category, she is being put up against "Jackass" star Steve-O, "Victorious" star Daniella Monet and Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta.
17-year-old Bieber, in the meantime, is on the run to win the title of Most Animal Friendly Pop/Hip-Hop Artist thanks to his pro-adoption campaign. He is set to face off against Ke$ha, who campaigned against the Canadian seal slaughter, and two other musicians, k-os and Waka Flocka Flame.
Both Michele and Bieber are only competing for one title, but Ke$ha andTokio Hotel get two nominations each. In addition to the Pop/Hip-Hop Artist category, Ke$ha also fights for Best peta2 Ad, which also sees Tokio as one of its contenders. Tokio additionally are up for Most Animal Friendly Band.
Libbys, or Liberation Awards, is set up to honor people and products that are deemed animal-friendly by PETA. Of this year's nominees, peta2 Division Manager Marta Holmberg says, "Our nominees have all worked hard to shine their spotlights on a variety of important animal issues. As our accomplished stars demonstrate, compassion isn't just a virtue - it's also a road to success."
Fans can vote for their favorite animal-friendly stars at peta2.com until this Friday, December 23. The winners, who will be announced on January 17, 2012, will be chosen by peta2 based on equal consideration of three factors; the number of votes received, the quality of the animal-friendly product or the nominees' enthusiasm for being animal-friendly, and feedback from the nominees' fans. Heres the list:
Partial List of the 6th Annual Libby Awards: Most Animal Friendly Pop/Hip-Hop Artist:
Lea Michele and Justin Bieber have collected numerous nominations and awards in their respective fields, but they recently got a chance to win an award of a different kind. The Rachel Berry of "Glee" and the "Baby" hitmaker are currently vying for the top honors at the 6th annual Libby Awards, which is sponsored by PETA's youth division, peta2.
Having stood up for carriage horses in New York City, 25-year-old Michele lands the nomination of Top Animal Friendly Celebrity. In the category, she is being put up against "Jackass" star Steve-O, "Victorious" star Daniella Monet and Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta.
17-year-old Bieber, in the meantime, is on the run to win the title of Most Animal Friendly Pop/Hip-Hop Artist thanks to his pro-adoption campaign. He is set to face off against Ke$ha, who campaigned against the Canadian seal slaughter, and two other musicians, k-os and Waka Flocka Flame.
Both Michele and Bieber are only competing for one title, but Ke$ha andTokio Hotel get two nominations each. In addition to the Pop/Hip-Hop Artist category, Ke$ha also fights for Best peta2 Ad, which also sees Tokio as one of its contenders. Tokio additionally are up for Most Animal Friendly Band.
Libbys, or Liberation Awards, is set up to honor people and products that are deemed animal-friendly by PETA. Of this year's nominees, peta2 Division Manager Marta Holmberg says, "Our nominees have all worked hard to shine their spotlights on a variety of important animal issues. As our accomplished stars demonstrate, compassion isn't just a virtue - it's also a road to success."
Fans can vote for their favorite animal-friendly stars at peta2.com until this Friday, December 23. The winners, who will be announced on January 17, 2012, will be chosen by peta2 based on equal consideration of three factors; the number of votes received, the quality of the animal-friendly product or the nominees' enthusiasm for being animal-friendly, and feedback from the nominees' fans. Heres the list:
Partial List of the 6th Annual Libby Awards: Most Animal Friendly Pop/Hip-Hop Artist:
Justin Bieber has invested in social game company Sojo Studios, a company that embeds charitable giving into its games. The young superstar today announced his involvement the same way he launched his career, by using Facebook and Twitter to connect directly with his fans.
Justin and Ellen DeGeneres will use their entertainment industry status to support WeTopia, Sojo’s first title, as well as future games.
Justin posted the following to his Facebook page at 12:46 p.m. PST: “a fan first showed me this and now I am Proud to be a part of WeTopia. When you play, you help kids in the REAL WORLD. Let’s all play this game and really MAKE A CHANGE. thanks”
Within two hours, that update had received nearly 18,000 “likes” and hundreds of “shares.” He also tweeted the information to his 15.6 million followers, making all but one of them jealous by later giving a shout-out to @MiKSHiNE as the fan who introduced him to WeTopia.
Players build a WeTopia village, which rewards beneficial behavior like helping neighbors by adding the in-game virtual currency known as Joy to their accounts. It’s free to play, although the option is available to purchase Joy using Facebook credits. Gamers can then choose actual, non-virtual projects that will receive their Joy, in return for which they get pictures, videos and in-game messages to track their contributions. Initial nonprofit partners include Save the Children, buildOn and Children’s Health Fund.
Justin Said:
“Playing online games can be a lot of fun, and WeTopia makes it even better by helping children around the world, whether they need a school, or vaccinations, or clean water,” “I’ve always been passionate about giving back, and I hope my fans will feel the same way when they play WeTopia.”
This is hardly the first time he has leveraged his popularity to aid others. Earlier this year Bieber announced the Believe Charity Drive, which receives a portion of the North American proceeds from sales of his currentUnder The Mistletoe album. He also worked with interactive firm AgencyNet and online fundraising platform StayClassy to create a section of his site where fans can make direct contributions to seven of his chosen charities: Pencils of Promise;Project Medishare for Haiti;City of Hope;Make-A-Wish Foundation andwww.worldwish.org;Boys & Girls Clubs of America;Musicians On Call; and theGRAMMY Foundation.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Justin Bieber, an amazing entertainer and someone who has emerged as one of the most prolific young philanthropists this world has seen,” said Lincoln Brown, founder and chief executive officer of Sojo Studios. “Justin is using his voice to inspire millions of fans around the world – including daughters and their moms – to give back. We can’t think of a better way to bring the generations together than on WeTopia, which lets players do good while having fun.”
Justin Bieber has invested in social game company Sojo Studios, a company that embeds charitable giving into its games. The young superstar today announced his involvement the same way he launched his career, by using Facebook and Twitter to connect directly with his fans.
Justin and Ellen DeGeneres will use their entertainment industry status to support WeTopia, Sojo’s first title, as well as future games.
Justin posted the following to his Facebook page at 12:46 p.m. PST: “a fan first showed me this and now I am Proud to be a part of WeTopia. When you play, you help kids in the REAL WORLD. Let’s all play this game and really MAKE A CHANGE. thanks”
Within two hours, that update had received nearly 18,000 “likes” and hundreds of “shares.” He also tweeted the information to his 15.6 million followers, making all but one of them jealous by later giving a shout-out to @MiKSHiNE as the fan who introduced him to WeTopia.
Players build a WeTopia village, which rewards beneficial behavior like helping neighbors by adding the in-game virtual currency known as Joy to their accounts. It’s free to play, although the option is available to purchase Joy using Facebook credits. Gamers can then choose actual, non-virtual projects that will receive their Joy, in return for which they get pictures, videos and in-game messages to track their contributions. Initial nonprofit partners include Save the Children, buildOn and Children’s Health Fund.
Justin Said:
“Playing online games can be a lot of fun, and WeTopia makes it even better by helping children around the world, whether they need a school, or vaccinations, or clean water,” “I’ve always been passionate about giving back, and I hope my fans will feel the same way when they play WeTopia.”
This is hardly the first time he has leveraged his popularity to aid others. Earlier this year Bieber announced the Believe Charity Drive, which receives a portion of the North American proceeds from sales of his currentUnder The Mistletoe album. He also worked with interactive firm AgencyNet and online fundraising platform StayClassy to create a section of his site where fans can make direct contributions to seven of his chosen charities: Pencils of Promise;Project Medishare for Haiti;City of Hope;Make-A-Wish Foundation andwww.worldwish.org;Boys & Girls Clubs of America;Musicians On Call; and theGRAMMY Foundation.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Justin Bieber, an amazing entertainer and someone who has emerged as one of the most prolific young philanthropists this world has seen,” said Lincoln Brown, founder and chief executive officer of Sojo Studios. “Justin is using his voice to inspire millions of fans around the world – including daughters and their moms – to give back. We can’t think of a better way to bring the generations together than on WeTopia, which lets players do good while having fun.”
The story is being told about how 17-year-old pop sensation Justin Bieber went to a high-poverty school in Las Vegas, gave a private concert to over-the-moon students and handed a $100,000 check to the delighted principal.
The real story is about what that principal, Sherrie Gahn, has done for and with the students at Whitney Elementary School in Las Vegas, where more than 85 percent of the more than 600 students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a measure of poverty. Many live in houses without heat, electricity and running water.
What gets overlooked in the story’s telling is that Gahn has been successful improving student achievement because she has not ignored the circumstances of her students’ lives outside class but instead has tried to address the effects of the poverty in which they live.
For those people concerned about standardized test scores, they’ve gone up significantly since she’s been there and worked, through private donations, to help her students.
While many school reformers today say that citing poverty as a reason for poor student performance is just an excuse for bad teaching, Gahn knows better.
She arrived at Whitney about eight years ago and promised Whitney parents that she would help them with their bills — and even help pay college tuition for any students who went — if they would work with her to raise children “of character.”
Here’s what she told Ellen DeGeneres that she told parents: “I’ll pay your electrical bill, your utilities, I’ll give you food or clothes, whatever you need, as long as you give me your child and then help raise that child as a person of character.”
Once, according to this article in Scholastic Administrator, she arranged to have every child in her school receive a pair of new shoes, but when they arrived, most of them didn’t fit. She realized that when teachers collected the shoe sizes of their students, the kids’ were wearing previously donated shoes that didn’t fit.
Here's the video:
In a segment of The Ellen DeGeneres Show airing Jan. 4, 2012, Bieber is shown handing a $100,000 check to Gahn (which was a matching gift to a donation of the same amount from Target) to help her students with necessities, a promise he had made a few months ago. He also treated the students to a private concert Friday.
As one might expect, stories about this subject are heavy on Bieber. This Associated Press story about Bieber’s largesse to the school talks a little while before making it clear that the real hero at that school has been Gahn.
That’s not to say that Bieber’s involvement with the school isn’t worth noting. Whenever one of the super rich hands over $100,000 to a public school principal without telling her how to use it, it is an occasion to applaud. He toured the school, talked to the kids and brought presents. Good for him.
But the real story is how Gahn has raised money, created partnerships with various organizations and done everything possible to help her students and their families with basic necessities and more. Why? Because as an educator she knew her students couldn’t succeed without this help.
And the Scholastic article notes that the need is never filled.
“How do I tell the 251st child there isn’t enough food for her?” Gahn was quoted as saying. “It’s an impossible kind of triage.”
What is also impossible is this: Twenty-two percent of American children live in poverty, and the emphasis of modern school reform ignores this fact. As long as this is the case, educating needy kids who don’t have Gahn as their principal will be impossible.
The story is being told about how 17-year-old pop sensation Justin Bieber went to a high-poverty school in Las Vegas, gave a private concert to over-the-moon students and handed a $100,000 check to the delighted principal.
The real story is about what that principal, Sherrie Gahn, has done for and with the students at Whitney Elementary School in Las Vegas, where more than 85 percent of the more than 600 students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a measure of poverty. Many live in houses without heat, electricity and running water.
What gets overlooked in the story’s telling is that Gahn has been successful improving student achievement because she has not ignored the circumstances of her students’ lives outside class but instead has tried to address the effects of the poverty in which they live.
For those people concerned about standardized test scores, they’ve gone up significantly since she’s been there and worked, through private donations, to help her students.
While many school reformers today say that citing poverty as a reason for poor student performance is just an excuse for bad teaching, Gahn knows better.
She arrived at Whitney about eight years ago and promised Whitney parents that she would help them with their bills — and even help pay college tuition for any students who went — if they would work with her to raise children “of character.”
Here’s what she told Ellen DeGeneres that she told parents: “I’ll pay your electrical bill, your utilities, I’ll give you food or clothes, whatever you need, as long as you give me your child and then help raise that child as a person of character.”
Once, according to this article in Scholastic Administrator, she arranged to have every child in her school receive a pair of new shoes, but when they arrived, most of them didn’t fit. She realized that when teachers collected the shoe sizes of their students, the kids’ were wearing previously donated shoes that didn’t fit.
Here's the video:
In a segment of The Ellen DeGeneres Show airing Jan. 4, 2012, Bieber is shown handing a $100,000 check to Gahn (which was a matching gift to a donation of the same amount from Target) to help her students with necessities, a promise he had made a few months ago. He also treated the students to a private concert Friday.
As one might expect, stories about this subject are heavy on Bieber. This Associated Press story about Bieber’s largesse to the school talks a little while before making it clear that the real hero at that school has been Gahn.
That’s not to say that Bieber’s involvement with the school isn’t worth noting. Whenever one of the super rich hands over $100,000 to a public school principal without telling her how to use it, it is an occasion to applaud. He toured the school, talked to the kids and brought presents. Good for him.
But the real story is how Gahn has raised money, created partnerships with various organizations and done everything possible to help her students and their families with basic necessities and more. Why? Because as an educator she knew her students couldn’t succeed without this help.
And the Scholastic article notes that the need is never filled.
“How do I tell the 251st child there isn’t enough food for her?” Gahn was quoted as saying. “It’s an impossible kind of triage.”
What is also impossible is this: Twenty-two percent of American children live in poverty, and the emphasis of modern school reform ignores this fact. As long as this is the case, educating needy kids who don’t have Gahn as their principal will be impossible.
