One of the wealthiest women in Hollywood is Oprah Winfrey, with a net worth of north of $3 billion dollars. But she is also one of the most generous, having donated over $200 million dollars to different charitable organizations over these many years. Last week, Winfrey continued her habit of opening her checkbook for causes that stir something in her heart. The lucky recipient this time was Youth Education.
Winfrey surprised guests with a video appearance at the U.S. Dream Academy’s 25th anniversary “Power of a Dream” celebration to announce that she is pledging $2.5 million to the organization.
The Dream Academy focuses its efforts on empowering our nation’s youth, especially those kids whose families were impacted by incarceration. They work on breaking the cycle of systematic disadvantages that these kids are forced under, through no fault of their own. The Academy’s Dream Centers are scattered across the country, often in underserved and poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Winfrey’s donation is a boon to the worthwhile organization and every dollar will be used to help those children that need it the most.
The Academy was founded by Grammy-nominated Gospel singer Wintley Phipps in 1998. “The U.S. Dream Academy is so blessed to consider Oprah Winfrey as our biggest champion and supporter over the course of these 25 years,” Phipps said of Oprah’s contribution. “Words cannot express our deep gratitude to Oprah as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. This donation will be life-changing to so many more kids who will benefit from our after-school and mentoring programs. We are grateful to Oprah, our corporate sponsors, and the many individual donors who helped us exceed our goal!”
Oprah Winfrey has always maintained that education is one of our most important features, it is fundamental to who we are and she often credits it for helping her achieve the success she has in her storied career. We can only hope that her generosity and elevation of these much needed organizations provide additional funds and inspire more donations and PR for this cause.
“Education is one of the forces that helped me be who I am in the world today,” Winfrey said in the recording at the 25th anniversary celebration. “I’m a believer in helping children be the best that they can be, as this Academy has done for a quarter of a century.”