Madonna Helps Her Hometown Detroit: Singer Starts First Phase of 'Long-Term Commitment'
The original Material Girl Madonna is making headlines once again by investing in economically depressed Detroit.
Madonna's spokesperson announced last week that this is part of a "first phase of long-term commitment" to Detroit. Madonna is expected to invest in three Detroit community groups. The investment is something that she and her associates have studied, but it is also personal for her as well.
The three community groups that are expected to benefit from Madonna's generosity are: the Downtown Youth Boxing Gym, the Detroit Achievement Academy, and the Empowerment Plan. They have been described in a press release sent out, and available on Madonna's official website (Madonna's Official Website), as "three extraordinary organizations that have already begun to bring hope and change to the city," the Detroit Free Press reported.
Madonna had visited these organizations in early June last month; Madonna's representative stated that she wanted to reconnect with her hometown.
Madonna's investment could foster further nationwide support for Detroit. Other films like the most recent "Transformers: Age Of Extinction," filmed most of their scenes in the city area, could also boost the economy. As of now, Detroit has been recovering from the largest "municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history," Rolling Stone Magazine reported.
In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Madonna remembered her years living in Detroit. One of the most lasting impressions that she had was the music in the African-American neighborhood. For Madonna, it was Motown, specifically Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and the Jackson 5.
Later in Madonna's high school days, she and her family had moved to a middle-class suburb made up of mainly white people. For her, there was no more house parties, no more music blaring, as a result she felt disconnected. Rather than feel estranged, Madonna says she created her own world, "I was aware of the power of music at that point," Madonna said, Rolling Stone Magazine reported.
Madonna's time in Detroit impacted and inspired her enough to come back and help her community. In a statement Madonna says: "I was deeply inspired by the efforts of so many people who I met who have dedicated themselves to helping the kids and adults in Detroit elevate themselves from the cycle of poverty. I have seen the results their commitment and hard work have already accomplished."
A large portion of Madonna's investment is expected to go towards a new facility for the Downtown Youth Boxing Gym; this gym serves 65 young people that offers both after-school boxing and mentoring.
The Detroit Achievement Academy is expected to receive equipment in art supplies, and music gear. The Detroit Achievement Academy is a developing charter school located in the city's northwest side, the Detroit Free Press reported.
The Empowerment Plan will gain funding in order to train three seamstresses, this organization teaches homeless women in job skills, while at the same time they create coats that function as sleeping bags for homeless people.
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