#WeAreUnstoppable – My Night At The 6th Annual Unstoppable Gala
Last weekend, I attended the Unstoppable Foundation’s 6th annual Gala at the Hyatt Regency in Century City, hosted by Malcolm-Jamal Warner. The Gala honored the great NFL quarterback from the Houston Oilers, Warren Moon. If you aren’t aware of The Unstoppable Foundation, prepare yourself to be blown away. UF is one of the few organizations that I’m aware of, that takes a truly holistic approach to eliminating poverty in some of the poorest places on earth.
What’s unique about these guys, is that they don’t address poverty from one angle – say workforce development, or clean water – but they attack the issue by implementing their ‘five pillar model’ that encompasses EDUCATION, ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER & SANITATION, FOOD & NUTRITION, HEALTHCARE, and EDUCATION FOR PARENTS TO EARN AN INCOME. Their “Sponsor A Village” program is innovative and inspired, and in my opinion, changes the way we should be looking at making a difference around the world. Here’s a bit from their website:
Education is more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. Sponsor a Village – The Unstoppable Solution for Sustainable Education™ is based on the 5-Pillar development model that incorporates everything crucial to lifting communities from poverty and removing obstacles to educating children. This model recognizes that no problem and no solution stand alone.
Each pillar provides vital support to facilitate and sustain community development. The Unstoppable Foundation’s proven model not only builds schools, but provides the entire community with access to clean water and sanitation, food and nutrition, healthcare, and alternative income training for parents.
The five pillar model is designed so everything is owned and maintained by the community, and the project is completely self-sustaining within five years of the completed implementation.
I spent a bit of time with Cynthia Kersey on the red carpet – the Chief Humanitarian Officer of the Unstoppable Foundation who absolutely floors me. She’s a bestselling author of two books, “Unstoppable” and “Unstoppable Women,” a collection of powerful stories and strategies from people who through perseverance and consistent action, turned obstacles into personal triumph. The woman is a force of nature, and I can’t wait to spend more time with her in exploring how I can be of service.
Click HERE to learn more about The Unstoppable Foundation!
Alright, so now for some pretty cool pics! Of course, being from Texas, I was’t going to miss an opportunity to meet Warren Moon and discuss how we might collaborate on some youth empowerment initiatives. If you don’t know, Warren has been active in the community for years. It was great to see him being honored.
I also had the chance to meet a man I feel like I grew up with. Yep, Theo Huxtable 😉 Malcolm-Jamal Warner carries a spirit that really shines. VERY cool meeting him. We talked a bit about my Project:NOW Initiative I launched at The Clinton Global Initiative, as well as my film work with Lionsgate, that carves out a portion of revenue for charity. Looking forward to seeing what we can do together.
Lastly, I spent quite a bit of time with the one and only, Don King. I’ve got to say, the man is fascinating. We were seated together at our table, and 1 and half hours later… my mind was blown, LOL.
Oh, and by the way… VERY cool to see an actor I’ve admired forever, the great Edward James Olmos. Awesome to see him out sharing in the evening, and supporting this incredible organization.
So there it is! #WeAreUnstoppable – And please don’t forget to hop over to The Unstoppable Foundation to find out more about the work they’re doing, and how you can get involved. Until next time – I’ll leave ya with a little James 😉