Last weekend, platinum selling, Grammy Award nominated artist and former Temple student Jill Scott was present at Kiehls, a beauty shop located at on Walnut Street, to promote her newly established Blues Babe foundation, a program founded to help young minority boys and girls finance their way through college.
“This is awesome and feels good,” said Scott. “The big overall goal for me personally is that 30 years from now, over 400 students will be affected by this.”
According to a press release, The Blues Babe Foundation will provide financial support to students between the ages of 16-21 whose families “may not have the resources to ensure completion of their undergraduate degrees.” The foundation will focus on students residing in Philadelphia, Camden and the greater Delaware Valley.
Scott has already donated $100,000 to help jump-start the foundation.
The foundation was named after Scott’s grandmother because of the bluish tint in her brown complexion. For Scott, the name serves as a “reminder that multigenerational solutions to community problems not only link past to present, but can provide a roadmap for future success.”
Scott realizes the struggle of supporting oneself during school. Being born and raised in North Philadelphia, Scott attended Temple University while working two jobs. She had to drop out after her junior year when she ran out of money.
Scott said that she wanted to finish school, but she couldn’t, and the foundation will give money to students who are well working and who are facing the impossible and wanting achieve a dream.
“Sometime students need help, and we are there to provide that,” she said.
In addition, Scott said that when it comes to the selection process, “grades are very important. I will like to meet the student and see if they have drive and determination, and from there, we will see how we can help.”
The Blues Babe Foundation has already made an impact on the lives of students. In the spring of 2003, the Blues Babe Foundation made a donation of over $60,000 to the graduating class of the Creative Arts School in Camden. Any student who maintains a 3.2 GPA will receive a yearly stipend for the next three years that will be put toward his college education.
For more information on the foundation, visit bluesbabefoundation.org.
Jonathan Vann can be reached at jvann@temple.edu.
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