Principal Akbar Cook has made a huge difference in the Newark, New Jersey community, and his efforts caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey! Turns out, Lady O made a surprise visit to West Side High School Friday night…and donated half a million dollars to help keep Cook’s “Lights On” program running.
What’s that? Cook first made headlines last year for adding laundry room to his New Jersey school after learning many students skipped classes because they were bullied for not having clean clothes. More recently, Cook went viral again for his “Light On” program, which keeps students off the street by giving them a safe place to hang out (every Friday night until 11pm).
While there, kids can shoot pool, play video games, shoot hoops, practice cheers or even lay down tracks in a recording studio. Apparently, when Oprah what was “on” she make the $500k donation AND gifted the students with Shop Rite gift cards. She also and hosted a pizza party with her O, That's Good!” line of pizza. The funds will help the program keep running through the summer.
Source: CBS News