Sean "P. Diddy" Combs may herald himself as a Bad Boy For Life, but he put forth his best effort November 2, 2003 when he ran the New York City Marathon to become a Bad Boy for Charity with a campaign entitled, "Diddy Runs the City" and motto of "Education. Health. Children."
Combs ran the marathon, all 26.2 miles of it, in order to raise $1 million dollars to be split between the Children's Hope Foundation, Daddy's House Social Programs and the public schools of New York City. Upon announcing his intention to run, this New York City native and dedicated resident stated: "I've set aside this event as a backdrop to use to raise money and awareness for three charities dedicated to improving the lives of New York City children." The Hip Hop mogul added: "Every child needs quality education and health care to train for the marathon of life." As the son of a single working mother, P. Diddy grew up with a tremendous work ethic and desire to achieve. "She was constantly pushing me. I feel like I was nurtured into wanting to be somebody special." His background appears to have influenced how he conducts himself and his many ventures; he wears the caps of musician, producer, label head, clothing designer, actor, and perhaps most importantly, activist.
After training for only two months, No. 30,792 achieved his goal of beating talk show host and fellow activist Oprah Winfrey's marathon time of 4:29:30 by completing the NYC marathon in 4:14:00. Diddy held pace of eight to nine minute miles for most of the race stopping to walk only briefly when cramps set in late in the race.
Before the race P. Diddy said, "If we get through it, it's telling those kids and everybody else to finish what you start, and you can do anything you put your mind to."
Recent education cuts have spurred fundraising activities among P. Diddy and other individuals such as Bill and Melinda Gates whose outreach efforts have been negotiated to directly impact specific causes. In P. Diddy's case, Michael Bloomberg, NYC's Mayor, has welcomed the donation to libraries and technology centers in NYC schools over the next six months.
In the past P. Diddy has supported fundraising efforts of Children's Hope Foundation and worked to secure computer donations. He has also been a champion of NYC schools and its children by supporting music in the schools and drawing national attention to budget cuts the Mayor was forced to make last year based on the city's financial situation.
His decision to run the marathon garnered a great degree of media support, and received sponsorship commitments from McDonald's, Nike, Foot Locker, Sean John, and MTV. Additionally, P. Diddy called out to his fans and to all audiences, asking for their support and contributions in working with the organizations. Other donors contributing to his efforts include: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, $10,000; rapper Jay-Z, $25,000; and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez $78,000.
P. Diddy will appear on Oprah Winfrey's nationally syndicated talk show November 3, 2003 to discuss his run and the charities benefiting from his fundraising. Later that night MTV will chronicle his marathon experience and charity work.
The next step is an implementation phase which will see libraries and technology centers built in New York City schools over the next 6 months. P. Diddy's staff will work with the Mayor's staff including Caroline Kennedy to ensure the libraries and tech centers are on schedule.
To learn more about P.Diddy's run or to help him reach his goal of raising one million dollars please visit Diddy Runs the City.
Make checks payable to:
Diddy Runs the City c/o DHSP Inc.
Mail to:
Diddy Runs the City
P.O. Box 332
New York, NY 10018-9998
Call:
1.877.RUN.DIDDY
1.877.786.34339
About the charities:
Daddy's House Social Programs was founded by Combs in 1995, and works to provide various learning outlets to inner city youth. Daddy's House Social Programs provides academic tutoring and life skills for more than 800 students every weekend, travel groups offering opportunity to learn about trade, culture, commerce, and international relations, sleep away camps for 200 children every summer in upstate New York, and Wall Street courses in order to teach the fundamentals of the stock market and financial skills.
The Children's Hope Foundation is a volunteer-driven organization working to improve the quality of life for children, youth and their families affected by HIV and AIDS by meeting their social and medical needs. Working in partnership with medical facilities and community-based organizations in the New York area, the Children's Hope Foundation responds with innovative and practical solutions to the unmet needs of the communities hardest hit by AIDS. Among the guiding principles, the Children's Hope Foundation lists effective collaborations with clinical and community partners, based on a process of ongoing dialogue, assessments and evaluations of needs and programs; activities geared towards enhancing the concept of family, recognizing that families are diverse and defined individually; and acting as a voice for children, youth, families and providers in the HIV community in the New York area, acting to raise awareness that HIV/AIDS impacts many communities locally, nationally, and globally. They can be found online at Children's Hope.
Donations made to the NYC Public Schools will be earmarked to upgrade libraries and will specifically support, among other things, books, technology and new furnishings. Over 60% of New York City students in grades 3 through 8 read below grade level, remarking greatly of their outdated and under-resourced learning environments. At the current rate based upon State Funding, it would take upwards of 20 years to acquire the amount of books needed to fill the libraries. Technology, books, periodicals, software and furniture are all in great demand in order to address this problem.
Diddy Runs the City Official Web site
RRL Charity Spotlight
A major part of popular music's legacy created in the last century is the support showed by numerous artists towards charities and causes they feel are important. This support has raised millions of dollars for charities worldwide, helped to raise awareness for several issues and promoted positive social change. The RRL recognizes these artist-supported charities and causes and will include information about them in the Rock & Roll Library as they speak directly to the richness of the legacy of popular music.
Copyright 2003 Rock & Roll Library All Rights Reserved. This article may not be published in whole or in part with out written authorization from the Rock & Roll Library.
