FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR- 324-03 November 13, 2003 MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND SEAN "P. DIDDY" COMBS ANNOUNCE $1 MILLION DONATION TO SUPPORT LIBRARIES AND TECHNOLOGY IN NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Donation to Fund for Public Schools is Half of Combs’ Overall $2 Million Contribution Raised from “Diddy Runs the City” to Benefit the Children of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today joined Sean “P. Diddy” Combs to announce a $1 million donation to support libraries and technology in New York City public schools. The funds were raised through ‘Diddy Runs the City’, an initiative by Sean Combs’ to raise awareness and solicit donations for children’s health and educational needs while training for the ING New York City Marathon. The donation to the Fund for Public Schools is half of Combs’ overall $2 Million contribution to the children of New York City. The Mayor and Mr. Combs were joined by Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and Chief Executive of the Department of Education’s Office of Strategic Partnerships Caroline Kennedy at a press conference at City Hall. “I’m honored to be able to present this gift to the children of New York and help continue to grow and nurture their future. I hope this initiative has shown that each individual has the power to make a difference and I urge others to do what they can to better their communities,” Sean “P. Diddy” Combs said. Today’s donation to the Fund for Public Schools will fund new books, furniture, equipment and computers for a number of New York City public middle schools and high schools. Schools receiving support include IS 218 in East New York; IS 164 in Washington Heights; and Tito Puente Complex JHS 117 in East Harlem and JHS 258 in Bedford Stuyvesant, as well as other schools. As part of the effort, Sean Combs also visited two of the schools to speak to students about the importance of education and staying in school. A total of $2 million raised during “Diddy Runs the City” will be distributed among three organizations including Children’s Hope Foundation, Daddy’s House Social Programs and New York City’s public schools. “As we implement the most sweeping educational reforms in our City's history, we must enlist the help of all New Yorkers to help transform our schools," Chancellor Klein said. "I thank Sean Combs for his commitment to improving public education, as well as the many others who have contributed their energy and resources, and encourage everyone to join our mission to provide a quality education for New York City's 1.1 million public school children.” Anyone who wishes to get involved in supporting New York City’s public schools should visit the Fund’s Web site www.fundforpublicschools.org or call 212-374-2874. MEDIA CONTACT: Edward Skyler / Robert Lawson (212) 788-2958 Jerry Russo (DOE) (212) 374-5141 Susan Makarichev (Sean Combs) (212) 981-5243 |
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