Shadow Play Entertainment and its partners in literacy are pleased to announce that
Georgette Cardenas, Robert Smith, Poprah, Boris "Can Do" Kuperman, Kendra Haffoney, Andrew Long, Stefanie Sitzer and Deon Sams from the hit
VH1 reality show I WANT TO WORK FOR DIDDY have formerly endorsed the
Hiphop and Books Literacy Campaign.
"They are all respectable individuals who are making a difference," says
Hiphop and Books Founder Cyrus A. Webb,33, about the individuals.
"I am glad to have them support our cause as we travel the country encouraging lovers of music to read more and pass on the knowledge they get from books." Webb began the initiative with platinum-selling recording artist
Corey "C-Murder" Miller in April 2008 and since then the two have been active promoting reading across the country through forums, family-friendly concerts and meet and greets. To date over $5,000 books have been given away at events.
When Webb became aware of the show
I WANT TO WORK FOR DIDDY he reached out to the candidates, and the response was overwelming.
"They were more than happy to use their celebrity for such an important cause," Webb said.
Georgette Cardenas had this to say about why she joined the project:
"In the world we live in today with so many kids growing up in single parent homes or just having so much exposure to the media it is highly important for recording artists to try and be positive role models for children and young adults who look up to them. Reading is definitely a topic that they should highlight in their work. Reading builds vocabulary, helps with spelling and exercises the brain. If the individuals that are in the spotlight emphasize the importance of it to our children and young adults who want to be like them, then without a doubt reading amongst the youth would be more popular. I think that being blessed with talent and being able to be an artist comes with the responsibility of educating and trying to impact the life of others in a positive manner." Robert Smith agreed with this statement:
"I'm proud to be a supporter of the hip hop and books literacy campaign. As a child growing up in the midwest, my best friend was the library, and it was the vocabulary and fundamentals that I learned from reading that have helped me to succeed in life. My love of reading has extended beyond school and college into my adult life, and to this day I still try to read at least one book per month because I continue to believe it keeps my mind sharp. I'm fully in support of this program because it seeks to build a much-needed bridge between the hip hop community and the literary community, and I think it's great that we have a program that is encouraging the community to read material that we can connect with from authors who share our voice. There's a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips, and any program that is dedicated to bringing that message to the masses is more than worth my time as well as yours."Boris "CAN DO" Kuperman had this to say:
"I am happy to throw my full support and weight behind the hip hop and books literacy campaign. As most of my fans know I was not exactly a bookworm growing up. As a result I struggled with the educational opportunities ignoring those opportunities because of my difficulty with reading. I soon recognized that the key to my future success would lie in literacy. The hip hop books and literacy campaign provides a bridge for those of us who are struggling to understand the importance of literacy and life. If I could help through my participation in this program another person avoid the problems I had, I would feel that I have made a worthwhile contribution to the betterment of another persons life."Hiphop and Books has gotten support from independent and nationally recognized recording artists, online and print magazines as well as authors from across the country. To learn more about
Hiphop and Books, visit
http://www.hiphopandbooks.com.
To find out more about the candidates from
I WANT TO WORK FOR DIDDY, visit
http://bloggingiwanttoworkfordiddy.blogspot.com.
Interested in joining the coalition or have questions about how you can help? Contact Cyrus A. Webb at 601.896.5616 or via email at cawebb4@juno.com.
