Ludacris recently helped out a father-daughter duo in the most heartwarming way.
During a recent appearance on “The Ellen Show” with host Ellen DeGeneres, the rapper surprised Jay’Aina “Jay Jay” Patton and her father Antoine with a donation of $10,000 toward their Photo Patch company.
Their app Photo Patch allows children of incarcerated parents to send pictures and letters to their loved ones. According to their site’s mission statement, “Photo Patch understands that ‘preserving and strengthening family connections can yield constructive benefits in the form of reduced recidivism, less inter-generational criminal justice system involvement and the promotion of healthy child development.’ ”
Photo Patch has reportedly “connected over 30,000 youth to their incarcerated parents.” Seemingly by using the Photo Patch app, children can “upload the photos, type a message, and press send” and the organization will “print and ship FOR FREE!” according to their bio section on Instagram.
The “Stand Up” rapper, whose real name is Christopher Brian Bridges, told the pair he fell in love with the work the two have been doing and later revealed that he, too, has “family members that are incarcerated – all they ever ask for are pictures.”
He continued, “You guys are connecting the world. I have my own foundation that helps facilitate dreams for young ladies like yourself,” before presenting the huge check. “This is from my foundation, the Ludacris Foundation, to you guys. … You are the future, 100 percent,” he added.
However, Jay’Aina is doing more than just connecting families. She is also using her resources to help Black women get into the tech industry. “Right now I’m on a mission to help 10,000 girls of color get into the world of tech and start their career path,” she told viewers.
“Just for me, there’s not much representation of people who look like me in the world of tech, and I know other little girls want to get into this world, but they don’t see that they can do it,” she continued.
Jay’Aina is focused on diversifying the industry and is using her platform to do so. “I want to be that guide and help them do it — and just start them off with their career,” she explained. “I actually have a scholarship fund as well that we’re raising awareness for to help these women and girls start their career and just let them know that they can do it.”
In addition to Ludacris’ donation, host DeGeneres matched the rapper’s gift and gave $10,000 as well.
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