Two Rhode Island charities, Upward Bound and Segue Institute for Learning, receive the check from the 'Iron Lady' star the morning after she beat Davis for Best Actress title at 2012 Academy Awards.
- Feb 29, 2012
AceShowbiz - Meryl Streep is paying tribute to her strong contender at the 84th Annual Academy Awards, Viola Davis. Fresh off her Best Actress win on Sunday, February 26, the actress portraying Margaret Thatcher on "The Iron Lady" made a $20,000 donation to two Rhode Island charities close to Davis' heart.
Upward Bound, a program housed at Rhode Island College, and Segue Institute for Learning, a local charter school which faces closure, each received a check for $10,000 from the three-time Oscar winner the morning after she won over Davis for the title. Both donations were sent via her organization, the Silver Mountain Foundation for the Arts.
Upward Bound's director Mariam Z. Boyajian confirmed Streep's donation on Tuesday, February 28. She told TheWrap that it was the largest donation in the organization's history. Also claiming to have received the donation was Angelo Garcia, the founder and director of operations at Segue Institute. "We've just been screaming from the rooftops," he shared to Reuters.
Garcia revealed that the public building where the school is located is set to be sold due to financial difficulties in Central Falls. If the school doesn't purchase the building for $1.2 million within the next 12-13 weeks, it'll have to move to another location. Of the donation, he said, "We're excited Meryl Streep has gotten the ball rolling for us, but we recognize there's a long road ahead of us."
