The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation has been succesful in past years, organizing camps in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and many other cities, and providing mentors to young boys who don’t have any male examples to look up to.
To raise money for these camps, I’ve done what a lot of celebrities do to raise money for their respective foundations…organizing Galas
After Miss Universe…to be honest with you, I was really down. I was getting death threats, man. And I was in a really bad place. I knew I couldn’t stay in that place. On Christmas Day, I decided to put my twist on it and turn this whole thing around. After my “Merry Easter, y’all” post, I really began to understand the power of social media and how it can change perceptions. At that same time, my social media team, Auteur87, released a behind-the-scenes video of something I do every day. I tell my live audience after taping each episode to JUMP.
57 Million people watched this video on Facebook alone, and 90,000 people have liked it on Twitter. So, something I do every day went viral and inspired millions? It was then I began to realize that I could change lives using social media doing what I do on a day-to-day basis.
Auteur87 had been experimenting with live video on Facebook, Periscope and YouTube and using new technologies such as Switcher Pro (which allows us to stream to YouTube with several iPhones acting as separate cameras) and I began to realize we could raise money and awareness for the foudation and talk directly to the people using these technologies. That’s how the Charity Ride was born.
I’m spending four weeks during my radio show in the morning working out nonstop for four hours a day, alternating between the treadmill, elliptical machine and stationary bike during the live broadcast of The Steve Harvey Morning Show, and I’m live-streaming it all on Facebook, Periscope, and on my personal site, IAmSteveHarvey.com.
Now, I’m not the biggest fan of social media. It’s rare that I’ll post or even take a selfie, but I’ve got to tip my hat to a new generation of millenials who are using these platforms to spread positivity. Guys such Charlamagne Tha God and Kevin Hart are two titans in this area, and they’ve really shown their support for this cause in particular…both not only taking time out of their schedules to call in during my morning show and donate, but these guys and other celebrities such as George Lopez, Deon Cole, and T.I. have all inspired me with their words to keep going.
I’m halfway through the four weeks of the ride, and to be honest with you. It ain’t easy. Most days I wish I had never came up with this idea. My legs feel like spaghetti and my whole body aches when I’m done. After a break I turn around and tape two to three episodes of my talk show or Family Feud. Though my body wants me to quit, I remeber something my father always told me, “As a man, if you say you’re going to do something, you gotta do it.”
So far, we’ve raised over $400,000, but if I reach my goal of $1 million, I’ll be able to effectively quadruple the amount of boys I can bring to my camp.
Anything worth doing, usually ain’t going to be easy, but I’m dedicated to these boys and doing everything I can to leave a legacy of care for our youth. I’ve got faith my body is going to hold up and, like I always say, “faith don’t make it easy, faith just makes it possible.”
I never had an aspiration to be an inspirational person but I have always asked God to make me a relevant person in my own way. I don’t want to be a cat that when I die, ain’t nobody tripping.
You know, there are three thing on a person’s tombstone when they die: There’s the birthdate, there’s a dash and there’s the date of your demise. Let me tell you something, when you die, they’re not going to talk about your birthdate, they’re not going to talk about the day you died. The biggest conversation will be about that dash — that little dash. That’s the life you lived. That dash will determine who you are. I’m trying to get the most out of this thing called life not only for me but for young men who didn’t have a father like my own, showing them the principles of manhood.
To donate now you can text STEVE to 91999 and to learn more about my Charity Ride visit www.iamsteveharvey.com/
— S.H.
