Atlanta’s own Chris “Ludacris” Bridges is in the holiday spirit. At age 45, he is now considered a legendary hip-hop star, a heralded actor and entrepreneur.
And via his Ludacris Foundation, he joined Mercedes-Benz and the 30-year-old nonprofit Shoes That Fit to give away 600 brand new Adidas and Nike sneakers to the children at Lenora P. Miles Intermediate Elementary School last week in Atlanta. Another 600-plus shoes were given to students at Michael R. Hollis Innovation Academy.
“When kids get new shoes and clothes, it’s shown they do better in school and feel better about themselves,” Ludacris said in a brief interview outside the school Wednesday. “I call it Luda-Christmas. I always find things to do with Mercedes to give back to my city.” He said he was thrilled to see how excited the students were walking back to class after receiving their shoes.
His charitable goal is to do things that are memorable. “Hopefully there is a butterfly effect that what we do today will inspire someone to do something great that otherwise wouldn’t have happened,” he said. “Boosting their morale and spirits is a gift in and of itself.”
Over the past 20 years, his foundation has given away tens of thousands of dollars worth of goods and services to needy families in the area.
Credit: Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz U
Credit: Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz U
And he has a busy year ahead. He will be honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in May 2023 when “Fast X” comes out and he reprises his role as Tej Parker. He also just finished shooting Disney+ holiday movie “Dashing Through the Snow,” in Atlanta. The film, which comes out next year, also stars Lil Rel Howery and Teyonah Parris.
Ludacris also gave me the scoop on who he is touring with in 2023: Janet Jackson. They will be at State Farm Arena April 27.
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