Actor and comedian Chris Tucker may have been born in Atlanta, but it was nearby Stockbridge that celebrated him recently with a “Humanitarian Award.”
Tucker was honored Saturday for his Chris Tucker Foundation during Stockbridge’s 9th Annual African American Heritage Celebration.
The Chris Tucker Foundation is a non-profit that focuses on homeless outreach, scholarships for students and musical theater camp. The organization also offers a dream symposium whose objective is to “engage elementary, middle, and high school students in meaningful dialogue around goals, aspirations, and dreams,” according to the foundation’s website.
“These are the awards that count,” an emotional Tucker told the audience, saying that he was getting teary-eyed. “They mean the most to me.”
The annual heritage celebration is the brainchild of Stockbridge Mayor Pro Tem Alphonso Thomas, who called Tucker “super talented.”
"I always look forward to honoring those dynamic trailblazers of our society," Thomas said.
Tucker said the idea to start the foundation came from his mother Mary, for whom he bought a house in the Henry County city.
“That was that Rush Hour II money,” he joked, adding that he also felt Stockbridge is his home. “You know we black people, we take care of our mothers first.”
He also said helping others brought him as much satisfaction as it does those who receive his help.
“There is so much joy in giving,” he said. “God showed me ... this power of giving and blessing others.”
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