City of Chicago Partners with Ne-Yo’s Compound Foundation
 Photos by Steed Media Service |
Grammy winning singer-songwriter Ne-Yo recently made a new friend in Chicago — Mayor Richard Daley. The mayor honored the crooner and his Compound Foundation for their work to support children in the child welfare system and bring awareness to issues they are presented with.
Hours before Ne-Yo was set to host a capacity crowd at the Chicago Theatre, he stood alongside Mayor Daley, who praised him for his philanthropic activities. “The city of Chicago and Ne-Yo’s Compound Foundation share a common goal — we both want to see a society where all children are safe, nurtured and supported,” Daley said. “Too often, it’s reported that young entertainers are not involved in communities that support their music.”
Mayor Daley, who is also highly respected for instituting successful outreach programs, expressed hope that the Compound Foundation, would benefit from their relationship with the Compound Foundation as the cities of Atlanta and Las Vegas have.
“[Ne-Yo] is an entertainer, he is a person who has a heart and a passion about not only his career and his profession, but most importantly, the children of America and the world,” he said, adding that he’d also like Ne-Yo to act as an ambassador for Chicago in their pursuit of the 2016 Olympic Games.
After praising Mayor Daley for his own community efforts, Ne-Yo explained the inspiration for his foundation. “I’ve been blessed beyond anything I could ever ask for within entertainment and to not give something back just didn’t make any sense to me,” Ne-Yo said. “My mom said that a blessing is yours, but you’re supposed to pass it on, so that’s what I’m doing, just passing the blessing on.”
–gavin philip godfrey
