Will Smith and
wife Jada Pinkett Smith will participate in Charles "Charlie Mack" Alston’s
3rd Annual Charlie Mack Celebrity Weekend, a series of charity events taking place
in Smith and Mack’s hometown of Philadelphia July 21-23.Mack,
a film producer and legendary Philadelphia promoter who has served as Smith’s
long time aide, will donate a portion of the proceeds of the "Charlie Mack
Party 4 Peace Celebrity Weekend" to various community based charity organizations,
including Mothers in Charge, a Philadelphia based nonprofit that supports women
who have lost loved ones to violent crimes, as well as Yesha Ministries."As
a native Philadelphian, I wanted to provide young people with a vehicle to interact
with today’s entertainment industry leaders, however, it was after the loss
of my two brothers that I saw an even greater need to create a fundraising benefit
to assist anti-violence organizations," Mack said. "I am proud and pleased
that the Will and Jada Pinkett Smith Foundation has joined in the efforts to stop
the violence and increase the peace in our great city of Philadelphia and that
the Smith’s are joining us in this year’s cause,” remarks Mack.
Rapper
Queen Latifah, Meagan Good (Waist Deep), Regina King (Ray), Tracy
Ellis Ross (Girlfriends), Duane Martin (All of Us), Allen Payne
(House of Payne), Tichina Arnold (Everybody Hates Chris), Cuttino
Mobley (Los Angeles Clippers), Flip Murray (Cleveland Cavaliers) and basketball
great Mark Jackson and others are among the confirmed list of celebrities slated
to attend the charity events.Mack,
who served as co-producer of the movie ATL, which stars rapper T.I., founded
the event over 15-years-ago as a yearly celebrity basketball game, but the event
soon evolved into a charitable benefit that raised money and awareness to deter
violent crimes in Philadelphia."It
is hard for me to get a grip on what is happening in the streets of Philadelphia,
the same streets that I grew up on and walk through," Will Smith stated.
"However, I do understand there is a different mind set today then when I
was raised so I feel compelled to do something. I am excited about illuminating
the positive’s of the weekend and have known Charlie Mack for a lot of years
and has seen how he has changed his life and become a shining example of the possibilities
of what Philadelphia can produce.”Mack’s
weekend begins of Friday, July 21 with the "Praise 4 Peace Gospel Concert"
and other events during the weekend include Saturday’s "Youth Day" featuring
Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, the Celebrity Gala, the 10th Annual Celebrity Basketball
Game and an official Mary J. Blige afterparty.For
more information visit CharlieMackCelebrityWeekend.com.