Meek Mill gave an early Christmas present to 26 kids affected by the criminal justice system in his hometown of Philadelphia on Wednesday night when he treated them to the 76ers’ home NBA game against the Miami Heat.
“I am one of those kids, so I know what it means to be in those types of situations,” Mill told Billboard. “It’s fun for me, too.”
The purpose of the event was to help raise awareness of the mission of the Reform Alliance. Meek, who served time in prison from 2017 to 2018 on a parole violation is co-chairman of the reform organization that lobbies for changes to state probation and parole laws.
76ers co-owner Michael Rubin arranged for the free tickets and a visit with the team’s coach, Doc Rivers. “We want to give them the day of a lifetime,” Rubin said. “At the same time, to be frank, we want to bring attention to this issue.”
Mill said children are often innocent victims when their parents are sent to prison for minor probation violations.
“I ain’t really have anyone to change my life at a young age,” the 34-year-old rapper noted. “I’m just one of the lucky ones. If I could help one person, they ask me about helping a million people at Reform, but if I could help one person, that’s enough for me.”
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