BrianBalthazarWendy Williams’ signature phrase may be ‘How you doin?’ – but make no mistake, she knows that the answer, for a lot of young kids (and adults for that matter) living today – is a complicated one. That may explain why she and her husband Kevin Hunter are working so hard to give back via their nonprofit group ‘The Hunter Foundation.’
“Starting a foundation is hard,’ she told me at her recent event at Bowlmor Lanes. “But we’ve been going at this for a few years now and it’s really getting better every year.”
The event on this cool November evening was teeming with children and families. Sponsored by Wendy and Kevin, she brought in many of her friends to help serve countless meals and provide free bowling and toys for all. But that’s just a small part of what they’re doing.
On top of her goal of serving two thousand meals, The Hunter Foundation already sponsors summer camps for children in need, drug rehabilitation programs serving adolescents and young women with children, and youth development programs for children in inner city communities. Her family services program provides food, clothing, shelter, or emergency assistance to families in need and supports programs serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender youth. (Click here for more.)
Williams understands how tough it can be growing up. “I had a very tortured childhood,” she once told ABC news. What she is doing now is an effort to help make lives for kids as much easier as she can.
Her “Summer Campership” is part of that effort. As a little girl, Wendy remembers the fun she had at summer camp. She learned how to swim, and enjoyed hiking, outdoor sports, and campfire songs. But more importantly she learned what it was like to be independent. Her Summer Campership program provides girls ages 10-16 a chance to experience the outdoors for 13 straight days. The foundation works with non-profit community-based organizations that qualify and refer girls who come from families that cannot afford to send their girl to camp.
In order to help all theses programs thrive, she’s asking for your help: From November 21st to January 3rd, The Hunter Foundation will be participating in the Newman’s Own Foundation $500,000 Holiday Challenge on CrowdRise.com. If they raise the most money during the entire challenge, The Hunter Foundation wins the grand prize of $150,000 Smaller cash prizes will be award to charities during weekly bonus challenges. Donors can support Wendy and The Hunter Foundation by CLICKING HERE.