In March, Chicago based businessman and philanthropist, Willie Wilson announced he would be sending $100 to 10,000 people who have recently lost their job due to COVID-19.
Wilson has a rags-to-riches life story that began when he left his humble Louisiana home at age 13 with only a seventh-grade education. He went from earning 20 cents an hour in cotton and sugar cane fields to founding Omar Medical Supplies Inc., a business that distributes gloves and protective clothing to restaurant chains, governmental institutions, and hotels.
He has donated hundreds of thousands of masks to Sinai Health System and 22 other community organizations, 20,000 to Jackson Park Hospital, 10,000 to the Westside NAACP, 50,000 to the Chicago Transit Authority and 10,000 for correctional officers at the Cook County Jail.
He also has given masks to ministers and aldermen to hand out in the community and donated others to senior citizen facilities.
“Folks are anxious. Folks are afraid, and their future is uncertain. We’re all in this together. So, we must pull together. [In] just a small way I can help bridge the gap until the government steps up and does what’s right, quickly, for those in need. I am blessed to be able to do it,” Wilson said in a statement.
Per the Willie Wilson Foundation website, “We have exhausted our funding for this $1 Million Dollar Giveaway. If you would like to be considered for our next event, please continue to register. ”
To learn more about his next event, visit the Willie Wilson Foundation website.
-Tony O. Lawson
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