Debbie Gibson, a contestant on this season’s The Celebrity Apprentice on NBC, won $50,000 on this week’s episode on behalf of her charity of choice, Children International, a U.S.-based humanitarian organization.
Children International president and CEO Jim Cook said, “Children International is ecstatic about Debbie Gibson’s big win! Her donation will help us bring lasting hope to children in India living in dire poverty.”
Gibson’s winnings didn’t come easy. She volunteered as project manager to lead her team in creating a live launch event for the new Buick Verano. A heated boardroom concluded with Gibson’s team winning the task and the prize money for charity.
“We won! It was intense. But throughout the difficult moments of the challenge I kept connecting with the poor mothers and the children I met in the Philippines. If the mothers can live in the level of poverty they live in, then I can make through the stress of the show in order to help them,” said Gibson.
The Celebrity Apprentice is a reality television show where the celebrity contestants work in two teams, each under the guidance of a designated project manager, to compete in business-driven tasks around New York City, using their fame, along with their proven business acumen, to win challenges.
With her winnings, Gibson will help Children International build a community center to serve 5,000 poor children in New Delhi, India. The community center will include a medical and dental clinic, pharmacy, library, computer lab and playground. The center will allow impoverished children to receive much-needed health care and educational support they would not otherwise have.
Gibson, who is the youngest artist ever to write, produce and perform a number one hit, has been a supporter of the U.S.-based humanitarian organization since 1990. Currently, she helps support 7-year-old Helen, her mother and five siblings living in a cemetery in Manila, Philippines. Helen and her family guard a cemetery crypt, and live on less than $11 a month. With Gibson’s help, Helen and her siblings now receive medical and dental care and attend school.
Children International’s programs provide medical and dental care, educational support and health education to impoverished children and youth, some whose families live on less than $1.25 a day.
