Inspiring Nonprofit Founder Gets a Huge Surprise — and So Does Jennifer Hudson!
December 10, 2024
Sponsored by L.O.L. Surprise! | It’s not every day Jennifer Hudson is the one receiving a huge surprise on “The Jennifer Hudson Show”!
Jennifer was blown away by an unexpected gift from toy brand L.O.L. Surprise! — but first, JHud welcomed nonprofit founder Laura Williams from Los Angeles, California, to the show to hear how she’s empowering foster youth — and to give her a huge surprise.
At just 26 years old, Laura is the CEO and founder of Just Who I Am, an organization dedicated to supporting foster youth through mentorship, tutoring, after-school care, and counseling services.
This past year, Laura was able to open a youth center, which allowed her to host workshops and community events. Since its launch in 2018, Just Who I Am has helped close to 500 foster kids!
“There’s so many obstacles that they don’t know they can overcome,” she told Jennifer of why she has dedicated her life to helping foster youth. “No matter what situation you were born into, you can overcome it.”
Laura is a former foster child herself, and having spent her childhood moving through the foster care system, she has firsthand knowledge of the struggles foster youth face.
Laura was adopted at age 10 by a loving family. At 24, she met a 17-year-old high school student named Saaliyah who was on the brink of entering the foster system. Though she was only in her early 20s and just seven years older than Saaliyah, Laura decided to adopt her and give her a home and family.
Laura is constantly fundraising on behalf of her nonprofit and is currently looking for donations, including toys, to give away to the foster youth in her program for the holiday season.
Inspired by Laura’s story and the incredible work she’s doing on behalf of foster youth, L.O.L. Surprise! donated $25,000 worth of their toys to Just Who I Am!
Next, it was JHud’s time to be surprised!
L.O.L. Surprise! gave the host a shock when they announced that they would be donating another $25,000 in toys to the charity of Jennifer’s choice.
That’s a total of $50,000 in toys for kids this holiday season. Thank you, L.O.L. Surprise!
L.O.L. Surprise! first came out in 2016 with a new way to unbox toys and deliver surprises. Unwrap multiple layers to reveal unique characters, features, styles, and surprises to unlock your kids’ imaginations!
L.O.L Surprise! wants to help kids feel like kids. Allowing kids to play, express themselves, use their imaginations, and dream is a powerful thing to be able to do.
Browse their collection of dolls and more by visiting the L.O.L. Surprise! official site.
Find out more about Just Who I Am and how to donate or support foster youth by visiting justwhoiam.org.
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