ENTERTAINMENT

Beyonce helps raise more than $80K for Flint charity

The singer performs Tuesday at Ford Field, and members of her team presented a check to help benefit the city on Monday

Adam Graham
The Detroit News

Ahead of her concert at Ford Field on Tuesday, Beyonce is making good on her promise to help victims of Flint’s water crisis.

Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment presented the United Way of Genesee County with a check for $82,234 on Monday, Beyonce’s reps have announced. The money is to aid in the efforts of residents who continue to deal with the city’s tainted water supply.

In addition, 14 Detroit-area high school students were chosen to receive “college gifts” to help with their educational expenses, according to a release from Beyonce’s team. Students were also given tickets to Tuesday’s concert.

Beyoncé’s Ford Field concert: What you need to know

The funds were raised by fans of the singer, who were given the option to contribute to the Flint fund when purchasing tickets for Beyonce’s tour.

The Flint initiative was revealed in April by Beyonce’s team, when it was announced Bey’s Ford Field concert would include an event that will “serve as a celebration of the resourcefulness of the people of Flint and Detroit, Michigan.”

The Detroit concert is one of three cities on the singer’s tour to feature a “signature charity event” component, along with tour stops in Houston and Los Angeles.

Royal Oak-based fundraising website CrowdRise was a part of the initiative, and those who donated money through the site qualified for an opportunity to win VIP tickets to Beyonce’s tour.

Chime for Change, a global fundraising and awareness campaign that promotes education, health and justice for girls, and Global Citizen, a platform that promotes campaigns that aim to bring change to the world, will both have a presence at the Detroit concert

The North American leg of Beyonce’s 23-date Formation wraps with Tuesday’s Detroit concert. The tour heads to Europe later this month and touches back down in North America in September.

agraham@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2284

@grahamorama