Musician Bruno Mars will donate $1 million to water crisis efforts in Flint, Michigan, according to local CBS affiliate WWL. The pop star made the announcement to a sold-out crowd in Auburn Hills, Michigan, located about 40 miles from Flint.
“I’m very thankful to the Michigan audience for joining me in supporting this cause,” Mars said in a statement to People following the show. “Ongoing challenges remain years later for Flint residents, and it’s important that we don’t forget our brothers and sisters affected by this disaster. As people, especially as Americans, we need to stand together to make sure something like this never happens in any community ever again.”
Flint’s water crisis arose in 2014 after the city’s water supply was changed from Lake Huron to another source to cut costs, anti-corrosive agents were not added to the water, exposing residents to lead and other toxins in the water supply, Bustle reports. Ongoing health issues have plagued the town since, including an eruption of Legionnaire’s disease that killed 12, CNN reports.
Mars’ donation will be to The Community Foundation of Greater Flint, aimed at assisting children in the area, as well as helping small and minority-owned businesses in the area.
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