Oprah gives $500,000 to high school after-school program
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Oprah Winfrey announced she's giving $500,000 to an initiative at a New Jersey high school that's aimed at keeping kids off the streets.
Principal Akbar Cook's "Lights On" program keeps West Side High School in Newark open on Friday nights from 6 p.m. to midnight. WPVI-TV reports kids can play basketball, shoot pool, play video games or even use a recording studio.
Winfrey's gift will help the program operate three nights a week over the summer. She told hundreds of cheering students Friday during a surprise visit that she was inspired by "all of the great things that are happening here."
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Cook garnered headlines last fall for installing washing machines so students who couldn't afford to wash their clothes wouldn't miss school because they were being bullied for wearing dirty clothes.