After ABC interview, Shania Twain gets philanthropic at a Las Vegas elementary school
- Caesars Entertainment
- Oct 22, 2013
- 2 min read
From rags to riches
Shania Twain’s life wasn’t always so glamorous. Before she rocketed to the top of country (and then pop) charts in the ’90s, her rocky, scarring childhood nearly derailed her musical ambitions. After overcoming such adversity, the country icon promised herself she’d give back to those less fortunate. Today, the Colosseum’s country headliner kicked off the first ever Las Vegas SKC Clubhouse of the Shania Kids Can Foundation, which has partnered with The Public Education Foundation of Nevada to assist at-risk students with everything from academic help to mentoring, food and supplies to aid them in leading successful lives. As the charitable songstress was on hand at the grand opening at Tom Williams Elementary School in North Las Vegas, she spoke to some of the children who will benefit from her activism. Twain is currently in town for the fall leg of her “Shania: Still the One” resident show at The Colosseum, which recently added extra performance dates.
Making a difference
“As I began my residency here in Las Vegas, I knew that this is where I should introduce a new program to give back to this wonderful community that has welcomed me with open arms and made me feel so at home,” said Twain. “The children at Tom Williams Elementary are special indeed and watching the development and growth of these children into motivated, high-achieving members of our community will be one of my greatest achievements.” Twain endured poverty and family instability in her youth and has long given back to help aid these causes.
“Looking back at my childhood, I realize that my disadvantages, whether they were due to not having a supportive environment or due to a lack of financial resources, created a lack of self-confidence and insecurity in me, causing me to withdraw and be less social than my classmates. I promised myself early on in my childhood that I would help kids just like myself cope with their disadvantages and prosper in spite of those challenges. The Shania Kids Can Foundation is fulfilling that promise.”
A celebrity weekend
The appearance comes after a superstar weekend at her Caesars Palace show. Robin Roberts of “Good Morning America” joined Twain on stage for her campfire segment, where she regularly brings up fans from the audience and has them join her in an acoustic sing-a-long. Being that Roberts has now fully recovered from her bone marrow transplant, Twain sang “Come On Over” and her anthem “Today Is Your Day” as Vegas entertainers Carrot Top and Mark Shunock watched from the audience.
While in town, Roberts taped a revealing sit-down interview segment with her set to air on ABC Primetime’s “In the Spotlight” country music special on Nov. 5 in advance of the following night’s Country Music Awards. Twain is also set to appear on “Ellen” on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
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