All proceeds from recent Whittier College graduate Charlie Marie Lyons’ ’19 latest music video, Change, will support the construction of a new school for a low-income community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The singer-songwriter’s original single and video is inspired by the humanitarian work of NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo. For nearly 25 years, Mutombo has worked to improve healthcare, disease prevention, and education in his homeland, the DRC. Mutombo’s latest project is the construction of a primary school in a region where over 240,000 children have no access to formal education.
Lyons will donate all revenue from her latest single and music video toward the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation’s construction of a new school outside Mbuji-Mayi, DRC. Upon opening in October 2021, the Samuel Mutombo Institute of Science and Entrepreneurship will welcome 440 children into its classrooms.
“The only way to change the world is to contribute selflessly,” said Lyons in a recent press release. “I wanted to identify a story of hope that will encourage restoration and prove that focus and unity can go a long way to achieving constructive change.”
Lyons and the Mutombo Foundation plan a long-term relationship to support the school, which will include a “Change” classroom, named after Lyons’ song and devoted to music and art.
