On Thursday, November 17th the Bus Stops Here Foundation celebrated the 15th Annual Caring for Kids Gala at Acrisure Stadium. The ultimate goal of the event is to acknowledge the philanthropic work of the foundation and to raise money for underprivileged inner-city youth. For the past 25 years, the foundation has been dedicated to improving the overall quality of life for troubled and underprivileged inner-city youth by providing financial resources, educational and recreational programs and mentoring to assist youth in learning to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy choices. 

This year, we honored two very incredible nonprofits who’ve made a huge impact in their communities. Joey Porter and his wife, Christy Porter, were given the Humanitarian Award for their work with the inner city youth at the Jasmine Nyree Campus and Najee Harris was given the Courage Award for the adversity he faced while being homeless for most of his childhood. 

Joey and Christy Porter were inspired to start the campus when their daughter, Jasmine Nyree, was born with autism. This led the Porter’s to the passion of serving families and the special needs communities. The Jasmine Nyree Campus is a multi-service center designed to address multiple needs including: residential, recreational, educational, and more. The Porter’s first launched this program in California. They have several locations that have been operating for over 15 years. The Porter’s launched their Pittsburgh location in December 2019 and have plans to expand it in the near future. What the Porters have accomplished in the city of Pittsburgh over the last few years is truly an inspiration to so many. 

Najee Harris spent most of his childhood living at the Greater Richmond (California) Interfaith Program (GRIP). This was the last of several shelters Harris and his family stayed in during his childhood, a time when they faced multiple evictions and a stint living in a van at Golden Gate Park. Najee started Da’ Bigger Picture Foundation in 2021 with the focus to serve families just like his. The foundation will provide tools and assistance to families facing challenging times. He is a caring, giving person on and off the field and has helped his community in various ways. 

A very special thank you to all of our amazing sponsors, guests, and volunteers for making it such an incredible night. Your support helps us to continue to make an impact on Pittsburgh’s inner-city youth. Without you, none of this would be possible.