Following Jeff Bezos’s groundbreaking trip to the edge of space, the Amazon founder announced that he would be awarding millions to CNN contributor Van Jones and celebrity chef JosĂ© AndrĂ©s to give to the charities of their choice.
“Lauren and Jeff don’t do nothing small, man, they don’t do anything small, they just don’t do it. They dream big, they love big, and they bet big. And you bet on me, and I appreciate it,” said Jones at Tuesday’s presser.
“He said that he thought that my attempts to try to bring people together across party lines, across racial lines had been inspiring, and can I use some more support,” Jones said.
Founder of the criminal justice reform-oriented nonprofit Dream Corps, Jones said he plans to use the award money to help fund projects/organizations with a similar mission.
“You got people coming out of prisons, you have got people on reservations, you have got people in Appalachia, you have got people at the border, all people,” said Jones at the press conference. “This country is unbelievable what people are doing, and how much heart they have and how much love they have. They don’t care about these things we divide over sometime and they need more support. If we can connect them with more resources, it is going to make a big difference.”