USHER - USHER & AKON HONOUR YOUNG PEOPLE IN NEW YORK

USHER & AKON HONOUR YOUNG PEOPLE IN NEW YORK

Stars including USHER, AKON and rap mogul RUSSELL SIMMONS were on hand to present special prizes to inspirational youngsters at the Do Something Awards in New York on Thursday night (04Jun09).
The ceremony at Manhattan's Apollo Theater honoured young people who have made outstanding contributions to society, and handed out community grants to those who deserved special recognition.
The recipients included a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) sufferer, 15-year-old Darius Weems, who has made a documentary to highlight the plight of other children affected by the genetic disease.
The night's overall winner was named as Maggie Doyne, 22, who set up a school and orphanage in Nepal.
And Usher was delighted to be a part of the emotional tributes, telling MTV.com, "Raw power is truly in service. You can make a difference. Every time that you experience some sort of change, it took labour. It took physical time to make a change."
And Akon, who has set up his own charitable foundation, added, "My main thing is always about the kids at the end of the day. That's why we even started the Konfidence Foundation - to create a better environment for the kids. This right here is the blessing of it. These are the reasons why I am who I am."