Alicia Keys Donates Musical Instruments to Her Alma Mater

Alicia Keys returned to her alma mater on Tuesday (Nov. 1) to give back what the school had once given to her -- an instrument and a dream. The R&B songbird surprised students during her visit at the Professional Performing Arts school in New York and donated musical instruments to the institution.

“As a proud graduate of the Professional Performing Arts School, I thought about the students there who are in desperate need of new musical equipment to help them learn their craft,” stated Keys. “Because right now, my alma mater is underfunded and oversubscribed -- and I hope to make this better for them, so they can follow their dreams."

In addition, Keys also launched her "World of Betters" initiative with Western Union to help others pursue their creative ideas. As part of the campaign, people can enter an online contest and share how they would spend a $1,000 "to make the world a better place." The contest will end on Dec. 15 with the winner receiving a $1,000 check to complete their goal.

"As the co-founder of Keep a Child Alive, I constantly see that there are so many ways the world can be made a better place," said Keys. "That’s why I’m so excited to work on the 'World of Betters' initiative and I know for a fact, that there are so many people out there with amazing ideas that can show how even a small change, can make a big impact.”

For more information, head over to World of Betters.