A Bob short:
London, Ontario’s Bethesda Centre announced on Saturday that Canadian-born pop star Justin Bieber will donate a portion of the sales of his new single to its Save the Bethesda campaign. The Centre is a Salvation Army-run centre for teenage mothers that provides prenatal care and daycare services. Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, lived there when she was pregnant with him. The new song, “Turn to You,” was written for Mallette as a Mother’s day tribute.
The Bethesda Centre requires $1.5 million by May 31st to keep the doors open. So far it has raised a mere $108,656 from 341 donors, just 7% of the goal. The good news is that Bieber has 21,679,314 twitter followers, many of whom spread the news of his gift, and Bethesda’s campaign, over the weekend. They included Mallette herself, who tweeted, “@justinbieber wrote me a song for Mother’s day! So excited 4 #TurnToYou out 2morrow, it made me cry… Proceeds going 2 help single moms!”
Bieber may have been thinking about himself and his mother when he famously told Rolling Stone last year, “I really don’t believe in abortion, it’s like killing a baby.” Naturally, that created a ruckus. However, you don’t have to like his views on the subject — or his music — in order to think that donating to the Bethesda Centre is a good idea. To do so, click here. Or, to read more about the Centre and what it does, here.
Meantime, the new song is on youtube:
Though if you really don’t like Bieber’s music, maybe you should donate before you listen.
– Emily Olesen
