It's been not only a busy year for Jhene Aiko but also a revealing one. Earlier in the year, she dropped off her sophomore album, TRIP. While all of her music is undoubtedly personal, TRIP dived deeper into her childhood and life events that shaped her into who she is today. The project not only consisted of an album but a short film and accompanying book of poetry that she recently dropped. Today, she reveals her new foundation W.A.Y.S.
Jhene Aiko has launched her new W.A.Y.S. foundation on Christmas, according to Billboard. The singer's new foundation is in honor of her brother, Miyagi, who passed away in 2012 due to cancer.
In a statement to the website, she said, "This Christmas, I decided to gift my family with the 'WAYS Foundation,' something my family and I have had in the works since the passing of my brother."
She made the first donation through W.A.Y.S for $15,000 to a five-year-old girl who's currently battling leukemia. Lily Olive from Eagle Rock, California was visited by Aiko and received tyhe donation in order to cover her medical bills. The girl was diagnosed with cancer around Thanksgiving.
"I decided to make a donation on my family's behalf in which we plan to continue to help people and families affected by cancer," Aiko said.
The name of the foundation, W.A.Y.S, comes from the acronym for "Why aren't you smiling." It was a phrase Jhene's brother used he underwent his treatment for cancer and would often be used to provide positivity to everyone that was around him at the time.
