INO was invited to cover this event and I sent along my writer, Victoria. Here's her recap:

Russell Simmons and Mary J Blige made an appearance at the Rush Art Gallery to speak to students from PS 165 who participated in the “Building Bounty-ful Bridges” project.

Through Bounty's partnership with Rush Philanthropic, children across the country will be able to express their creativity by creating a large-scale collaborative painting that "bridges" them creatively with others across the country. This is in perfect sync with Bounty's mission to provide children with hands-on fun activities that nurture their creativity and curiosity.

Before the surprising appearances, each student drew a part of the Washington Bridge and later connected the pieces together.

“We are all the same, we just need to find the connection,” said Russell Simmons about the initiative. He went on to speak about the importance of his project, “art opens up your heart, art opens up the doors for you.”

"Art is a great platform to unleash the imagination. The Building Bounty-ful Bridges program is a great opportunity for youth throughout the country to express themselves through the arts."

Mary J Blige gave an inspirational speech as well saying that her whole life "is an expression" and encouraged the students to "never give up".

The kids were excited to see Mary, screaming out “sing a song for us” and taking pictures on their cell phones. The singer gave everyone a hug and posed for the photographs before taking off. The event was sponsored by Bounty which is partnering with Russell Simmons' Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation to draw attention to the significance of youth arts education.

What a great cause!