Actor, comedian and musician Jack Black is no stranger to doing his own thing. So it should come as no surprise that earlier this month when Hollywood’s most glamorous stars were walking the red carpet into the Beverly Hilton’s historic theater for the 69th Golden Globe Awards, Jack was nowhere to be found. However it is not the fact that he blew off the Golden Globes, but what he blew them off for that makes this story so touching. The 42-year-old California native was unable to attend the prestigious awards ceremony because he already had committed to attending a very special high school prom in nearby Sherman Oaks.
Black was attending the 13th annual Renal Teen Prom sponsored by the non-profit Renal Support Network. The prom was held in honor of 300 kids and young adults who were unable to attend their own high school proms because they were battling kidney disease. Some of the prom attendees had already undergone kidney transplants, while others were preparing to have the life saving transplants themselves and still other attendees had just been diagnosed and were preparing for the long battle to beat diseases that claim the lives of thousands of American’s each year.
“It’s a prom for kids that have kidney disease, that have had and transplant and didn’t get to have a prom of their own because they were having medical problems,” Black explained to a local NBC news affiliate “And it’s a great night where kids get to meet other kids that have had the same situation, make friends and share their stories… and have a really good time. Lots of good times… dancing… singing… partying… you know prom.”
The prom goers were clearly happy that Jack decided to attend their party rather than the nearby award ceremony and even crowned him this year’s prom king to show their appreciation. While the prom king’s crown may not be as impressive as a Golden Globe win, in this case it is still worth its weight in gold.
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