JUST IN: Shaquille O’Neal donated more than 28.000 $ to help poor girls go to college

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According to Daily Mail on August 21, a black female student called on people to donate money for college through a post on the fundraising platform GoFundMe. After hearing the news, Shaquille O’Neal quickly donated 23,000 pounds.

Vitoria Mario (18 years old) dreams of becoming a mathematician in the future but cannot enter university due to financial problems. The black female student migrated from Portugal to live with relatives in Tottenham (UK) 4 years ago.

She could barely pay for her studies while her father passed away and her mother remained in Portugal. After asking for help everywhere but receiving no response, she decided to ask the community to raise money for her to go to school through the fundraising platform GoFundMe.

The amount of money that Vitoria Mario wants to achieve is about 40,000 pounds to pay for tuition, buy supplies, learning equipment, and living expenses for 4 years of university.
After reading the above female student’s appeal, Shaquille O’Neal reviewed and decided to donate 23,000 pounds to help the black girl pay tuition.

The basketball legend, famously known as “Big Shaq,” did not forget to leave a message: “Vitoria, I read your story online, and it truly inspires people because of your motivation and efforts to transform your dream into reality. I want to contribute the rest of your goal amount.

Good luck with everything you do. Best regards, Shaq.”

In response, the 18-year-old female student expressed her happiness: “My mind was blown away when I read those words. I wondered how I could achieve the target number and now, the miracle has happened” and thanked everyone for their support.

Previously, on the fundraising platform GoFundMe, Vitoria Mario said her goal was to raise 40,000 pounds to be able to enter the university gate. The black female student revealed that she is qualified to major in Mathematics at the prestigious Warwick University with impressive achievements.

Vitoria Mario explained that she did not meet the criteria to borrow social assistance loans because she did not have a house, her family had a low income, and was not qualified to support her studies. “Sadly, my father passed away, and my mother is still in Portugal. Leaving her was a big challenge for me, but it was a legitimate sacrifice in the family’s mind. If you want to receive a good education like in England, you have to make trade-offs,” the poor girl expressed.

Before deciding to set up a fundraising page, Vitoria Mario sent emails to 442 people from leading companies hoping to receive support or useful advice, but they were all ignored or rejected without reason. “Desperately searching for a solution to my path, I went to the wealthiest post offices in London, including Kensington, left my story through letterboxes and sadly no one cared,” the U.20 female student revealed. She said her dream of becoming a mathematician in the future not only opens up a better life for her family but also inspires people in the same situation to be motivated to reach a better future, no matter what, addressing gender inequality, racism, immigration, and financial barriers.

Not only famous for his dominant basketball career, Shaquille O’Neal is a philanthropist known for his generosity and passion for giving back to the community. From paying off struggling families’ bills to donating to underprivileged children’s education, Big Shaq has made a lasting impact through his countless acts of kindness.

SEE MORE: Shaquille O’Neal Explains How He Maintains All of His Many ‘Superstar’ Friendships (Exclusive)

“The Diesel knows everybody,” O’Neal quips while discussing his upcoming Super Bowl party in New Orleans

 

Simone Biles, Taylor Swift and Jimmy Kimmel pose with Shaquille O’Neal on separate occasions. Photo:

Simone Biles/X; Shaquille O’Neal/Instagram; Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty

Celebrities, kids, fans, random people in the toy store — they’ve all got a friend in Shaquille O’Neal.

As O’Neal, 52, gears up for his annual Shaq’s Fun House party during Super Bowl weekend, the retired basketball star — who performs under the name DJ Diesel — tells PEOPLE how he maintains his friendships, particularly his many celebrity friendships.

“The Diesel knows everybody,” says O’Neal, who will perform at his Super Bowl party with by DJ Irie, John Summit and Ludacris, a longtime friend of O’Neal’s, on Friday, Feb. 7 in New Orleans, not far from where O’Neal broke out as a college basketball star at LSU.

The former Laker credits “respect and just being nice” for his extensive social network. “It’s all about honor and respect, so every person I come in contact with, superstar or not, I just try to show as much respect as possible,” says O’Neal.

 

Shaquille O’Neal, Taylor Swift and Jamie Salter.Shaquille O’Neal/Instagram

“I’ve been friends with Ludacris for over 30 years,” he shares of the rap icon. “Ludacris used to come by my house every time he was in LA unannounced, just to get some of my chef’s cake,” O’Neal tells PEOPLE.

“And John Summit is a good friend of mine and said he’d love to be involved.”

Shaq’s Fun House.Shaq’s Fun House

O’Neal is longtime friends with this year’s halftime performer, Kendrick Lamar, too. “I know Kendrick personally, so I know he’s going to put on a fabulous show.”

O’Neal says he first met Lamar when they “shot a commercial for soap” that was “really funny.”

“I’m not going to tell you what happened in the commercial, but it was an accident and it was so good that we just kept it,” he says of the spot, which actually was not promoting soap, but a 2016 commercial for American Express. It was shot in a soap store, however, so O’Neal wasn’t far off.

And although Lamar’s selection as the halftime performer has been somewhat controversial amid his ongoing feud with Drake — and fans of Lil Wayne arguing that he should perform at the game as it takes place in his hometown — O’Neal trusts that the right choice was made.

“Whoever the halftime performer is, it’s somebody that’s well respected and well liked,” he remarks.

But before the “Not Like Us” rapper lights up the stage at Caesar’s Superdome on Sunday, Feb. 9, O’Neal is excited to kick things off in New Orleans with Shaq’s Fun House.

“Man, I was happy when the Super Bowl was headed to the Big Easy. My party — no doubt, no doubt in my mind — will be the No. 1 party,” he says of the all-inclusive event. “Leave your wallet at home!”

DJ Irie, Flavor Flav. and Shaquille.Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty

“And because I’m the man and I love New Orleans, no matter what kind of tickets you get, all tickets include a six-hour open bar. We want you to drink responsible and have fun.”

Tickets go on sale starting Jan. 17 and start at $199.

O’Neal’s Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies, which he likes to eat just before taking the stage, will be a partner at the event. Additional partners include Carnival Cruise Line, Pepsi, BeatBox Beverages, Anheuser- Busch and Verizon.