The Weeknd receives Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award

TORONTO – Pop superstar The Weekndis being recognized for his support of charitable causes with an award from the Slaight Family Foundation.

The Toronto native is the recipient of this year’s Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award.

In a statement, the foundation says The Weeknd, whose given name is Abel Tesfaye, will have a $50,000 donation made on his behalf to a charity of his choosing.

Among the causes Tesfaye has supported in recent years is a global hunger fund with the United Nations called the XO Humanitarian Fund, which says it has raised $5 million.

The Slaight Family Foundation also praised his support for the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation; Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp; and a University of Toronto fund for a course on Ge’ez, an ancient language of Ethiopia.

Previous recipients of the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award include Indigenous singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie,Toronto rock band Rush and the latesinger-songwriter Gord Downie.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2022.