Honorary Board Members Intersect at Dancing with the Stars

For the second time this year, Hines Ward, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Apl.de.ap, of the Black Eyed Peas, were together at the same venue, only this time they had the pleasure of meeting each other.

In Super Bowl XLV, while Hines Ward and the Steelers were competing against the Green Bay Packers, the Black Eyed Peas performed in the half time show. Because they both serve as Honorary Board Members and are strong supporters of Pearl S. Buck International because of their similar background (they are both biracial with Asian mothers and African American fathers), they hoped to meet each other - but didn't have the opportunity to do so. So it was a great pleasure for them to meet on the set of Dancing with the Stars the night Hines Ward and Kym Johnson received the Mirror Ball Trophy as the best dancers on the show. 

In the Semi-Finals of Dancing with the Stars, Hines Ward honored two of Pearl S. Buck International's "Fatherland Tour" program participants, a program that Ward sponsors every year.  The two program participants, both girls, visited the United States as part of the program on two occasions which encouraged them to enroll in community college in Spokane, Washington.  One of the girls, Jamie, always dreamed of being a ballroom dancer. Through a grant from Hines Ward's Helping Hands Fund, the girls flew into LA and enjoyed the show and dinner with Hines Ward, Kym Johnson, and Pearl S. Buck International's President and CEO, Janet Mintzer. 

Leave it to Hines to be thinking of Pearl S. Buck International and the young people in our program while he is completing in Dancing with the Stars.  He has a heart of gold and is 1st place in our hearts too.