via thedougie.com, BET, Vibe

What happens when you put a hip-hop heavy hitter and two philanthropic actors with a political powerhouse? Russell Simmons, Terrence Howard, and Gabrielle Union found out yesterday when they all met with speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi at a one-day event called “Keeping the Promise to Our Children.”

They met to discuss youth issues like foster care, health care, nutrition, mental health, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, and education. "We have such a great opportunity to make changes at this time and save our communities money and anguish," said Russell Simmons. "The economics of saving kids save money."

Mr. Simmons’ organization “Hip Hop Summit Action Network” co-hosted the event with the organization “Children Uniting Nations” which matches children in foster care with mentors. Together, they proposed the Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2009, which proposes an allocation of $15 million for foster-care mentoring programs.

Gabrielle and Terrence were there to encourage policy changes to make education more available for foster children. Only 54 percent of children in foster care graduate high school.

What a team! Want to join in? You can by becoming a peer mentor or tutor at your school! No program at your school? No problem—check for opportunities at your local YMCA or Boys & Girls club. Tell us what you think about the event—what promises should our government be keeping to us young people? Comment below!