NBA Legend Charles Barkley Wins $67,633 For Sacramento's Mustard Seed School
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Taking part in Celebrity Charity Week on "The Price Is Right," NBA legend Charles Barkley won $67,633 for the Mustard Seed School in Sacramento.
Barkley, who turned 50 on Wednesday, came just short of the individual record set last year by Snoop Dogg, who raised $72,585 for the Snoop Youth Football League.
Barkley was one of five celebrity guests this week playing along with contestants as they try and win money, prizes and a spot in the big showcase showdown.
Whatever the contestants win, the show will match and donate to the celebrities' charity of choice, and Barkley chose The Mustard Seed School, a free emergency school for homeless kids in Sacramento operated by Loaves & Fishes. His taped appearance on the show aired Thursday morning on CBS13.
Barkley and the school were helped by one of the contestants not going with his advice to take the money in a dice game. He elected to roll again and ended up winning a new car, one of two cars won during Barkley's show. Barkley also did well himself spinning the big wheel, landing on .80. The show added two zeros to it for $8,000 to go to his total.
Barkley then thanked host Drew Carey and said "it's been a great day for me." And a good one for the school, too.
"We're incredibly grateful to have been chosen and we're honored," said Angela Hassell, the director of the non-profit school for homeless kids.
She says they've been seeing more families in need of their services.
"We're designed as an emergency school for families while they are homeless so the kids don't miss too much school as a result of moving around a lot," she said.
The money will be a big help, she said after she and the students watched Barkley's appearance Thursday.
"It will help us keep the school running," she said. "We've seen an increase in students in our classrooms."
Students tucked their books away for an hour Thursday and watched the basketball star score big money for their little school.
