Tracy Morgan finds fulfillment in his charity work.
The actor and comedian recently told PEOPLE that through his partnership with the Edison, NJ–based Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, he has donated more than $200,000 to provide food and support to 19,000 families. According to the foundation’s website, it raises funds for programs and services across the Hackensack Meridian Health network, helping modernize facilities, advance treatments, support research, train future physicians, and strengthen healthcare delivery in local communities.
“It’s fun to get the love and support, but it’s better when you give it back,” Morgan said, according to PEOPLE. “That’s what I want to teach my children. More than a great education, I just want [Maven] and her brothers to be empathic.”
Morgan, 57, told the outlet that his personal experiences, including a serious car crash in 2014, shaped his outlook on life. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he was among several people injured in a multi-vehicle collision involving a Walmart shipping truck on the New Jersey Turnpike.
According to PEOPLE, while dealing with his critical injuries, he recalled waking up in the hospital and hearing his grandmother’s voice telling him, “Just when you thought you was doing bad, there’s people out there doing worse.”
Morgan said that moment helped him recognize his own fortune and motivated him to focus on helping others.
He also told the outlet that when choosing projects now, he looks for “anything with a heart. If it doesn’t have a heart, I don’t wanna do it.”
In addition to supporting the Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, Morgan’s commitment to health care includes presenting his annual Nursing Excellence Award, according to ABC 7 New York.
“This is for you, my friend. Continue to do the work that you do,” Morgan told this year’s recipient, Gilbert Recto, assistant nurse manager in the Brain Trauma Unit at Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, where Morgan recovered after the accident, per ABC 7 New York.
He added, “That truck was doing 75 miles per hour when it hit me,” Morgan said. “I thank the Lord for people in my life that helped me. I could stay with them all day.”
Alongside his charitable efforts, Morgan continues to act. He is currently starring in the new Paramount+ sitcom “Crutch,” a spinoff of the hit show “The Neighborhood,” led by Cedric the Entertainer, PEOPLE notes. Over the course of his career, he has appeared on “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock,” as well as in numerous comedy specials and films.
