GIVING BACK
Grammy winner The Weeknd donates $50,000 to the Toronto church he attended while growing up,
Although Toronto’s The Weeknd now leads an improbably glamorous life — including a performance in front of an A-list crowd at Monday’s Met Gala spectacle in New York — he hasn’t forgotten his roots. And we don’t mean his famously sculpted hair.
The Grammy-winning singer made a $50,000 donation to the Toronto church he attended growing up, confirmed the congregation’s Father Misale Engida.
“He was baptized here, he grew up here,” said Engida of the St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church near Dufferin St. and Glencairn Ave., where the family of The Weeknd (a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye) are still active members.
“It’s a long time since I’ve seen him. I’m really glad he’s a very successful artist and all the gifts God has given to him, I think he’s using. So we are very proud for him,” he added.
Engida said he remembers the Scarborough native, who was friends with his own children, as “quiet” and a “wonderful kid.”
The singer/songwriter and record producer has won two Grammys and six Junos and was recently nominated for best song at the Academy Awards for “Earned It” from the film Fifty Shades of Grey.
The donation, which was made last week, comes as the church — one of Toronto’s largest cathedrals — is in the midst of celebrating its 25th anniversary.
The money is being used to help pay for a series of events throughout the week.
But Engida said the money, although welcome, is not important.
“What’s important is that he recognizes and sees that this church is his church. I very much appreciate that he remembers,” Engida said.
“Even though now he’s not actually coming to this church, he remembers his childhood life. Some people, when they become successful, they don’t remember where they grew up.”