“Would you stay on the line and give me your account number and all the information, and I’ll pay the $10,800 dollars.” -Tom Joyner

Full audio of interview and details can be found on BlackAmericaWeb.com

TOM JOYNER PAYS $10K STUDENT LOAN DEBT FOR DECEASED SON’S MOTHER, ELLA EDWARDS, TODAY ON THE TOM JOYNER MORNING SHOW

Ella Edwards, the mother of a college student who died in 2009 unexpectedly launched an online petition asking the loan company to forgive a $10,000 student loan taken out by her son Jermaine Edwards, that she could not afford to repay.

Edwards, a 61-year-old who works part-time as a seamstress, had gained over 195,000 signatures for her online petition on the website Change.org. Her son was only 24-years-old when he died of “natural causes.” He was studying music production.

She joined Jacque Reid for her segment “Inside her Story” this morning on the Tom Joyner Morning Show to explain her story and plea with the loan company to forgive her loans.

After a tearful plea to the loan company on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, radio legend Tom Joyner told Ms. Edwards he would pay off her son’s loan that currently totals $10,800 dollars. Joyner, who has long made his radio show a platform for action and change, is known for his commitment to the community and education raising more than $60 million to help keep students in historically black colleges and universities with the Tom Joyner Foundation.

JACQUE REID: Good morning, Tom, now last Friday I brought you the story of Ella Edwards and her petition to get a private loan company to forgive her son’s student loan after her son died suddenly. It is a $10,000 dollar debt that Ms. Edwards just can’t afford. At 61 she retired early due to illness and Tom, now she had to go back to work as a seamstress on a line at a car company just to pay off this debt. Now this is a private loan company that won’t forgive the debt. By the way her son also had two federal loans that were forgiven when Ms. Edwards showed them his death certificate.
ELLA EDWARDS: But I would like to say, I would like to thank all the people for supporting my petition. And I also would like to ask the National Co-League Trust of First Marblehead to please forgive my student loan so I can find my baby, I need to find my baby.
JACQUE REID: Oh, Ms. Edwards, we are …
TOM JOYNNER: Ms. Edwards, Ms. Edwards.
ELLA EDWARDS: Yes?
TOM JOYNER: Would you stay on the line and give me your account number and all the information, and I’ll pay the $10,800 dollars.
ELLA EDWARDS: Are you serious?
TOM JOYNER: Yes, I’m serious.
ELLA EDWARDS: Oh, I can’t believe this. Thank you so much!
JACQUE REID: So you can rest your soul.
ELLA EDWARDS: I just need to find my baby, I just need to find my baby, I can’t live without my baby.

###About the Tom Joyner Morning Show
The nation’s #1 syndicated urban morning show, which airs in more than 105 markets reaching nearly 8 million listeners, has distinguished itself over the years as continuously giving back to its audience with quality programming, highly popular promotions, special events and philanthropy. Since 1999, Joyner has raised more than $60 million to help keep students in historically black colleges and universities with the Tom Joyner Foundation. The Morning Show with co-hosts Sybil Wilkes, J. Anthony Brown and senior news analyst Roland Martin, also features “Inside Her Story” with Jacque Reid; political commentary from Stephanie Robinson and Jeff Johnson; and celebrity news with Jawn Murray, as well as comedic observations from D.L. Hughley and the Celebrity Snitch Huggy Lowdown. Joyner’s website, BlackAmericaWeb.com, has more than 1.5 million registered users and delivers news with exclusive reports from award winning journalists and unprecedented political coverage as well as interactive elements with on demand audio. Facebook: http://on.fb.me/OCpKtQ Twitter:@TJMShow