NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 15: Rapper Vanilla Ice performs onstage at the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night during the NBA All-Star Weekend 2014 at The Smoothie King Center on February 15, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
One of the best known rappers of the early 1990s stepped up to help a special needs teacher on Florida’s Treasure Coast in desperate need of repairs to her home.
Robert Van Winkle, better known as Vanilla Ice, covered the $10,000 bill for Lana Watson to get the repairs done to the roof and side walls of her Port Saint Lucie home through his construction company.
"Whatever the texture was put up there kept crumbling down. So I would have to sweep it up," she told NBC affiliate WPTV-TV. "Rob gave me a call and he goes 'I've got your estimate for you,' and I said OK. He said 'nothing.'"
Van Winkle said he wanted to help out someone he says does so much in her job.
"You can't live in a house that is falling apart and her house was falling apart,” he said. “We got a hold of it now."
Van Winkle’s company used a master carpenter and other employees to do the work.
"I am ridiculously grateful," Watson, who is a lung cancer survivor and celebrated her birthday this week, said. "This whole thing has just been such a gift and he's so genuine and generous."
