BURBANK, Calif. — Two Western New York natives received a big surprise this week on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
On Tuesday, father-daughter duo Antoine and Jay’Aina "Jay Jay" Patton, 16, were on the show to share their creation — an app that allows kids to keep in touch with parents while they're incarcerated.
Antoine Patton served eight years here in Buffalo and was inspired by his own experiences to help out. Since its inception, the app has connected over 70,000 incarcerated parents with their families.
"I got really motivated while in prison — I want to build something that makes it more convenient for families to stay connected," he said.
Antoine Patton went on to tell DeGeneres that he even taught himself to code.
Antoine and Jay Jay Patton also created a non-profit called Unlock Academy, which teaches people how to code. The pair also hopes to help young women of color break into the world of tech.
And it wouldn't be "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" without a surprise — rapper and actor Ludacris donated $10,000 to their Photo Patch Foundation, then DeGeneres matched his donation with another $10,000 check.
Don't forget, you can watch "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" every day at 3 p.m. on WGRZ - Channel 2.