What 5 Celebs Are Doing to Help Kids
By Kristin Rawls | November 25, 2011 at 11:34 am
Wondering what stars are doing to help kids this season? Here’s a quick roundup of five celebrity efforts we think you’ll want to support.
Photo by Kizzy O'Neal
Jack Johnson benefits music education
Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records has released a new benefit album for music education. This Warm December: Volume 2 features two holiday tracks by Johnson, as well as performances from Zach Gill, Rogue Wave, G. Love and Matt Costa and others. A quarter of its proceeds will benefit music education organizations like Little Kids Rock.
The album dropped on Nov. 15, so Johnson has been busy promoting it. On one new track, “In the Morning,” Johnson tries to capture what is special about Christmas in Hawaii. He told USA Today, “There are no sleighs in Hawaii … When it comes time to make a holiday song, it’s a little different sounding.” You can order the album here.
And it doesn’t stop there. Brushfire Records also participates in the 1% for the Planet Campaign.
Lady Gaga stops bullying
Lady Gaga is in the process of setting up an anti-bullying organization, called the Born this Way Foundation. It’s named, of course, for her hit song, “Born This Way.” Give Back Hollywood notes that the star is doing this with help from “the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and The California Endowment.” In a press release, Gaga said, My mother and I have initiated a passion project. We call it the Born This Way Foundation…Together we hope to establish a standard of bravery and kindness, as well as a community worldwide that protects and nurtures others in the face of bullying and abandonment.”
Photo by Peter Kramer / AP
Alicia Keys keeps a child alive
Singer Alicia Keyes has been a generous philanthropist ever since she arrived on the national scene. Her Keep a Child Alive Foundation provides AIDS-related health care and prevention to more than 250,000 people. It emphasizes care and prevention for children throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Keyes is featured on the cover of the November/December issue of WedMD Magazine because of her foundation. She told the magazine: “Sometimes we watch the news and things seem so out of hand. We feel that there’s nothing we can do. Or we think in order to donate we have to give $100 or $500. You can give $1, or even 50 cents a month, and these very small amounts add up and make a difference.”
Photo by AP
Debra Messing gives toys to the needy
Debra Messing of “Will and Grace” fame is working with Toys for Tots to provide gifts for under-privileged children over the holidays. She’s started her own online store through e-Bay called Give-A-Toy. “It always feels good to give, but I think it is especially gratifying during the holiday season, she told Look to the Stars. “It always feels good to give, but I think it is especially gratifying during the holiday season. I’m really excited eBay and Toys for Tots asked me to help open The Give-A-Toy Store here in New York. It’s a fun and interactive way to spread some holiday cheer this year – you can donate toys to kids in need, right from a smartphone.
Photo from shakira.com
Shakira brings education to girls
Pop star and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Shakira is working to educate girls and help them to “break the cycle of poverty and inequity.” She recently visited a literacy camp for adolescent girls in India.” My interaction with these adolescent girls was energizing and inspiring,” she told reporters about the trip. “It only reminded me, once again, that girls are a precious resource of intellectual and physical ability – a resource that can help to further society. They need the chance to be educated and empowered…For too many girls, the basic human right to education is denied. Yet, educating adolescent girls and ensuring their participation in decision-making that affects them plays a significant role in enhancing their sense of self-worth.”
What other celebrity foundations and charities would you recommend?
