Look To The Stars News: Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa Supports Ovarian Cancer Text Initiative

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:30:00 -0000

For the second year in a row, television host and actress Kelly Ripa is supporting a charity initiative from home appliance leaders Electrolux.

Throughout September, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Electrolux and actress Kelly Ripa are holding a text-a-thon to help raise support for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund whose mission is to fund research to find a method of early detection and ultimately a cure for ovarian cancer. Americans can donate $5 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund by texting “Kelly” to 85944. To drive participation and help spread the word, each time people log on to the website www.kelly-confidential.com, they will be entered for a chance to win a luxury front-load washer and dryer from Electrolux in Turquoise Sky, the color inspired by the teal ribbon of ovarian cancer awareness.

Also during September, visitors to Kelly Confidential can help Ripa spread awareness for this important cause by sending a virtual T-shirt to a friend for free. For every “T-mail” sent, Electrolux will donate $1 to the OCRF. Visitors can also purchase a limited edition T-shirt designed by Ripa; 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts will go to OCRF.

To watch a PSA featuring Kelly speaking about this initiative, click here.

LTTS Exclusive: An Interview With The Hill's Lo Bosworth

Tue, 05 May 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Brandy Reynolds

Lo Bosworth – star of the hit MTV television show The Hills – is a young female philanthropist who truly believes in education.

As a college graduate, she has made the decision to teach children what she’s learned by educating one child at a time as an advocate of Jumpstart. Jumpstart’s mission is to ensure that all children in America enter school prepared to succeed. Year-round, Jumpstart recruits and trains thousands of people to work one-to-one with children in low income communities, helping preschoolers develop the language, literacy and social skills they need to succeed in school and in life.

Look To The Stars recently got the chance to interview this young women about how she is making a difference.

Why do you support Jumpstart?

For me, education was always such an important part of my life. I believe we have to start educating children at the very beginning, with reading. It’s the literacy aspect of Jumpstart – combined with my love of learning – that made me want to team up with this organization in particular.

What improvements have you seen since you have been working with this organization?

I was at a event recently in Santa Monica shooting a PSA for JumpStart [with] ambassadors who went to Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA . This group of college students read to kids at St Josephs 2 or 3 times a week, and they tell me that there’s a significant amount of improvement. They take kids in pre-school who are at risk and read to them for hours every single week trying to prepare them for kindergarten so that they’re at the appropriate reading level.

For someone in our age group who doesn’t have a lot of time or money, what would you suggest they do to get started in giving back?

The first thing to do is… go to the website and educate yourself about the organization. October 8 is our Read for the Record day, and you can sign up to be a reader and give a hour or two of your time to help out. I think that’s a great way to participate.

Were you brought up to give back or was there a certain event in your life that made you want to give back?

For me, I have been able to live a privileged life and I am so fortunate in that aspect. I try to remember the things I’ve done to get to this place, and now that I’m here I have the time and energy to give back to people. I think that when you’re in a privileged position, the best thing you can do is help others around you. Once you’ve attained success, then you do have the time and money to help others.

Do you think that young women in Hollywood are doing a good job at publicizing issues that affect our world? Do you think they could do more to get their fans involved?

I think to a certain degree yes, they could do more, but at the same time people want to support causes that they really do care about. And I think when you support a charity that you care about, that’s when the most work gets done. A lot of people go to charities to get their photo taken on the red carpet, and that’s different from really giving your time and energy to a cause. So I’d like to see more people really being active: finding one organization that they’re really passionate about and giving their time and energy to that.

What would you like to see change about the world when it comes to charity work?

I feel like any charity work out there is amazing. I feel like more people out there need to be willing to turn off the TV and get out there and help. One thing that I’m really interested in is working with more charities that are focused on people in our country. A lot of people focus on people overseas and I feel like there’s so much we can do here at home and make a difference.

Will any of your upcoming work reflect the philanthropic work you’re doing?

My sister and I are writing a children’s book and we’re trying to get that published. When I started reading to children and started working with Jumpstart, it inspired me to write a book. That was a really interesting experience for me and I’m really hoping that I can get our book published.

Who do you look up to in the industry and why?

Kelly Ripa. I love her show and I watch it every morning. I think that she’s so inspirational: she’s a mom and she has a strong family. We love her for just being herself. She has a career that I aspire to have.

Look To The Stars would like to thank Lo Bosworth for taking the time to talk to us. More information about Jumpstart’s Read For The Record campaign can be found at the charity’s website. Celebrity readers expected at this year’s event on October 8 include Laura Bush, Mary-Louise Parker, Jesse McCartney, and Greg Kinnear.

Stars Lend Their Voices To Speakaboos

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Speakaboos, a publisher of exceptional digital content for children, has announced its spring releases of online titles performed by celebrities – with some proceeds destined for charity.

“Law & Order: SVU” star Christopher Meloni, “The Office” star John Krasinski and Jason Ritter are among the stars to lend their voices to the stories, and at least fifteen percent of Speakaboos’ revenue is contributed directly to charities supporting children’s causes, such as the National Education Association – the leading organization in the US committed to advancing the cause of public education – and the Creative Coalition, formed for the charitable and educational purposes of bringing together artists and entertainers to learn about pressing issues so they can better inform and influence the community and nation.

Spring titles include:

The Golden Goose, read by Mark Thompson.
Caperucita Roja (Spanish version of The Little Red Riding Hood) read by Lisa DeSimone.
The Little Half-Chick read by Christopher Meloni.
Aladdin read by John Krasinski – April 20th
Man, Boy, Donkey read by Jason Ritter – April 27th
Three Little Pigs read by Judy Tenuta – May 4th
The Gingerbread Man read by John Krasinski – May 11th
Nickity Nick read by Veronica Webb – May 18th
Rip Van Winkle read by John Paul DeJoria – June 1st

Speakaboos is an online publisher that celebrates classic literary properties for children through the voices of today’s biggest stars, including Kevin Bacon, Nick Cannon, and Kelly Ripa. All the stories come with story guides, lesson plans based on national standards, worksheets and other resources for parents and teachers to reinforce educational lessons at home and in the classroom.

The entire Speakaboos library is available for viewing online for free on Speakaboos.com and available for download on the website at $0.99. Select titles that are combined into albums are available for the price of $8.99 per album. All Speakaboos audio tracks are also available on iTunes.com and Rhapsody.com.

Celebrities Slip Into Red Dresses For Women's Heart Health

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

New York Fashion Week kicked off with a celebrity bang during the weekend with the 7th annual Red Dress fashion event for The Heart Truth.

Stars such as Katie Couric, Tori Spelling, Patricia Arquette, Brittany Snow, Amanda Bynes, Hilary Duff, Jennie Garth, and Vivica Fox all strutted their stuff on the catwalk at the show in fashions created by America’s top designers for women’s heart health.

The Heart Truth is an awareness campaign created by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. It is designed to warn women about their number one health risk, heart disease, and the need to take action against its risk factors. The organization created and introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 to deliver an urgent wakeup call to American women.

For people who missed the show, Clothesoffourback.org is currently running an auction of some of the dresses worn at the show – and selections from past shows – to raise money for The Heart Truth to further efforts related to women’s heart health awareness and research.

Lucky bidders can bid on dresses that graced Daisy Fuentes, Jane Kaczmarek, Kelly Ripa, Lynda Carter, Rachael Ray, Vanessa Willaims.

The auction runs until February 27.

Barry Manilow Stands Up For A Cure

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Fans of Barry Manilow will be excited about the new auction benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The charity is giving devotees of the singer two chances to meet Manilow backstage at concerts in Las Vegas and at the Nassau Coliseum. Both chances give you front row tickets to the shows.

The show at the Nassau Coliseum will take place on Valentine’s Day in February, and will be hosted by Kelly Ripa. The experience includes pre-concert reception with open bar (6pm) at Doolin’s Restaurant at the Nassau Coliseum plus 2 backstage passes and photos with both Barry Manilow and Kelly Ripa.

The auction has been organized by Stand Up For A Cure, and also features the chance to hang out on the set of Nicolas Cage’s new movie, and a jersey signed by Wayne Gretzky. The auction ends on January 7 and can be accessed here.

Paris Hilton Parties For The Art Of Elysium

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A plethora of stars turned out at the grand opening of the new Dolce & Gabbana Boutique in Los Angeles this week in support of The Art of Elysium.

The Who’s Who of the entertainment world included Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Joel Madden and Benji Madden from Good Charlotte, Lauren Conrad, Rumer Willis, Gabrielle Union, Josh Brolin, Kelly Ripa, and many others.

The evening was hosted by former OC actress Rachel Bilson, and at least 15% of sales from the Robertson Boulevard store will go towards the Art of Elysium, which develops creative projects for children battling serious medical conditions.

“This is a strategic opening for the group on a global scale. Locating a D&G store in a very important street both for its positioning and visibility allows us to speak directly to our public,” said Gabbana.

Stars Stomp Out Bullying With New Auction

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The Love Our Children USA STOMP Out Bullying auction reported by Look To The Stars last week has now started.

In November, the organization will celebrate its 10th year as the national nonprofit leader that honors, respects and protects children. Its mission is to break the cycle of violence against children. Love Our Children USA has become ‘the go-to’ prevention organization for all forms of violence and neglect against children in the US, and their new Celebrity Auction will raise funds to go towards bullying and cyberbullying prevention, education and peer mentoring in schools.

Among the celebrities and those in the entertainment and sports industries who have joined Love Our Children USA in its STOMP Out Bullying Auction are: Elton John, Bette Midler, Ellen DeGeneres, Sugarland, John Cusack, Donny and Marie Osmond, Ashleigh Banfield, Dancing With The Stars, Live With Regis and Kelly, The View, truTV, “In The Heights”, the NJ Nets and more.

The auction can be accessed through the Charity Folks website and runs until October 20.

Stars Want To Stomp Out Bullying

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Love Our Children USA has announced the launch of its national campaign STOMP Out Bullying with its First Annual Celebrity Auction.

The star-studded auction will take place at www.charityfolks.com from October 6 – 20. Proceeds from the auction will go towards bullying and cyberbullying prevention, education and peer mentoring in schools.

“Kids who are intimidated, threatened, or harmed by bullies often experience low self-esteem and depression, whereas those doing the bullying may go on to engage in more serious antisocial behaviors. Some kids are so traumatized by being bullied, that they contemplate suicide. Bullies often have been the victims of bullying or other mistreatment themselves,” said Ross Ellis, Love Our Children USA Founder and Chief Executive Officer. This campaign’s key purpose is to educate those kids who are being bullied – and those who are bullying – that there are choices for them to get help.

Bullying has reached epidemic proportions. While childhood should be a time filled with learning and joy, the reality for many kids and teens is often much different. They’re the victims of bullying at school or on neighborhood playgrounds. Bullying can be so painful and has played a role in school shootings across the country. While boys are more physical, girls use weapons, exclusion, slander, rumors and gossip.

And cyberbullying is on the rise. This social online cruelty is used in the forms of e-mail, cell phone/pager text messages, instant messaging, defamatory personal Web sites, and defamatory online personal polling Web sites. While most kids use the Internet for friendly interactions, more and more kids are using these communication tools to antagonize, terrorize and intimidate others.

In addition to the auction, teen celebrities Demi Lovato and JoJo are participating in the public service campaign, which includes TV spots, videos, posters, brochures and wristbands.

More information can be found at the STOMP Out Bullying website.

Kelly Ripa Joins Electrolux For Charity Initiative

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Television host and actress Kelly Ripa is supporting a new charity initiative from home appliance leaders Electrolux.

Ripa has announced a two-year commitment by the manufacturing giant to raise $500,000 for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, an organization devoted to early diagnostic treatment programs and research towards the ultimate conquest of ovarian cancer.

“Thousands of women are affected by this deadly disease every year, including someone close to me,” said Ripa. “But there’s hope. The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund helps women fight and beat this disease. They fund research that will improve chances for an early diagnosis, giving hope to patients, family, and friends.”

Beginning this month – Ovarian Cancer Awareness month – Electrolux will donate $100 for every one of their turquoise washers or dryers purchased. Why turquoise? According to a spokesperson from the company, the color was inspired by the blue ribbon that symbolizes the fight against ovarian cancer.

As part of the new initiative, a new website has been set up where you can buy a limited edition T-shirt and even send virtual T-shirts to your friends. For every virtual T-shirt sent through Kelly Confidential, Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. They will also donate all of the proceeds from the limited edition T-shirts to the cause.

Jonas Brothers Raise Scholarship Money

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The Jonas Brothers played a special gig attended by a host of stars on Saturday.

The boy band – who recently made headlines for their work raising awareness of diabetes – played at Ross School in East Hampton on August 9. The concert – attended by 650 people who paid $1,500 each – was part of a star-filled summer series to raise funds for the school, where tuition is up to $24,800 per year. Money raised will go toward raising the $2 million needed to build up the school’s annual scholarship fund and give any interested children the opportunity to attend.

“Our goal of events like this is to make the Ross School available to any student that is interested,” said Michele Claeys, head of the school. Currently, 40% of students receive scholarships to attend the school.

Later this month, Aretha Franklin will headline a $1,000-per-ticket concert at the school – a follow-up to a show she played in 2006 that raised $1.3 million for financial aid. Last year’s concerts were headlined by Billy Joel.

Christie Brinkley and Kelly Ripa were among the audience for the Jonas Brothers’ show.

Gwyneth Paltrow Gets On The Baby Buggy Campaign

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Gwyneth Paltrow attended a special charity gala and auction hosted by Jerry Seinfeld’s wife last week.

The Tods and Baby Buggy Summer Luncheon took place on the Seinfelds’ sprawling lawn in Amagansett, New York, and was co-hosted by designer Derek Lam and Jessica Seinfeld. The event showcased Tods’ latest fashion collection to raise funds for Baby Buggy, a charity dedicated to providing New York families with essential baby equipment, clothing, and products.

After a delectable lunch, Paltrow and Jerry Seinfeld were joined by stars such as Kelly Ripa, Diane Kruger, and Jessica Capshaw in the Seinfelds’ 200-year-old barn for a special sale of boots, coats and bags from the Tod’s fall collection. Kruger and Paltrow both bought black cashmere trench coats, while Ripa bought a “Pashmy” baby bag.

“We give Baby Buggy all our stuff,” Paltrow told People magazine. “Strollers, car seats, clothes, toys.”

Earlier this year, Baby Buggy received $150,000 from the Carnegie Corporation to help with their mission of supplying baby products to needy families.

Rip Into One Of Kelly's Bags

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:34:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

There’s just one day left to get your hands on Emmy Award winner Kelly Ripa’s bags!

The 37-year-old host of Live With Regis And Kelly and star of Hope And Faith has been selling off 17 designer handbags on eBay, and the auction has now entered its final hours. The star joined forces with European household appliance giant Electrolux and Kompolt Auctions to offer her collection of bags that were featured in Kelly’s Bags, a fun online game that captured the imaginations of tens of thousands of women while helping to raise money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Proceeds from the current auction will also go to the Fund, and bidders have the chance to pick up bags from designers such as Elliott Lucca, Gustto, and Lacroix.

The auction ends tomorrow, June 6, and can be accessed through eBay.

Stars Design Ugg Boots For Charity

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:56:14 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

It may be cold, and snow may be falling outside your window, but a new charity auction might have just the thing to keep you warm and cosy this winter. A host of celebrities have got together to fight the winter blues by designing a range of sheepskin-lined Ugg boots, with all proceeds going to fight childhood diseases.

Sharon Stone, Penelope Cruz, and John Travolta are just some of the 22 stars trying to keep your toes toasty this holiday season, with a variety of designs on offer in the auction to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, America’s third largest healthcare charity.

St. Jude’s is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases, and offers free treatment to all of its patients. The hospital, based in Memphis, Tennessee, was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas, and shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities all around the world, making it a leader in children’s healthcare.

The auction has been organized by Ugg Australia, the company behind the famous sheepskin boots, established in 1978 when a young Australian surfer named Brian Smith started selling the boots while on a trip to America. The boots soon became the preferred footwear of Californian surfers, and have now become almost legendary around the world.

The surfing theme has been captured in Ashlee Simpson’s design, which incorporates surfers and dolphins splashing in the ocean, and Eva Longoria’s design highlights the importance of love, with bronze hearts adorning the toes. Matthew McConaughey’s design is emblazoned with the phrase “Just Keep Livin’”, and Liv Tyler’s boots look fit for an Elven Princess. Other stars to donate specially designed boots include Ashton Kutcher, Cindy Crawford, Ellen DeGeneres, Minnie Driver, Whoopi Goldberg, Martha Stewart, Kelly Ripa, and Kelly Preston.

The boots start with a reserve price of $200, and the auction runs from December 1-14 on www.cmarket.com.

Also in the mood for giving this holiday season is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, who has teamed up with non-profit organization Trickle Up to offer a special piece of jewelry available when people make donations to the charity.

“Would you like to give a gift that will change someone’s life?” said the 30-year-old in a letter published on Trickle Up’s website. “This holiday season, make a donation of $100 in honor of a friend or family member and Trickle Up will send them the beautiful Trickle Up necklace, designed by one of my favorite designers – TENTHOUSANDTHINGS. Trickle Up will use your donation to help someone living on less than one dollar a day to start a micro-enterprise and take the first steps out of poverty. With their successful businesses, Trickle Up entrepreneurs are able to feed their families more nutritious meals, send children to school, receive medical care, and improve their housing. The Trickle Up necklace is a great holiday gift that will always remind you of an even greater gift: a hopeful future for a very poor family. You can seed a dream.”

The necklace is available from www.trickleup.org.

Look To The Stars News: Kelly Ripa

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