Look To The Stars News: Stella McCartney

Charitable Celebrities To Receive 21st Century Leaders Awards

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Celebrities will be out in abundance in Doha, Qatar, next week for the Whatever It Takes Experience presented by 21st Century Leaders and Whatever It Takes.

As well as a private art experience and gala dinner, several stars will be honored with 21st Century Leaders Awards at this massive charity event.

The Doha 21st Century Leaders’ Awards are granted to individuals who, whilst being leaders in their own fields, have also made a serious commitment and significant impact on their chosen cause.

The award is given to individuals who have used their influence to raise awareness, their celebrated status to raise funds, and the respect and notoriety which they have gained from successes in their chosen profession, to make positive policy changes to progress either environmental or humanitarian concerns.

Friday, October 30, will see Sir Ben Kingsley CBE, Venus and Serena Williams, Josh Hartnett, Danny Boyle and Christian Colson honored for their outstanding charity and humanitarian work. A surprise guest will open the event, and an art exhibition will also take place featuring original artworks by George Clooney, Stella McCartney, Sir Roger Moore KBE, Sir Michael Caine CBE, and Lady Shakira Caine, Sir Ian McKellen, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Laurence Fishburne, John Travolta, Pierce Brosnan OBE, Morgan Freeman, Charlize Theron, Minnie Driver, Lucy Liu, Susan Sarandon, Courteney Cox & David Arquette, Whoopi Goldberg, Penelope Cruz, Benicio del Toro, Joseph Fiennes, Anjelica Huston, Christian Slater, Harvey Keitel, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Gillian Anderson, Hilary Duff, Adrien Brody, Mickey Rourke, Robin Wright Penn, Patrick Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Stephanie Powers, Toni Collette, Daniel Craig and many more.

An active supporter and patron of charities such as the Prince’s Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust and First Star, English actor Sir Ben Kingsley CBE is very much devoted to helping disadvantaged young people and children. In 2008, Kingsley was awarded the “Cinema for Peace Honorary Award”, for the portrayal of the humanitarian role-models Simon Wiesenthal, Itzhak Stern and Gandhi.

In April 2009, following the success of Slumdog Millionaire, filmmakers Danny Boyle and Christian Colson announced a commitment of £500,000 to Plan, an international children’s development organization. The money will be spent on a five-year program focusing on education and sanitation, designed to improve the lives of children in Mumbai’s slum communities. In consultation with Plan, the filmmakers have also founded the Jai Ho Trust, an independent trust which aims to ensure that Rubina Ali (who played the youngest Latika in the film) and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (youngest Salim) receive an education, housing and social support. The trust will also hold a sum of money for the two children until they reach adulthood.

American actor and film producer Josh Hartnett supports a number of worthy causes and has backed Global Cool, a charity focused on climate change since its inception. Launching with a reception at No.10 Downing Street in London in 2007, Josh Hartnett met with former Prime Minister Tony Blair on behalf of the group and has since taken the message of greenhouse gas reduction far and wide, to let people know that they really can make a difference to the environmental health of our planet.

Professional women’s tennis players whom have won a combined 12 Grand Slam titles. The Williams sisters have demonstrated an immense amount of charitable work off the court. The “Williams Sister’s Tour” set out to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities which provides housing for families of seriously ill children. In addition, Serena started The Serena Williams Foundation which focuses on education, and helping underprivileged children in Africa who cannot afford to go to school or college to do so.

WhateverItTakes.org is a unique charity artwork project which inspires hope by gathering artworks from leaders in all fields; royalty, film, music, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, sports, literature etc. The artworks are used to ethically produce Whatever It Takes products which are then sold to raise funds for charitable causes chosen by each contributing leader. 21st Century Leaders Foundation’s mission is to assist and encourage a generation of influencers – royalty, Nobel peace prize laureates and well-known leaders in the fields of film, music, fashion, art and literature – to raise awareness and funds for international development causes, thereby leading the way in promoting positive environmental sustainable development. 21st Century Leaders was founded in May 2003 when Charlotte di Vita was made a Goodwill Ambassador to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. 21st Century Leaders was also the 10th Anniversary celebration of Trade plus Aid, the foundation for which Charlotte had received an MBE from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

To find out more about this event – to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Doha on October 30/31 – click here.

Paul McCartney Launches Meat Free Mondays

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Sir Paul McCartney is spearheading a campaign to encourage people to “go vegetarian” for at least one day every week. Meat Free Monday is a food campaign to encourage the world to help slow climate change by reducing their meat consumption by having one meat free day a week.

The former Beatle is leading the star-studded campaign that includes Stella McCartney, Yoko Ono, Kelly Osbourne, Moby, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Ricky Gervais, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Sheryl Crow, artist Jeff Koons and chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Giorgio Locatelli.

“I think many of us feel helpless in the face of environmental challenges, and it can be hard to know how to sort through the advice about what we can do to make a meaningful contribution to a cleaner, more sustainable, healthier world,” said McCartney. “Having one designated meat free day a week is actually a meaningful change that everyone can make, that goes to the heart of several important political, environmental and ethical issues all at once. For instance it not only addresses pollution, but better health, the ethical treatment of animals, global hunger and community and political activism.”

The UK’s Food Climate Research Network states that food production is responsible for between 20-30 percent of global green house gas emissions. The United Nations has supported the figures, saying that the livestock sector is ‘one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global’.

“A couple of years ago the United Nations came out with a report that said for people to eat less meat would have a big impact on the environment,” McCartney told Sky News. “It’s all got a bit out of hand and I think people want to do their bit to bring it back into line, and this is an answer we’ve got involved in. A few years ago you’d say to people recycling is good. And they’d stick it all in one bin anyway. I mean I was the same. Now you don’t see that. You go round to people’s houses and they’ve got the bins and stuff. I think the time is right now for that idea.”

The Meat Free Monday campaign states that meat consumption has quadrupled since 1961, and poultry consumption has increased 10-fold.

“The reality is a lot of people don’t eat meat every day,” said Stella McCartney. “You don’t have to be a vegetarian to cut out one day of meat consumption. It’s something anyone can do.”

“I thought this was a great idea,” Sir Paul told reporters at the campaign’s official launch yesterday. “To just reduce your meat intake maybe by one day a week and this would seriously benefit the planet. It’s kind of easy to do. You’ve had too much over the weekend anyway and you’re all running down to the gym to try and work it off – so just have a meat-free Monday.”

To find out more about Meat Free Mondays and lend your support, visit the official website.

Celebrities Do Whatever It Takes For Charity

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A huge selection of celebrity-designed bags and T-shirts are currently available at the UK’s premiere celebrity charity auction website, Buy Once Give Twice.

The auction site is hosting the auction for Whatever It Takes, a unique charity artwork project which inspires hope by gathering artworks from leaders in all fields; royalty, film, music, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, sports, literature etc. The artworks are used to ethically produce Whatever It Takes products which are then sold to raise funds for charitable causes chosen by each contributing leader.

Going under the hammer in the auction are T-shirts featuring designs by The Killers, Pink, Snoop Dogg, Nicole Kidman, Hilary Duff, Lucy Liu, Toni Collette, Coldplay, Minnie Driver, Keane, Whoopi Goldberg, Green Day, Barry Manilow, Penelope Cruz, Melanie C, Annie Lennox, and the Kaiser Chiefs. There are also bags and purses designed by Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Lucy Liu, Kanye West, Slash, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, and Stella McCartney.

Charities supported by Whatever It Takes include: Adopt-A-Minefield, Anti-Slavery International, Breast Cancer Campaign, CARE, Children of the Andes, Children’s Medical Research Institute, Christian Children’s Fund, City at Peace, Comic Relief, Dreams Can Be Foundation, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Greenpeace, Healthlink Worldwide, Heifer International, Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, Red Cross, LIFEbeat, LifeLine & Rape Crisis PMB, Opportunity International, Oxfam, ROTA, Rights and Humanity, S.A.F.E., Save the Children, Sharon Osborne Colon Cancer Program, Snoop Youth Football League, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Teenage Cancer Trust, The BRIT Trust, Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, Little Dreams Foundation, Lotus Outreach, Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Toothfairy Foundation, Trade plus Aid, UNHCR, UNICEF, and WaterAid.

To make a bid in the auction, which runs until June 30, click here.

Gwyneth Paltrow Launches Robin Hood Auction

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Gwyneth Paltrow is auctioning off her old clothes for a poverty charity.

The Oscar winner is donating a selection of “vintage” clothes to one of her favorite charities.

“I thought maybe I would eBay some of my favorite and most treasured things to raise some money for the [”Robin Hood":http://www.looktothestars.org/charity/532-robin-hood] Foundation, who do a lot of amazing work in New York City," she wrote on her blog. “So check it out if you are interested.”

The auction includes bracelets, necklaces, bags, sunglasses, a bikini and much more – mostly from designer Stella McCartney.

“Gwyneth is a neighbor of ours and is obviously familiar with what we do,” said Boss of Flogit4u, Phillip Davies, who is overseeing the sale on auction. “She had a big clear-out of her wardrobe and wants to raise money for one of the charities she’s involved in. There are some amazing pieces from Jimmy Choo to Lanvin to Balenciaga.”

The Robin Hood Foundation targets poverty in New York City by finding and funding the most effective programs and partnering with them to maximize results.

To view the items going under the hammer and make a bid, click here.

Stella McCartney Honored By NRDC

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Fashion designer Stella McCartney was honored by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) last week at their 11th annual Forces for Nature benefit, for her refusal to use leather or fur in her designs.

“We believe it is important to honor individuals who understand that environmental stewardship can and should play a role in the work they do and the products they produce,” said NRDC President Frances Beinecke in a press release. “Both Stella McCartney and David Zaslav demonstrate that you can be protectors of the environment and leaders of industry at the same time. Their trailblazing work in the environmental arena raises the bar, and we hope everyone in the media and fashion world will take note and follow their lead.”

In speaking out for fur- and leather-free fashion, McCartney says she would like to see an end to the 50 million animals that are killed each year to support the fashion industry. Besides the myth that the animals are all by-products of the meat industry, there are other environmental impacts that she pointed out, such as the water and chemicals needed to tan leather.

The Benefit’s universal theme was all about green. Not only did actor Alec Baldwin, who was MC for the event, arrive in a hybrid SUV, but the menu featured local, organically-grown, sustainably harvested ingredients, the wine was organic and there was no bottled water. All these little things had a big impact.

“It’s a real honor for me,” said McCartney, “to receive this award from such a worthy organization like the NRDC, fighting to preserve our planet’s future.”

Stella McCartney Designs Tees For Comic Relief

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British designer Stella McCartney has designed a line of T-shirts to raise money for Comic Relief and has called on the help of some of her celebrity friends to help promote them.

Advertising campaigns for the new Tees – one of which features a photo of her father, Paul McCartney, with The Beatles – feature Claudia Schiffer, Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley in photos shot by McCartney’s sister, Mary.

’It’s a real honor to be involved in such a tremendous cause and be a part of the Red Nose Day campaign 2009," said Stella McCartney. "The designs of the T-shirts were inspired by iconic images of iconic people by iconic photographers and adding an element of humor to them.’

McCartney has designed each t-shirt with iconic images from famous photographers like Herb Ritts, David Bailey and her mother, Linda McCartney. Every t-shirt sold helps raises vital funds for Comic Relief. 100% of the cotton has been sourced from Fairtrade certified organic cotton co-operatives in Africa.

“I wanted to focus on photographs where people are happy and create a charity t-shirt that would become a staple of a person’s wardrobe,” she said.

The Tees are available at TK Maxx stores in the UK for £9.99, and more information can be found at this special website.

Karaoke With The Stars Raises Much Needed Cash

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Gwyneth Paltrow might be about to outshine Coldplay-singing husband Chris Martin behind the microphone… but maybe not quite yet. The 35-year-old actress showed off her vocal talents at a charity karaoke show in London last Thursday, after a $90,000 bid prompted her to take to the stage.

The event, held at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, attracted a number of stars to get up on stage and sing their favorite tunes to benefit the Hoping Foundation. Hosted by veteran presenter Bruce Forsyth, the evening’s entertainment hoped to raise $1 million to help Palestinian children.

Paltrow is reported to have sung Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly”, and gained a standing ovation for her effort. Other stars to hit the stage included Jeff Beck, Jarvis Cocker, Lou Reed, Nick Cave, Stella McCartney, and Lily Cole.

This is the second year that Karaoke With The Stars has been held by the Hoping Foundation, with last year’s event raising over $700,000 to go towards the community programs the Foundation runs in refugee camps.

Look To The Stars News: Stella McCartney

Charitable Celebrities To Receive 21st Century Leaders Awards

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