Look To The Stars News: Nelly Furtado

Jumpstart Sets New Charity Record For Reading

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record 2009 campaign officially set a new record for the world’s largest shared reading experience. On Oct. 8th, adults across the globe read Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar to 2,019,752 children! This year’s campaign shattered the previous record of 688,000, set by Jumpstart’s Read for the Record 2008.

Presented in partnership with sponsor and founding partner Pearson, Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is a celebration of reading and community service created to raise awareness about how important reading with young children is to developing crucial early language and literacy skills for success in school and in life. This year’s campaign donated more than 275,000 books and raised more than $1.4 million to support Jumpstart’s year-long work with preschool children. Donations are still being accepted at www.readfortherecord.org/donate.

Congress officially declared October 8, 2009 as Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Day and celebrities, governors, first ladies, members of Congress, mayors, and business, philanthropic and community leaders joined the campaign in major cities including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

The record-breaking day’s events kicked off on NBC’s TODAY Show with hosts Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira, Jumpstart President James Cleveland, and Bill Barke, Jumpstart Board Member and CEO, Pearson’s Higher Ed Arts & Sciences Group, as well as celebrity readers including campaign spokesperson Mary-Louise Parker, Tiki Barber, Justin Bieber, Jenna Bush Hager, Giada de Laurentiis, Sonia Manzano, Madison Pettis, Jennifer Stone, Vince Vaughn and The Very Hungry Caterpillar author Eric Carle.

In Los Angeles 100 children were joined by Lo Bosworth of MTV’s The Hills, Actor Henry Winkler, Emily Osment of Disney’s Hannah Montana, and Bill Nye the Science Guy to read. Others at the event included Beth Wray, President, Pearson Learning Teams and Superintendent Dr. Darline Robles, LA County Office of Education.

Look To The Stars attended a special reading in New York by Nelly Furtado. We were also lucky enough to interview Lo Bosworth about her involvement with Jumpstart.

Jumpstart was founded in 1993 at Yale University at the intersection of two national trends: the public need for quality early childhood programs and the emerging national service movement recruiting thousands of college students to community service. During the first year of the program, 15 college students worked one-to-one with 15 preschoolers at New Haven Head Start.

Stars Join Elephant Project Auction For Alzheimer's

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A host of celebrities have signed “Elephant Cards” for the latest Elephant Project auction to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.

Building on the idea that elephants never forget, the special photo cards have been signed by stars such as Ashley Tisdale, Miranda Cosgrove, Chace Crawford, Kristin Chenoweth, Stockard Channing, Carrie Fisher, Brandon Flowers, Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt, Jane Fonda, Nelly Furtado, Jonny Lee Miller, Sienna Miller, Lauren Ambrose, Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Lady Gaga, Gerard Butler and many more.

Created in 2006 by 18-year old David Niederhoffer after his grandfather passed away from Alzheimer’s disease, the Elephant Project aims to raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimer’s Association, and to get teenagers more active in community service.

“There is a phrase that says ‘Elephants never forget’,” said Niederhoffer. “Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia… As I live relatively close to New York City, I wait outside of Broadway theaters and other events to meet each celebrity. After explaining to them what I am doing, I ask each celebrity to sign a business card that was custom made for this project. I also ask the celebrities to pose with either Trumpet the Elephant beanie baby or Peanut the Elephant beanie baby. All the pictures are printed out and auctioned off with the signed card. After I obtain a significant amount of signed cards/pictures, they are auctioned off on eBay. Each auction package also comes with an elephant beanie baby!”

To access the auction – which ends on October 13 – or to find out more, click here.

Nelly Furtado Reads For The Record

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Regina Walton

Look To The Stars’ Regina Walton attended a very special reading of a classic children’s story and filed this report.

On September 14, singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado went to the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) Daycare Center as a spokesperson for Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign. During this event they announced that a limited edition of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which is the Read for the Record official campaign book, will be on sale at WalMart stores nationwide.

Read for the Record will take place on October 8, 2009. The goal is to break the world record as adults read the same book on the same day to more than one million children across the USA. Another goal of the campaign is to raise both awareness and funds to support Jumpstart’s work. Jumpstart works with preschool children in low-income communities. The organization is working toward the day when all children enter school prepared to succeed. In addition to Ms. Furtado, the program’s co-sponsors were there. Stacy Morrison, the Editor-in-Chief of Redbook, started off the conference. Also, Michelle Gilliard, Director of the WalMart Foundation, and Raymond Garcia, from the Pearson Foundation spoke.

Nelly talked about her commitment to the Jumpstart program and her commitment to the literacy cause. At the press conference, Nelly talked about her daughter who will turn six in a few days, “…reading has been such a huge part of our lives. I read to her daily when she was a baby. We have a lot of books at home. And, I was shocked to hear that… in some households there might be as little as zero, one, two or three books in low income households all across America. I remember when I was a child my parents saving their hard-earned money and buying us the Childcraft Encyclopedias. They were our whole world and inspired a love of reading. I know that it’s so important to get that language in the children before they even get to kindergarten because then they have the familiarity there. And so, it’s really special to be here because I really love books.”

Nelly echoed the same thoughts in my one-on-one with her. As a mother of a young girl, she realizes that it’s key to set the groundwork for literacy early. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign is a great way to get started and make sure that children start school with the basic skills they need to succeed. For Nelly, the appeal is it’s not intimidating to get started. Anyone can get a book and read to a child. What could be easier?

During the event, Nelly recorded a PSA to promote Jumpstart. However, best of all, a few lucky preschool kids got to enjoy Nelly reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar to them.

To take part in Look To The Stars’ special promotion to win a signed copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, click here

Win A Signed Copy of a Classic Children's Book

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:43:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Nelly Furtado is the latest celebrity to join the campaign to bring the joy of reading to children through Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign.

The singer will read this year’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar to preschoolers in NYC on September 14th. She is joining Lo Bosworth, Mary-Louise Parker and many other in supporting this initiative to help young readers.

Help break a record

Jumpstart is trying to beat last year’s record of nearly 700,000 people reading the same story to children all around the world on the same day. This year, their goal is to reach 1 million children, with people take a moment to giggle with a child over a fun book, and share the fun of reading together. To take part in this record-breaking event visit the Read for the Record website and sign up to read with the world on October 8th.

And, Look To The Stars is bringing you an exclusive opportunity to win a copy of this children’s classic, signed by author Eric Carle!

How to enter

Either: simply follow us on Twitter, and re-tweet our link to this story to your followers. (Don’t forget to include @looktothestars and leave the link intact so we can enter you in the draw!)

Or, if you are not on Twitter, but you have a blog: post a link to this story there, and email us to let us know at contests@looktothestars.org.

The winner will be chosen at random on September 18th.

About Jumpstart

Jumpstart helps children get on the path to success by pairing college students and volunteers with preschool children, and helping them gain a love of books from an early age. To find out how you can volunteer, or make a donation which will put a book in the hands of children in underserved communities, visit the Jumpstart website.

Grab Heidi Klum's Jacket For 15 Below

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Fancy slipping into a jacket signed by supermodel Heidi Klum or Sir Elton John? Now’s your chance – the 15 Below Project’s charity auction has been extended.

The 15 Below Project is an initiative between clothes designers TAXI and The Salvation Army to create a cheap but high quality jacket for the homeless.

“It’s a lifeline for people without homes. They’re a pretty low-cost, immediate way to address a huge issue,” said Paul Lavoie, co-founder, chairman, and chief creative officer of TAXI. “Our approach to solving problems – of any sort – has always been to question convention. This won’t eliminate homelessness, but it can make a lot of people more comfortable.”

Since November, celebrity-signed 15 Below jackets have been on auction, with stars such as Michael Stipe, Kid Rock, Robert Plant, Michael Caine, Jon Stewart and Nelly Furtado autographing the items. Although those auctions have finished, Klum and Sir Elton have now come to the party by donating signed jackets.

But wait – there’s more! Klum hasn’t only donated a jacket, but has also included two pairs of jeans from the clothing line she designed for Jordache.

These auctions end on December 11. The jackets have multiple pockets and are both warm and waterproof. When not being worn, the jacket can be folded into a backpack for easy transportation, or used as a pillow. To bid on Heidi Klum’s jacket and jeans, click here, and for Sir Elton’s item, click here.

Bid On A Charity Bear Signed By Melora Hardin

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Looking for a gift with a difference this Christmas? Why not check out one of the new JJ Teddy Bears signed by your favorite celebrities.

The bears are available through a special charity auction benefiting the Children’s Aid Foundation, which runs education, enrichment and abuse prevention programs to provide abused and neglected children and youth with a new start on life – helping them feel safe, secure, loved and free to explore their dreams and goals.

The auction has been run annually for four years, and has helped raise $400,000 for the charity. This year’s auction features bears signed by Melora Hardin, Kreesha Turner, Nelly Furtado, Kevin Federline, Madeline Zima, Paul Ben-Victor, and more.

The auction – which ends on December 6 – can be accessed here. More information about the Children’s Aid Foundation, visit their website.

Grammy Auction Has Something For Everybody

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Another incredible Grammy auction benefiting MusiCares is currently running on eBay, giving bidders the opportunity to pick up some very special memorabilia for a good cause.

The 51st annual Grammy Awards will take place in February next year, and to celebrate there are all sorts of exciting items on offer. Maybe you fancy books signed by Ringo Starr, John Legend, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett, Nelly Furtado, Little Richard, or Carole King, or postcards signed by Rihanna. Or perhaps you would be more interested in grabbing a guitar signed by Stevie Wonder, Coldplay, or the Eagles’ Joe Walsh. Or, if strumming chords seems too hard and you want to hear real musicians play, you might want to make a bid on tickets to see Bette Midler, America, or 3 Doors Down. Whatever your taste, the auction has something for you.

So head over to the eBay Grammys Auction now to find yourself a once-in-a-lifetime bargain to raise money for MusiCares, an organization that works to help those in need in the music industry, and the Grammy Foundation, which works with industries, cultural communities and the public to raise awareness of music and arts education.

The auction runs until July 31.

Elton John, P. Diddy and Andrew Lloyd-Webber to Celebrate Life of Princess Diana

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:03:21 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

This Sunday, July 1st, music will fill the skies in remembrance of Princess Diana. The event was organised by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry to celebrate her life, ten years after her death.

Concert For Diana will take place at Wembley Stadium in London, and is showcasing a wide variety of musical styles, from Andrew Lloyd-Webber to P. Diddy. Legends Elton John, Rod Stewart and Tom Jones will be joined by the likes of Joss Stone, Nelly Furtado, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and James Morrison.

Many more performances will take place during the 8-hour-long event, including those by Duran Duran, Take That, Lily Allen and the English National Ballet.

Proceeds of the event go to charities which were supported by the Princess, and to charities of which her sons are now Patrons. These include: The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, Centrepoint, Sentebale, National AIDS Trust, The Leprosy Mission, the Royal Marsden Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital and the English National Ballet.

Tickets cost £45, but those who cannot make it to the concert can view it online at the Concert For Diana website.

How To Make A Charity Quilt

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 19:36:58 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Canadian singer Nelly Furtado plans to raise funds for environmental group The Land Conservancy by auctioning a handmade patchwork quilt.

Furtado will make the centre square, and she is asking her fans to contribute their own creations for the rest of the project. Those fans whose panels are included in the quilt will receive an autographed photo of the singer.

More information is available at NellyFurtado.com.

Look To The Stars News: Nelly Furtado

Jumpstart Sets New Charity Record For Reading

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Nelly Furtado Reads For The Record

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Win A Signed Copy of a Classic Children's Book

Help break a record

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About Jumpstart

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