Look To The Stars News: Bill Gates

Bill Gates To Leave His Billions To Charity

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:30:00 -0000

He may be going, but he won’t be forgotten – Microsoft founder Bill Gates has announced he will be leaving $58 billion to charity in his will, just a week before he officially steps down from his role as executive chairman of the company.

The 52-year-old has promised to donate the money to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the charitable fund he set up with his wife to finance health and education programs around the world.

’We want to give it back to society in the way that it will have the most positive impact,” he said. “I want to make a positive contribution to the world.”

Gates Talks Innovation, Philanthropy and Post-Retirement Plans

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:15:29 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Microsoft frontman Bill Gates spoke to students at Stanford earlier this month, praising young people for their innovation, and raising awareness for philanthropic work.

The talk began with a spoof video, during which Gates detailed his post-retirement plans. After retiring from his job at Microsoft later this year, Gates has a goal to break into the music industry. But, in the video, Jay-Z doesn’t have the heart to tell him that his chances are slim. And Bono tells him there is no chance of replacing The Edge as U2’s guitarist.

“Bill, we’ve, uh, we’ve talked about this before. We’re full up in the band, Bill. All positions are filled. I know… I know… I can’t just replace Edge because you got a high score on Guitar Hero.”

Bono continues, Office-style, “Bill’s always had a passion for music… and as long as it’s not my music, I’m fine with that.”

During the spoof, Gates also considers a career in film, and goes to director Steven Spielberg for help. Spielberg does what he can, though George Clooney isn’t so hot on the idea.

The video goes on to show Gates asking Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama if he can be their running mate, and finally calling Al Gore.

“No, it’s not an inconvenient time… Yeah, I get it. That was a good one,” says Gore.

After the video, Gates returned his Stanford talk to the topics at hand. “One of the best investments any company makes is in its research group and in the relationship its research group has with universities,” Gates said. “Students have really been at the heart of a lot of breakthroughs.” Microsoft announced that same day that it is making its software development tools available to high school and college students at no cost.

Gates then discussed his plans to work full-time with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, stating that his focal point is curing diseases, particularly life-threatening diseases in the Third World. He pointed out that there is a ratio of about 50 to 1 in the spending on finding a cure for baldness vs. finding a cure for malaria.

The foundation was famously pledged $37 billion by Warren Buffett in 2006, having already made grants totalling $10.5bn in the previous 12 years. Commenting on Buffett’s donation to the fund, Bill Gates said, “It is a big challenge to make sure this money gets used in the right way, but it is one we are thrilled about.” And soon, Gates will be dedicating his entire working day to doing just that.

Lunchbox Auction Will Help Feed Hungry Children

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:49:04 -0000

Written by Crystal A. Johnson

Forget what they say about good things coming in small boxes, better things come in lunch-boxes created by artists, actors, chefs, musicians, photographer, politicians, and fashion designers to shed light on the plight of hungry children in New York City and South Africa. These original artistic efforts are for the Lunchbox Auction.

The artistry is often unique and often indicative of the personality behind the work. World renown chef Bobby Flay’s 2005 lunchbox was decorated with spices. Bono’s lunchbox was simply red signifying his (RED) campaign. The bidding for lunchbox items will commence online on December 6, 2007

Among the other contributors of lunch-boxes for the first online auction included Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, David Bowie and Iman among other famous people. The proceeds help the Food Bank For New York City provide food to more than 1,000 emergency and community food programs throughout the five boroughs.

One in five children in NYC rely on emergency food. Thousands of miles away in South Africa, children face similar hunger oriented plights. Fledgling school programs do not subsidize pre- and high schools, so for many of these children the Lunch box fund feed them their only meal of the day. Moreover, many of the children are AIDS orphans running child-headed households.

To see the full list of lunch-boxes, visit the Charity Folks Website.

Jerry Lewis Tops Charity Survey

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:48:18 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A survey has named comedy actor Jerry Lewis as the most effective celebrity for charity causes, with 43% of those surveyed saying he is the best at raising funds and driving change for the issues he supports.

The survey, carried out by the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, put the 81 year old veteran of movies including “The Nutty Professor” at the top of a list of ten philanthropic celebrities, such as Oprah Winfrey, Michael J. Fox, Jimmy Carter, Bill Gates, Angelina Jolie, Bono, Lance Armstrong, Katie Couric, and Rosie O’Donnell.
Jerry Lewis helped establish the Muscular Dystrophy Association in 1952, and has organized and hosted a Labor Day Telethon every year since 1966. His fundraising efforts have raised over $2 billion for neuromuscular care and research, with last year’s telethon raising $61 million alone. He has also been involved with fundraising for The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. He is the only media celebrity to have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

“I’m always honored and humbled by the response of the American people to my efforts on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association,” said Lewis, who will host the 42nd Labor Day Telethon on September 2 and 3. “Their generosity has allowed us to provide important services and conduct vital research for 57 years.”

The survey also investigated the issues that Americans find most important. The results showed that causes to help children and animals are the most popular, followed by education and literacy, services for the elderly, religion, health and medicine, the environment, and aid for disabled people.

Respondents of the survey aged between 18 and 42 were more interested in international causes, and were more likely to be influenced by celebrities such as Oprah and Bono, who work with developing countries to ease poverty. Respondents over the age of 43 were influenced more by older celebrities, such as Bill Gates, who supports health and education issues, and Jimmy Carter, who works with Habitat For Humanity.
42% of those surveyed said they want to donate more time to charity, but cannot find the opportunity.

Vanity Fair Charity Issue Edited By Bono

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:35:36 -0000

Written by Saskia Akyil

Bono is putting his philanthropic energy into Vanity Fair’s July 2007 special issue about Africa. The issue has 20 different cover photos of high-profile individuals, all taken by renowned photographer Annie Liebowitz.

The magazine includes information about the issues and charities supported by actors, athletes, models, politicians, musicians, activists, and billionaire philanthropists, all of whom are using their celebrity status and the publicity they receive to bring attention to the complex set of problems faced by the inhabitants of Africa.

Africa is a continent with great need, and has been given a disproportionately low amount of attention and aid from wealthy nations. It is the first Vanity Fair issue to have a guest editor, and Bono’s highly publicized commitment to aiding Africa makes him an obvious choice for editor of this issue. In recent years, celebrities have used their status to bring a great deal of attention to Africa.

The covers of the Africa issue include portraits of: Bono, Barack Obama, Queen Rania, George Bush, Condaleeza Rice, Muhammad Ali, Desmond Tutu, Brad Pitt, Djimon Hounsou, Madonna, Maya Angelou, Chris Rock, Warren Buffett, Melinda & Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Iman, and Don Cheadle.

The issue features numerous in-depth articles about a variety of subjects concerning Africa, including: Kenya; Desmond Tutu and the fight for equality in South Africa and worldwide; Tunisia’s success and the threat of Islamic extremism; the role of China in fueling some of the conflict in Africa; Jeffrey Sachs dream of how to eradicate extreme poverty; the consumer-action strategy of (Product) Red to make miracle AIDS treatment drugs accessible to the millions who need them; the role of the Congo’s blacklisted airline pilots in keeping trade flowing; Bill Clinton’s stories of Nelson Mandela; African music; Africans defying the status quo of poverty, disease, and corruption; suggestions for platform topics for the US 2008 presidential election; the genetic data that links all people on Earth to Africa; identifying the current literary talents of Africa; Princess Diana’s post-divorce charity work, in particular her mission to ban land mines; and the Africa connection of the high-profile individuals on Vanity Fair’s July 2007 issue covers.

The Vanity Fair website offers links and information about Africa, charities that benefit the continent, and full-text versions of some of the articles.

Warren Buffett Gives 85% of Fortune To Bill Gates' Foundation

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 07:45:03 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

In a stunning move the world’s second richest man Warren Buffett has announced that he will donate around $37bn of his personal fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The sum, which represents 85% of his enormous personal fortune, will be paid in 10 million shares in his Berkshire Hathaway investments firm.

“This has been coming for 50 years,” said Buffett. “There’s never really been any other plan in terms of where the money should go.”

He added, “I am not an enthusiast of dynastic wealth, particularly when the alternative is six billion people having that much poorer hands in life than we have, having a chance to benefit from the money.”

Bill Gates and wife Melinda said in a statement, “We are awed by our friend Warren Buffet’s decision to use his fortune to address the world’s most challenging inequities, and we are humbled that he has chosen to direct a large portion of it to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”

Buffett said he chose to distribute his wealth to an existing foundation out of respect for its current work, telling Fortune magazine, “Who wouldn’t select Tiger Woods to take his place in a high-stakes golf game? That’s how I feel about this decision with my money.”

Gates Open To More Charity Work

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 18:37:07 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

College drop-out turned technology super-star Bill Gates announced that over the next two years he will withdraw from his daily role at Microsoft in order to dedicate himself full-time to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

At 50, Gates is currently the world’s richest man, with a personal
worth estimated at $50 billion. The $30 billion Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation focuses on health and education charities.

The Microsoft founder is one of many philanthropists helping others using wealth gained quickly through the technology boom.

Fellow Microsoft pioneer, Paul Allen, awards nearly $30 million in grants every year through a charitable fund he created.

Other big players include eBay creator Pierre Omidya, who
created a $400 million fund to aid development in poverty-stricken countries, and Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who have dedicated $1 billion to fighting poverty and helping energy consumption.

San Diego School Surprise

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:32:41 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Students at San Diego High School were thrilled at the unexpected arrival of Oprah, Bill Gates, and Gates’ wife Melinda. The visitors were there to film a future segment of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” about an $11 million donation in 2003 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Three large high schools in the area received funds to assist in their efforts to increase the number of college-ready graduates, particularly among low-income and minority students. Some of the money was used to divide the San Diego High School into six smaller schools. Each of the smaller schools specializes in a particular field, such as business, international studies, media or science.

Look To The Stars News: Bill Gates

Bill Gates To Leave His Billions To Charity

Related past articles

Gates Talks Innovation, Philanthropy and Post-Retirement Plans

Related past articles

Lunchbox Auction Will Help Feed Hungry Children

Related past articles

Jerry Lewis Tops Charity Survey

Related past articles

Vanity Fair Charity Issue Edited By Bono

Related past articles

Warren Buffett Gives 85% of Fortune To Bill Gates' Foundation

Related past articles

Gates Open To More Charity Work

Related past articles

San Diego School Surprise

Related past articles