Look To The Stars News: Serena Williams

Serena Williams Introduces Schools For Asia

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

UNICEF has made another contribution to the Millennium Development Goal objectives, which are supposed to be realized by 2015.

Following the 2004 launch of the Schools for Africa campaign that raised funds and partnered with organizations to provide and improve education for over five million children throughout Africa, UNICEF has just launched Schools for Asia to do the same for disadvantaged children living across South and East Asia.

Serena Williams, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, introduced Schools for Asia last week: “Schools for Asia provide quality education to millions of children,” she said. “Millions of children around the world don’t have [access to education]. They’re too poor or live too far away. Maybe they need to work to help support their family. Or it’s because of conflict or discrimination.”

Serena Williams And UNICEF Ambassadors Film PSA For East Africa

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Four of UNICEF’s international Goodwill Ambassadors have recorded special PSAs calling on fans to support the charity in its efforts to relieve the devastating famine in the Horn of Africa.

Serena Williams, Angélique Kidjo, Yuna Kim and Ishmael Beah have recorded video messages seeking help for the millions of people facing starvation in East Africa.

The epicentre of the drought has hit the poorest people in the region in an area straddling the borders of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia where families rely heavily on livestock for survival. In some parts of the region, up to 60 percent of their herds have already died while the remainder are either sick or dangerously underweight. The price of animals has plummeted by half while the cost of cereals has soared. In Somalia the price of a main staple sorghum has risen by a massive 240 percent since this time last year.

Celebrities Take Part In I AM Campaign To Stop Rising Sea Levels

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Global Green USA today launched the I AM Campaign to raise awareness about the serious threats Americans face from rising sea levels, and challenge citizens to take action in their communities.

Joined by actors, athletes and musicians – such as Mark Ruffalo, Adrian Grenier, Orlando Bloom, Serena Williams, James Cameron, Billy Morrison, Mark McGrath, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick among others – I AM highlights coastal cities in the U.S. and the world from New Orleans to New York City, from Tokyo to Jakarta, from San Francisco to Boston; that are in danger due to sea level rise.

Serena Williams Named As UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:35:00 +0000

UNICEF today announced tennis champion Serena Williams’s appointment as international Goodwill Ambassador.

Williams is one of the all-time greats of professional tennis, having achieved a decade-long dominance of the game. While she is best known for her power and finesse in competition, her generous philanthropic endeavors off the court are just as dynamic.

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake welcomed Williams to the UNICEF family today at the 2nd Annual Social Good Summit in New York City.

Alicia Keys Urges Celebrity Friends To Sacrifice Digital Life For Charity

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:30:00 +0000

A number of celebrities are giving up their Facebook and Twitter accounts as part of a new charity initiative for Alicia Keys’ Keep A Child Alive.

The campaign – called Digital Life Sacrifice – will see stars such as Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and Usher stay away from their computers from December 1 until Keys’ charity raises $1 million.

“It’s really important and super-cool to use mediums that we naturally are on,” says Alicia. "It’s so important to shock you to the point of waking up. It’s not that people don’t care or it’s not that people don’t want to do something, it’s that they never thought of it quite like that.

Elton John's Annual Smash Hits Tennis For Charity

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Tennis legend Billie Jean King and music superstar Sir Elton John are teaming up for their annual charity event — the 18th annual WTT Smash Hits presented by GEICO on November 15, 2010 at the Bender Arena at American University in Washington, D.C.

This star studded event will raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and local Washington, D.C. Area AIDS charities.

Kelly Rowland Launches New Charity

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland was joined by her celebrity friends in Miami yesterday to launch her brand new charity, I Heart My Girlfriends.

With the support of Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams and others, the singer launched the charity to serve as an interactive support system for teenage girls.

According to Rowland’s official website, the charity will focus on self-esteem, date violence prevention, community service, abstinence, sports, drug and alcohol and smoking avoidance, obesity, disabilities, education and more.

Celebrity Guests Celebrate Oscars At Charity Parties

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:30:00 +0000

The stars were out for charity over the weekend to celebrate the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

The eighth annual Night Before gala hit Hollywood on Saturday night to raise money for the Motion Picture & Television Fund, an organization that supports people in the Southern California entertainment community with health and human services needs.

Among the stars to converge on the Beverly Hills Hotel for the event were George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Steven Spielberg, Robert Downey Jr and many more.

James Cameron Hosts Global Green Pre-Oscar Party

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:30:00 +0000

On Wednesday March 4, the 7th Annual Global Green pre-Oscar party was held at the Avalon in Hollywood with host, director James Cameron.

Many celebrities joined the Avatar director, including Jessica Alba and husband Cash Warren, Benji and Joel Madden, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kevin Connolly, Lukas Haas, Serena Williams, and former Spice Girl Mel B. Multiple celebrities took to the stage for musical performances, including: Benji and Joel Madden, Juliette Lewis, Mark McGrath, Billy Morrison, Steve Stevens, Billy Gibbons and Dave Navarro.

Serena Williams Makes Charity Trip To Kenya

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Tennis star Serena Williams is taking a three-day trip to Kenya this week (Feb 22) where she’ll officially inaugurate Wee Secondary School in Makueni, Eastern Province.

This is a follow-up to the first visit she took in November 2008 where – in partnership with Hewlett Packard, and Build African Schools – she helped build The Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni.

This trip, Serena will review the progress of the Matooni school as well as hold a one-hour teaching session with the students of both institutions.

Jackie Chan, Scarlett Johansson, Serena Williams - Haiti Charity News

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:55:00 +0000

Jackie Chan was in the recording studio yesterday to record a special song in honor of eight Chinese peacekeepers killed in the Haiti earthquake.

The action star/singer has recorded “To Welcome You Home” with pop star Tan Jing. The song was written by the same team who wrote Love Through Life and Death for victims of the Sichuan earthquake.

Actress Scarlett Johansson has also been busy organizing earthquake relief, and has launched an online charity auction to raise funds for Oxfam.

A Weekend Of Celebrity Giving To Haiti

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Actress Sandra Bullock is the latest star to give big to Haitian earthquake relief over a weekend defined by donations of time and money.

The star has matched last week’s donation of $1 million from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

“I wanted to ensure that my donation would be used immediately to meet the needs of the Haitian people affected by this catastrophic event,” she said. Her donation went to Doctors Without Borders.

Andy Roddick And Elton John Help Each Other For Charity

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Tennis star Andy Roddick held his yearly charity event for the Andy Roddick Foundation and this year he received a little help from good pal Sir Elton John.

During the event, Sir Elton offered a lucky bidder the opportunity to pick his set list for the evening, and winning songs included “Tiny Dancer” and “Crocodile Rock.”

Guests in attendance included Brooklyn Decker, John Legend and his gal Chrissy Teigen among others, and according to guests “Andy was the first to stand up for ovations after Elton’s songs, and the last person to sit down.”

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.

Kanye West Takes To Stage At Charity Event

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:30:00 +0000

The Common Ground Foundation held its second annual “Common & Friends” concert at the famed Hollywood Palladium on Saturday night. The show raised funds for the foundation, created by Grammy-Award winning hip-hop artist and actor, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, best known as Common.

The concert featured live performances from Common, The Roots, Nas, De La Soul, Ludacris, Queen Latifah, Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Heavy D, while Freddy Rodriguez, Garth Trinidad, Rasual Butler, Toccara Jones, Serena Williams, Amber Rose, Erica Hubbard, Alyssa Milano, Eva Amurri and Ian Ziering were all in attendance to support the Common Ground Foundation.

“I am very grateful and thankful to all who attended and supported the 2nd annual Common Ground Foundation event. To all the gifted artists that participated – I thank you for giving your time, energy, and creativity,” said Common. “To all the sponsors, thank you for your ongoing commitment to the progress of the future of our youth. God bless… Love.”

Tennis Pros Tutor Teens

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:31:00 +0000

Kids in NY were treated to tips from tennis stars Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams in NY last week.

Fans and youth from New York Junior Tennis League, Athletes for Charity, New York City Parks Foundation and Mentoring USA were on hand to learn from the pros at Nike’s 2009 unveiling of the US Open’s ‘look’.

GOSH, What Auctions!

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:26:00 +0000

The Great Ormond Street Hospital is set to benefit from many current and recent celebrity charity auctions, including a date with Orlando Bloom, which brought in £9,000 ($14,600) just last week.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star was on hand at the Victoria and Albert museum with Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton, British TV presenter Vernon Kay and Jade Jagger to help raise over £450,000 ($730,000) for the children’s charity.

Hamilton and other F1 stars, such as Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Sebastian Vettel, Jarno Trulli and Kimi Raikkonen have all signed unique displays for an auction benefitting the children’s hospital. The auction will run at Starcards.org until June 30th.

Williams Sisters To Play In Charity Tennis Event

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Four of the world’s top women tennis players, including 2008 Grand Slam Champions Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic, along with World No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, will face off in a one-night only single elimination event which will also celebrate tennis legend Billie Jean King and benefit two charities.

The “BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup” is scheduled for Monday, March 2, at Madison Square Garden and will be telecast live on HBO beginning at 7:30 p.m. E.T.

Limited front row VIP tickets priced at $1,000.00 and additional tickets listed at $325.00, $175.00, $125.00, $75.00, and $50.00 went on sale today and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.thegarden.com. The $1.2 million “BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup”, the featured component of the national “Tennis Night in America” promotion, is produced by StarGames in association with Madison Square Garden. The event will benefit the Dream Vaccines Foundation and Women’s Sports Foundation.

Andy Roddick To Rock N' Racquet For Children

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:30:00 +0000

Tennis star Andy Roddick will be joined by Serena Williams, John Isner, and Caroline Wozniacki for a series of exhibition tennis matches to raise money for the Andy Roddick Foundation over the next few days.

The ICAP Rock-N-Racquets event will be held on December 12,13, and 14 and will be emceed by Wayne Bryan, father of top U.S. doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan, with musical performances by Chamberflow, Dennisha Duncan and DJ K-Dogg.

“A lot of tennis events tell you to be quiet,’’ said Roddick. “We tell you to not be quiet.”

Serena Williams To Visit Kenya

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Tennis star Serena Williams will visit Kenya this week to open a school she helped fund.

The Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni will open on Friday, November 14, and Williams will be on site to help. Built through a partnership between the Build African Schools initiative and Hewlett Packard, the school is designed to empower African students through education.

“We are indeed honored to have Ms Williams visit Kenya at this momentous time in American history when we have a new President elect who has roots in Kenya,” said Mr Dickson Mutaiti, the Director of Projects Build African Schools in Kenya. “During her visit, Ms Williams will officially open a secondary school put up in her name, to give chance to needy primary school students who want to pursue secondary school education.”

Celebrities Cast Aside Their Clothing For Charity

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 10:35:00 +0000

It is not a case of what to wear for celebrities this month, but rather of what to give away, as eBay and other auction websites are inundated with the closet cast-outs of a variety of actors and singers.

Film company New Line Cinema is leading the charge by auctioning off original costumes from their current hit movie, Hairspray. Among the costumes are two dresses worn by John Travolta in the film, as well as the silk top and capri pants belonging to Queen Latifah. The proceeds will benefit Citymeals On Wheels, a charity that looks after those in need in New York City, as well as The Harry Holmberg Memorial Foundation, which is dedicated to sick children in the city.

Bidding on each costume is expected to reach $500, and the auction ends on August 4. It can be viewed at www.hairspray.ebay.com.

The Magnitude of Fortitude - When Parkinson’s Patients Feel Their Lives Are Crumbling, The HollyRod Foundation Provides Stability

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 22:08:00 +0000

It is a tremor that will send shockwaves through nearly 60,000 families in the U.S. this year. However, it will not be registering on the Richter scale; the shift in their world will be caused by the diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. They will join the estimated 1.5 million afflicted Americans, along with their loved ones, who feel the reverberations of a disorder that leaves physical destruction, emotional devastation and financial ruin in its wake. Out of this rubble, a resolve emerges to research and fund a cure amongst the chaos.

For many, the first rumblings of Parkinson’s Disease are noticed in slurred speech, muscle stiffness, a shuffling gait; for actress Holly Robinson-Peete, it was noticing her dad walking with a limp while dropping her off at college in 1982. Upon returning home for Christmas of that year, Holly was told of his Bell’s Palsy, a condition that causes the facial muscles to weaken or become paralyzed. At the age of 46, this was the onset of his diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease.

His name may not sound familiar, however many know Matt Robinson as the man who swept our cares away. His role playing the original Gordon on Sesame Street endeared us to this gentleman who would go on to write and produce for some of televisions best-loved comedies, including Sanford & Son, Eight is Enough, and The Cosby Show.