Look To The Stars News: Steven Tyler

Steven Tyler's Still Livin' On The Edge For Charity

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler proved he doesn’t just walk this way but also rides this way when he took part in last weekend’s first Boston Rock Ride For Africa.

The 60-year-old rocker straddled one of his custom-made Red Wing motorcycles for the 15-mile charity ride from Waltham to the Bank of America Pavilion on Boston’s waterfront to raise money for FORGE and Opportunity International, two charities dedicated to stamping out poverty in Africa.

The two-day event – which also included a gala at the Hard Rock Café – aimed to bring attention to a global challenge that affects the entire world: “While the United States has seen relative peace and prosperity on our soil for over 100 years, many African people have been born into a cycle of war and poverty that the rest of the world has an opportunity to end. Years of effort and millions of dollars have been poured into pure humanitarian aid, but a lack of results has seen the perpetuation of violence.

From bostonforafrica.org: “Now, as a part of a progressive breed of results-driven and business-minded NGOs, Foundation Rwanda, FORGE & Opportunity International strategically leverage the capacities of impoverished communities to lead themselves into prosperity. With the simplest of opportunities, small-scale change is growing from the bottom up and the African continent is realizing positive change.”

Stars Line Up For Wildfire Auction

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:19:45 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

An exciting new auction, featuring memorabilia from rock bands young and old, has been launched on eBay to raise funds and awareness for victims of the recent Californian wildfires.

Rockers Linkin Park, and their charitable foundation Music for Relief, have teamed up with the non-profit organization Unite The United to stage the auction, which runs on eBay Giving Works until November 15. Proceeds from the auction are to be donated to the California Community Foundation’s Southern California Relief Fund, which is working hard in the aftermath of the wildfires to support victims and firefighters. A portion of the money raised will also go to American Forests, an organization that will help with the reforestation of 800 square miles of greenery destroyed in the fires that raged for over two weeks from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border.

Over 60 items, including signed instruments and concert tickets, are up for sale in the auction, which follows an earlier donation of $50,000 made by Linkin Park to wildfire victims. This was followed by a donation from classic rockers the Eagles, also of $50,000, made to the firefighters involved in stopping the fires, and $160,000 donated to the cause by Gwen Stefani.

Some of the items in the auction have already raised bids of $1000, including an Xbox 360 game console featuring artwork and signatures from Linkin Park. The Eagles have donated signed CDs, as have stadium favorites Chicago. Aerosmith has donated a drum kit signed by singer Steven Tyler, and other merchandise from artists as diverse as Madonna, Tori Amos, Green Day, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, Rob Zombie, and Less Than Jake is available to the highest bidder.

Linkin Park, known for their nu metal albums Hybrid Theory and Meteora, founded Music For Relief in 2005 to provide aid to victims of natural disasters, and have in the past donated over $2 million to causes such as Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami in South East Asia. Singer Chester Bennington decided to join together with the Unite The United Foundation, whose mission is to encourage music fans, artists, and industry leaders to work towards positive changes in the community, after being moved by images of the wildfires that left 90 people injured, 12 dead, and destroyed over 2000 homes and buildings. Over 900,000 people were evacuated during the fires, and the band hopes the proceeds from the auction will be used to aid the victims in their intermediate and long-term recovery, especially in terms of the provision of affordable housing.

The auction can be viewed at www.ebay.com/cawildfires.

Celebrities Fuel Robin Hood Charity Excess

Mon, 07 May 2007 20:19:47 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

This year’s Robin Hood fundraiser saw top-tier investors driven by good-natured rivalry and celebrity encouragement to give a massive $71 million to charity.

Individual pledges of up to $10 million were made, totalling around $40 million, and guests participated enthusiastically in an auction of unique and decadent lots.

Winning bids included $400,000 to sing a song with Aerosmith (whose singer Steven Tyler performed for two hours of the evening), $1.3 million for a 10-person dinner with celebrity chef Mario Batali, and $2.2 million for an insider trip to the Beijing Olympics.

The annual event is expertly marketed to its guest list of hedge fund managers and private equity high-fliers. Presiding auctioneer Jamie Niven, of Sotheby’s, said, “They put these things together that in your lifetime you couldn’t do. It’s the secret for that audience. You can’t give them a week in Rome. They can do that.”

Tom Brokaw began the evening, and comedian Jon Stewart played host. Mingling with the super-rich was a liberal sprinkling of further celebrities including Michael Douglas, Ben Affleck, Jimmy Fallon, Zach Braff and Martha Stewart.

This year’s donations exceeded those of last year by 32 percent, and the Robin Hood event has given more than $900 million in cash and donated services since it began in 1990, when it raised $700,000.

Look To The Stars News: Steven Tyler

Steven Tyler's Still Livin' On The Edge For Charity

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Stars Line Up For Wildfire Auction

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Celebrities Fuel Robin Hood Charity Excess

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