Look To The Stars News: Montel Williams

Montel Williams' Daughter Speaks Up For Nutrition

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:30:00 -0000

As students across America head back to class, the daughter of Montel Williams is calling for healthy vegetarian school lunch options in a new television commercial. Fourteen-year-old Wyntergrace Williams is asking Congress to amend the Child Nutrition Act to help schools serve more fruits, vegetables, and vegetarian meals.

“Some of us don’t eat right,” Wyntergrace says in the commercial produced by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). “Fast food, junk food—sometimes, even our school lunches have too much fat and cholesterol.”

More than 80 percent of Americans believe that vegetarian meals should be available in schools to children who want them, according to a recent survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation.

“Eighty percent of schools still serve too much greasy, fattening food to meet the government’s own nutrition guidelines,” says PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D. “Schools should offer healthy vegetarian options every day, and they should have the funding to make that feasible.”

Vegetarian options would benefit all children, PCRM says. A veggie burger, for example, provides the same amount of protein as a typical cheeseburger—15 grams. But while a cheeseburger harbors 10 grams of fat, a veggie burger has only 5, and it has no saturated fat, no cholesterol, and fewer calories.

The Wyntergrace Williams TV commercial, titled “School Lunch Revolution,” can be seen online here.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.

Toby Maguire Wants Healthy Lunches Served In Schools

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Actor Toby Maguire has joined America’s Healthy School Lunch Campaign by writing letters to congressional leaders about the Child Nutrition Act.

“I am deeply concerned that unhealthy school lunches are contributing to our nation’s childhood obesity epidemic,” wrote Maguire. “School is tough enough already – students shouldn’t have to put up with lunches swimming in fat and cholesterol. It’s time for healthier options. The upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act offers a golden opportunity to help school lunch programs serve more fruits, vegetables and low-fat vegetarian meals.”

Current federal school lunch policies are somewhat disturbing as they encourage surplus beef ending up in schools across the country, resulting in daily servings of high-fat meals to millions of young children. This is deeply troubling to Maguire.

But parents are the only ones concerned – so are some of the children. TV personality Montel Williams’ daughter, Wyntergrace Williams, has already presented 50,000 signatures to congress, urging vegetarian options for school lunches. She also put out a short video to promote the cause:

“Some of us don’t eat right – fast food, junk food,” she says in the clip. “Sometimes even our school lunches have too much fat and cholesterol. The answer is veggie chilli, veggie burgers, healthy food.”

“Young people deserve healthful food,” says Maguire, “and I can’t imagine a better investment in the future of our country.”

You can sign the petition here.

Soap Stars To Join Celebrity Charity Trip To Kenya

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Three of Daytime TV’s biggest stars – Susan Lucci (“All My Children”), Anthony Geary (“General Hospital”) and Kelly Monaco (“General Hospital)” – will travel to Kenya next month with Feed the Children, an international, non-profit relief organization that supports more than 100,000 children in Kenya’s slums.

The three will document their journey with their own cameras as they aid Feed the Children founders Larry and Frances Jones in delivering food and items to the needy and accompany them on visits to local schools as well as an abandoned baby center built by Feed the Children. Part of the footage they shoot while over there will air as a segment entitled “Daytime Gives Back” during the Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards, airing Sunday, August 30th at 8:00p.m. ET/PT on the CW Television Network.

“All My Children” will also incorporate the trip in to their show, in a yet to be determined storyline involving Lucci’s character Erica Kane.

Lucci, Monaco and Geary will be traveling to Kenya with other celebrities including Montel Williams, Devon Werkheiser (Nickelodeon’s “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide”), Christopher Massey, Kyle Massey and Erik Estrada to shoot a full length documentary that will be produced and distributed by Emmy Award winning production company Associated Television International. The documentary will provide the American public with an up-close and personal look at Kenya and its wonderful people thru the eyes of these popular celebrities.

Feed The Children, founded in 1979 by Larry and Frances Jones, is a Christian, international, nonprofit relief organization that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty or natural disasters. Since its founding, the organization has reached out to help children and their families in all 50 states and 118 countries around the globe. For more information, please visit www.feedthechildren.org

Affleck, Damon and More To Ante Up For Africa

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:30:00 -0000

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Brad Garrett, Mekhi Phifer, and top poker professional Phil Hellmuth have joined the growing list of celebrities who plan to play in the Ante Up For Africa charity tournament July 2 at the 40th annual World Series of Poker.

Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are expected to go all in for the 3rd Ante Up For Africa (AUFA) Celebrity-Charity poker tournament.

Annually, the largest celebrity poker tournament in Las Vegas, the event is accessible for the public to play with their favorite stars or watch as spectators. A full house of celebrities will join Academy Award Nominee, Don Cheadle and “Celebrity Apprentice Star” and WSOP Bracelet winner Annie Duke at the event taking place during the 2009 WORLD SERIES OF POKER® (WSOP) at Rio in Las Vegas on Thursday, July 2 at 2 PM.

This No-Limit Hold’em poker tournament has an entry fee of $5,000 and provides entrants the opportunity to walk away with a six-figure payday. The event allows players to rub elbows with top Hollywood stars, athletes and poker professionals while contributing to a great cause.

Celebrities and athletes will join poker’s most notable players to raise public awareness and funds to support the victims of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan.

Among those confirmed to participate, subject to availability, are Cheadle, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Brad Garrett, Cedric the Entertainer, Charles Barkley, Danny Masterson, Hank Azaria, Herschel Walker, Jason Alexander, Kenny Smith, Marlon Wayans, Montel Williams, Reggie Miller, Tia Carrere, Sarah Silverman, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Cheryl Hines, Mekhi Phifer, Rob Schneider; Poker Professionals Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Tiffany Michelle, Erik Seidel and Phil Hellmuth with more to be confirmed.

The tournament will feature a fast-paced structure designed to complete the competition within five hours. Seating for the tournament is open to anyone age 21 or older.

This event, as is every World Series of Poker tournament, is open to the public for viewing and admission is free. The event will take place in the famed Amazon Ballroom in the Rio Convention Center, just one day prior to the start of the WSOP Main Event, the game’s most prestigious poker event.

Cheadle, an accomplished poker player, and Duke, who has more than $4 million in tournament winnings, are committed to raising both public awareness about the tragedy in Darfur and funds to aid its victims. As the world’s richest sporting event, the WSOP awarded more than $180 million in 2008 and attracted participants from a record 124 nations.

In the previous events, many of the in the money finishers volunteered to donate half of their winnings to the charity. Proceeds from the event will go to the ENOUGH Project and Refugees International, organizations whose goals include raising public awareness and providing aid to the survivors of Darfur.

More information about the tournament is available at www.worldseriesofpoker.com. If you would like more information regarding the organization, please log onto www.anteupforafrica.org and follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/anteupforafrica.

ABOUT THE WSOP
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world awarding millions of dollars in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2008, the event attracted 58,720 entrants from 124 different countries to the Rio in Las Vegas and awarded over $180 million in prize money. The creation of the new delayed Main Event final table more than doubled ratings on ESPN year-over-year. In December, 2008 the WSOP was named the 7th most admired sports brand in North America by the Turnkey Team Brand Index trailing only the more established NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR and PGA Tour among sports properties. In addition, the WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent in 2007 of the World Series of Poker Europe. For more information on the World Series of Poker, please visit our website at www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

ABOUT ANTE UP FOR AFRICA
Ante Up For Africa (AUFA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 by Don Cheadle, Annie Duke and Norman Epstein. We are dedicated to raising money and awareness for Africans in need. To date, Ante Up For Africa has raised close to $2 million for the cause and has donated to organizations such as Not On Our Watch (NOOW), ENOUGH and The International Rescue Committee. For more information, please log onto www.AnteUpForAfrica.org.

Stars Play Poker For Paralyzed Veterans

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

Some of the biggest names in poker and entertainment have been invited to participate in two-charity poker tournement benefiting the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

The ‘All In’ events will take place at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on February 26, and the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capital Hill, Washington D.C. on March 25. Invited guests include Committee Chairs: Ben Affleck, Andy Bloch, Lee Childs, Senator Alfonse D’Amato, Richard and Kyle Petty, Mike Sexton, and Montel Williams.

Both events include an opening reception, poker clinic and silent auctions, as well as prizes such as a seat at the World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational or a VIP Race Weekend with Richard Petty.

Your sponsorship will help Paralyzed Veterans of America to continue supporting the tens of thousands of veterans who rely on their services and programs. Through your support, you will become a partner with an organization fondly considered the “voice” of the paralyzed veteran in the White house, on Capitol Hill and throughout America. Contact: For more information, please contact Meredith Magwire at (703) 288-8686 or mmagwire@hayespr.com

World Magic Awards To Feed The Children

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

You can help make the problem of starving children disappear by attending the 2008 World Magic Awards this Saturday, October 11.

Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, the show will benefit Feed the Children, an organization that provides food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty, or natural disaster.

Featuring a host of the world’s best magicians – including Hans Klok – the World Magic Awards will attract John Schneider, Corbin Bernsen, Melora Hardin, Jonathan Schaech, Debbie Matenopolous, Ernie Hudson, Buzz Aldrin, Cristian de la Fuente, Ashley Jones and many others.

Last year’s show was hosted by Roger Moore and was attended by Joan Collins, Pamela Anderson, Marla Maples, John Schneider, Robert Vaughn, and Eric Roberts.

More information about the event – which has an organizing committee that includes Tony Hawk, Vince Gill, Adrian Paul, Montel Williams, Michael Caine, Pat Boone, Monique Coleman, and Jason Alexander – can be found at www.worldmagicawards.com.

Bid For Signed Coffee Cups For Charity

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Fancy sitting down for a cup of coffee and helping to fight breast cancer at the same time? Now you can, with the launch of the Second Annual Nonni’s Biscotti Celebrity Mug Auction.

The auction launches today, October 1, and features over 90 pink Nonni’s mugs signed by some of your favorite stars. 100% of the proceeds will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the auction features cups signed by Barbara Walters, Montel Williams, Zachary Levi, Jason Mewes, Joel Madden, Debra Messing, Cameron Mathison, Daniel Goddard, Julianne Hough, Shannon Elizabeth, Susan Lucci, and many more.

Nancy Brinker created Susan G. Komen for the Cure in honor of her dying sister’s wish to speed up research and make the treatment process a little more esthetic and feminine friendly. A global breast cancer movement was launched, “fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures.”

“We are proud to help raise funds for research, education, screening and treatment that will hopefully eliminate this disease one day,” said Nonni’s marketing manager Matt Duffy, “We hope this charity auction will not only help raise funds, but also increase awareness about breast cancer.”

The auction can be accessed via eBay and runs until the end of the month.

Affleck Tops Charity Stars in Denver

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Denver saw an outpouring of celebrity love during last week’s DNC, with Ben Affleck leading the philanthropic pack.

On the Tuesday night, Affleck took part in a poker tournament, along with Richard Dreyfuss and Montel Williams, which ultimately raised over $60,000 for the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

“A lot of important organizations use this environment and the people who are here, celebrities, members of Congress, to try and raise money. This is not a Democratic or Republican group, this is a group serving our veterans,” Affleck said of the charity.

Wednesday morning, the Pearl Harbor star was down at a local food bank, the Food Bank of the Rockies, to participate in a repack event for America’s Second Harvest. Also on hand for the event were members of the Senate Hunger Caucus and members of the House – all there to see who could pack the most boxes of food in five minutes. Affleck, incidentally, won both the poker and the packing events.

He was joined by wife Jennifer Garner for a book reading at the Starz Green Room. Also set to attend were Charlize Theron, Daryl Hannah, Rosario Dawson, Kerry Washington, Josh Brolin, Kal Penn, Stuart Townsend and Hill Harper.

Jennifer Lopez spoke at a reception sponsored by the Jennifer Lopez Foundation in honor of Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund. Fran Drescher, Ashley Judd and Joy Bryant joined Lopez in honoring Edelman.

The Black Eyed Peas performed at the Fillmore Auditorium for the Creative Coalition, and Kanye West performed at a party benefitting the ONE Campaign. Forest Whitaker, Kal Penn and Jamie Foxx were in attendance at the latter.

Moby performed at a private party for DoSomething.org, and Willie Nelson sang out for the people of Darfur at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Montel Williams Steadfast In Battle Against MS

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

Earlier this month, Montel Williams took over the Golden Nuggets’ newly renovated pavilion in Las Vegas to host his charity poker tournament to benefit the Montel Williams MS Foundation.

60 players donated $1,080 each to play the charity event, including noted poker professionals Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, Jamie Gold, Marsha Waggoner and Robert Williamson III. John Colville, Poker Operations Manager, also presented a generous donation of $25,000 to the MS Foundation.

The Montel Williams MS Foundation directs its research towards new treatments and ways to make them available to everyone. Montel said, “I’m going to keep on having these fundraisers until a cure is found. Technology is advancing and so are the treatments. One day a cure is going to happen!”

Montel went public about his MS eight years ago, and since then has been approached by countless people that have been afflicted with the disease. We don’t always get to meet those who benefit from various foundations and their research, but one person who has benefited from the support of the MS Foundation is William Nystrom, a triathlete from Northern California.

Nystrom was diagnosed with MS when he was 27 and was featured in the MS Foundation’s newsletter.

“Montel is truly a leader and role model when it comes to raising MS awareness,” said Nystrom. “I was really proud to have been included. The foundation advocates an active lifestyle: snow boarding, swimming, running, walking…actually any and all physical exercise. Every year they hold an annual bike-riding event to raise money, but because I live on the west coast and not in NYC anymore, it’s really tough for me to participate in them.”

Nystrom may very well be the ideal poster child for the MS Foundation, while calling him inspirational may be the understatement of the year. On June 8, Nystrom won the Escape for Alcatraz Triathlon in his division. It took him 3- hours, 2-minutes and 24 seconds to complete the 1.5-mile swim, 18-mile bike ride and 8-mile run, which placed him 637th overall out of over 2,000 competitors.

“Winning ranks pretty high up there among my accomplishments,” said Nystrom, who also won the Pacific Grove Triathlon last year. “Being able to compete is infectious. There’s a sense of excitement I can’t explain.”

Montel Williams To Play Poker For Multiple Sclerosis

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:52:07 -0000

After reading our recent Montel Williams article, Look To The Stars reader Dan Ciranny wrote in to tell us something our readers can do today to make a real difference in the lives of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS):

First of all, let me tell you about MS, because I admit I never really understood what it was about.

Multiple Sclerosis leads its victims down a long decline in every vital system of the body. It attacks systems in the body randomly by deteriorating the protective sheaths of the nerve connections that send signals to that part of the body.

It attacks the eyes, so blurry and double vision becomes the order of the day. It attacks the nerve endings in the skin, so if you can imagine what it feels like to have a novacaine shot at the dentist, imagine your entire body without feeling. But that doesn’t mean there is no pain…no, not at all. Imagine shooting electrical shock-like pains randomly attacking different parts of your body, without warning or pity. It attacks the motor skills in your body so that walking becomes a chore, often dragging a foot. It attacks your balance so that you often feel dizzy so that the simple act of standing becomes difficult. It attacks your ability to hold things in your hands. It attacks your urinary tract and digestive systems, so that basic digestion and elimination become uncontrollable and embarrassing.

More importantly, it attacks your brain. Words that used to flow easily become difficult to find. You find it difficult to focus or concentrate. And you are tired all the time. Meeting basic human needs for yourself becomes difficult to deal with. Even the simple acts of taking a shower and dressing start to feel like running a marathon.

Approximately 400,000 Americans have MS, and every week about 200 people are diagnosed. World-wide, MS affects about 2.5 million people. This monstrous disease is literally eating the lives of your friends and neighbors. Because the symptoms often masquerade as other diseases, it is very difficult to diagnose and not all diagnosed cases get reported. The point is, if MS hasn’t yet affected your life or someone you know, it is very possible that it will.

So what can you do? Join with Montel Williams as he fights for the cure. He is hosting a Gala Poker Tournament and Party in NYC this week. Lots of celebrities will be in attendance as well as well-known professional poker players from all over the world. There will be a pay-per-view live-streamed internet event so that you can attend right from your computer and a portion of the proceeds will go to help Montel find a cure. This is your chance. For about the cost of a fast food meal or a movie with no popcorn, you can make a difference.

Montel himself will be putting up prizes for a drawing that will be just for the people who come to the live streaming event. To hear an exclusive interview with Montel himself about this event, go to www.energyofthespirit.com. There you can also get instructions on how you can participate.

Whether you go to the event yourself or not, please forward this to everyone who has ever forwarded you a joke or inspirational email. I am not going to promise you that if you forward it to 10 of your friends a magical genie will grant you a wish…

…But here is YOUR chance to make a real difference. You can be instrumental in finding a cure for this ravening beast of a disease called MS. You could be the one who gets this message to someone who sends the final dollar in that actually gets the research done that finds the cure. Help Montel, help your neighbors, help the human beings who are being imprisoned by this malicious disease. Thank you in advance for your kindness.

Dan Ciranny, www.yaktivate.com

The event takes place tonight, March 13, at the Cipriani on 42nd Street, New York City. It will feature a host of poker professionals, including Annie Duke, and all proceeds go to the Montel Williams MS Foundation. Play starts at 7:15pm.

Clay Walker And Montel Williams Team Up Against Multiple Sclerosis

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:05:21 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Country music star Clay Walker and his charity, the Band Against MS Foundation (BAMS), have just donated another $25,000 to multiple sclerosis (MS) research.

Last Fall, $25,000 went to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. This time BAMS has donated to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. The money will be put towards continued research into the cause of and cure for MS, a disease that interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body, and causes symptoms from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis.

Walker, who was diagnosed with MS in ’96, created BAMS in an effort to provide information to the public and to fund research on the disease.

“MS is a neurological disease that strikes people in the prime of life and affects approximately 2 million people worldwide,” said Dr. Michel Levin of the University of Tennessee Health Science Centre. “We don’t know its cause, and treatment provides only partial relief. Although there is ongoing research about this disease, the cause has been elusive. By understanding more about it, we will come closer to inventing new therapies, and hopefully, discovering a cure. We are very grateful for the opportunity this gift affords us.”

Talk show host Montel Williams, who was diagnosed with MS in ‘99 and established the Montel Williams MS Foundation with a similar goal to Walker’s, has invited Clay to tape an episode with him this month dedicated to the topic of multiple sclerosis. His mantra is: “I have MS. MS doesn’t have me.”

“Being diagnosed with MS hasn’t been easy,” said Clay on the BAMS website. “[But] I have been blessed to still be able to do the things I love. I know not everyone who is diagnosed with MS is that lucky.”

Coffee and Cookies to Cure Cancer

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:28:19 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Nonni’s Biscotti, maker of traditional Italian biscotti, has taken up cause with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists. Nonni’s will auction over 50 coffee mugs, each autographed by a different celebrity, and donate the total proceeds to Komen for the Cure.

Celebrities such as Andie MacDowell, Mimi Rogers, Jennifer Tilly, Montel Williams, James Woods, Sacha Baron Cohen and Lil’ Kim have given their signatures to the mugs for auction. Now, during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the eBay Giving Works site has posted the auction items.

Nancy Brinker created Susan G. Komen for the Cure in honor of her dying sister’s wish to speed up research and, meanwhile, make the treatment process a little more esthetic and feminine friendly. A global breast cancer movement was launched, “fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures.”

Nonni’s Biscotti’s strong connection with women was the motivation to form a partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Says Nonni’s marketing manager Matt Duffy, “We are proud to help raise funds for research, education, screening and treatment that will hopefully eliminate this disease one day. We hope this charity auction will not only help raise funds, but also increase awareness about breast cancer.”

Nonni’s is also offering pink boxes of biscotti. Customers can enter the UPC code from the box at the Nonni’s website until the end of February, and 75 cents will be donated to Komen for the Cure.

For a complete list of celebrities involved in the signature coffee mugs, go to http://www.nonnis.com.

Look To The Stars News: Montel Williams

Montel Williams' Daughter Speaks Up For Nutrition

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