Look To The Stars News: Free The Children

Jason Mraz Launches Charity Foundation

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Atlantic recording artist Jason Mraz has announced the establishment of the Jason Mraz Foundation, devoted to supporting a number of charities for which he has been a dedicated and impassioned advocate.

The Grammy Award-winning tunesmith heralded the Foundation’s launch on December 3rd with a sold out intimate benefit concert at the famed Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California, near San Diego, where Mraz began his extraordinary career by performing in coffee shops.

Long known for his many philanthropic activities, Mraz created the Jason Mraz Foundation to sustain organizations aligned with his four pillars of service: human equality, environment preservation, arts and education, and recovery and assistance. Among the organizations supported by the Jason Mraz Foundation are Free The Slaves, dedicated to eradicating child slavery around the world; True Colors Fund, which promotes the advancement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality; Surfrider Foundation, dedicated to protecting our world’s oceans, beaches, and waves; the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which works to protect wildlife and wild places and to ensure a healthy environment for all life on earth; youth organizations VH1 Save The Music Foundation and Free The Children ; the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC); and the health/rehabilitation charities MusiCares and Life Rolls On, dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury and utilizes action sports as a platform to inspire infinite possibilities despite paralysis.

Stars Take A Vow Of Silence For Charity

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Shaquille O’Neal, Martin Sheen, will.i.am, Joe Jonas, Nina Dobrev, Mia Farrow and many others are part of Free The Children’s social media efforts in support of its Vow of Silence campaign – an annual fundraising and awareness initiative encouraging youth to stand together in solidarity for 24 hours with millions of their peers who have been silenced by poverty, disease and exploitation.

The new video montage showcases each of the celebrities with their hand over their mouth as an act of solidarity and support for the millions of youth silenced for their basic rights.

Nelly Furtado Donates $1 Million To Charity

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Juno and Grammy award winner Nelly Furtado has graciously donated $1 million to international charity and educational partner, Free The Children.

The donation will fund two new Free The Children programs supporting girls in need throughout the Maasai Mara region of Kenya and in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), two regions in need of support in different ways – with the current drought in East Africa and with the transitional changes in North Africa.

Joe Jonas To Host Star-Studded Charity Day

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Nina Dobrev and Joe Jonas will join stars such as Nelly Furtado, Danny Glover and Patch Adams at a very special charity event in Toronto tomorrow, September 27.

We Day is a charity event being held by Free The Children that will see 36,000 student leaders from 1,500 schools to celebrate social change in Toronto.

We Day is part of an unparalleled educational opportunity called the We Schools in Action program. Throughout the year-long program, young people turn their inspiration into action by committing to take one local and one global action throughout the school year. In the 2010/2011 school year alone, youth volunteered 1.7 million hours in their communities and raised more than $5.4 million to support local and global organizations.

Special Report From Mia Farrow: Dadaab - What Will Happen Now?

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:15:00 +0000

Acclaimed actress, humanitarian and UNICEF Ambassador Mia Farrow – along with child rights activist, humanitarian and Free The Children co-founder Craig Kielburger – have just returned from visiting the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya, providing support and aid to the families affected by the East Africa drought. The two activists share some of their personal stories while visiting the refugee camp through the below joint article and photos.

Dadaab: What Will Happen Now?

Help Free The Children With Richard Branson

Wed, 25 May 2011 14:00:00 +0000

CharityBuzz.com is currently running a celebrity charity auction that will see two lucky people join Richard Branson at a special cocktail party in Miami on June 25.

According to the charity auction website: "Richard Branson is possibly the most-fascinating man of our time: entrepreneur, explorer, multi-billionaire. And every man on the street we asked in our informal public opinion poll of Branson’s image agrees — he seems a great guy, someone you’d love to have a beer with and hangout. Maybe it’s his disarming charm, likability and devilish smile. Being a committed environmentalist and philanthropist doesn’t hurt either.

“It would seem that with literally hundreds of business irons in the fire, charity and change for good might take a back seat. Not so. The list of well-organized and well-funded efforts for social good is substantial, and it’s no surprise that Branson’s entrepreneurial approach to social change means more bang for the buck, or pound as it were:

Natalie Portman Needs Help To Free The Children

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Natalie Portman is helping to Free The Children by launching a new initiative to help raise funds to open a secondary school in Kenya.

Fashion meets fundraising with the launch of the Power of a Girl, a unique initiative shedding light on the issue of female education in developing nations. Around the globe, more than 60 per cent of the 110 million children out of school are girls. That’s why for young women living in poverty, access to education not only opens the door to a brighter future, but also leads to positive change for their families and their communities.

From now until May 1st, the Power of a Girl is encouraging youth between the ages of 13 to 21 in North America and the U.K., to sign up at www.freethechildren.com/girls and raise funds for Kisaruni, Free The Children’s new all-girls’ secondary school in Kenya. After May 1st, the top five fundraisers/finalists will be chosen and asked to submit an entry about why they think it’s important to empower the world’s girls through education. The contest winner will be announced June 1, 2011.

LTTS Exclusive: Surf Charity Honors Jason Mraz As Humanitarian Of The Year

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:00:00 +0000

On Saturday night, the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) honored Jason Mraz as their 2010 Humanitarian of the Year during Liquid Nation Ball 7 in La Jolla, California.

Liquid Nation is the official fundraiser for the SIMA Humanitarian Fund, which benefits more than a dozen surf-related non-profits including Life Rolls On, Surfer’s Healing and Keep-a-Breast.

Jason Mraz To Be Honored By Surf Industry Charity

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:00:00 +0000

The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) Humanitarian Fund is proud to announce Jason Mraz will be honored as the 2010 Humanitarian of the Year at Liquid Nation Ball 7, the official fundraiser for the SIMA Humanitarian Fund, on Saturday, August 14, in La Jolla, California.  

The two time Grammy award winner is known for his selfless dedication to charitable causes, and is an avid supporter of Life Rolls On, an organization that utilizes surfing to improve the quality of life of young people affected by spinal cord injury. Mraz has dedicated himself to promoting Life Rolls On by garnering public support, serving as an honorary chairman for their events, and performing benefit concerts. In addition to his efforts for Life Rolls On, Mraz’s humanitarian work also extends to groups such as the Save The Music Foundation, MusiCares, Free The Children, as well as his hometown arts program, SPARC.   

“The SIMA Humanitarian Fund is honored to recognize Jason Mraz as the 2010 SIMA Humanitarian of the Year,” said Fernando Aguerre, SIMA Humanitarian Fund President and Liquid Nation Ball Chairman and co-founder. “As a fellow surfer who calls the beaches of San Diego home, Jason is one of our own. He not only inspires us and millions of young people around the world with his amazing musical talent, but we are all immensely impressed by his humble and eager heart to help others and make this world a better place.”  

Michael Douglas Accepts Donation In Dubai

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:30:00 +0000

Michael Douglas was in Dubai over the weekend to support a donation for disadvantaged children made by local property giant Nakheel.

The 64-year-old was joined by his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, to recieve the funds on behalf of international charity group Free The Children (FTC).

The money will be utilized in various FTC projects to make clean water more accessible to an estimated 200,000 people in Kenya and Sri Lanka. 5,000 children die every day around the world from water-borne diseases, and over 1 billion people – 20 per cent of the world’s population – do not have access to drinking water. A percentage of the money will be used to sponsor 40 Dubai-based children to carry out volunteer work in third world countries.