Look To The Stars News: United Way

Flockhart, Ford to Attend Peace Over Violence Benefit

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:29:00 -0000

Calista Flockhart is set to host the 37th Annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner benefitting Peace Over Violence this Friday night, November 7th.

Flockhart, who is the National Spokesperson for the charity, will be joined by special guests Harrison Ford, Bo Derek, Jane Seymour, James Keach and many others. Honorary Co-Chairs for the event include Cheryl Burke and Eve Ensler.

The event, to be held at The Beverly Hills Hotel, begins at 6 P.M. with a Festive Cocktail Reception and a Silent Auction, followed at 7 by Dinner and the Awards Ceremony. Guests are asked to bring old wireless phones for the Verizon Wireless Hopeline program, which works to help curb domestic violence.

The awards recognize people who are working hard to build a world of healthy relationships, families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence.

This year’s Verizon Wireless Hopeline Corporate Award is going to Southern California Edison and Frank J. Quevedo, Vice President of Equal Opportunity, and Gloria Romero, the California State Senate Majority Leader, will be receiving the Public Service Award. The Leadership Award is going to Elise Buik, President and CEO of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Also to be recognized are Art Blair, Jennie Campbell, Jeri Elster, Lucinda Guarino, Robbie Rutstein, Christina Stevenson, Lora Luczywo, Rebecca Tomasini, Anabella Vara, Amara Wilson and Michelle Yee, who will be receiving the Empowerment Award as part of the Voices Over Violence:Survivors Who Speak Out initiative.

For more information on the event, and how you can help, visit PeaceOverViolence.org.

Erik Estrada Rides Again

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

ChiPs legend Erik Estrada was back on his motorcycle on Saturday for a charity ride through Campbell County in Virginia.

The 59-year-old led the ride for the Safe Surfin’ Foundation, an organization established to protect children from online predators.

“In the old days you found the child sexual predators in the park, in the mall or on the street,“ he told ABC13. “And now they are on the internet.”

Estrada is well known for his charity work with organizations such as DARE, United Way, and the American Heart Association.

The charity ride also featured a family picnic and a dance.

Get Into Eva's Jeans

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Are you always on the lookout for the hottest designer denim? Kellogg’s Special K brand is giving you the chance to own the ultimate in denim fashion—a pair of autographed, celebrity jeans.

Splurge for the perfect pair of jeans, and not only will you look good but you will feel good as well, because all the proceeds will benefit United Way. Special K has recruited some of today’s hottest, most stylish celebrities to auction a pair of their personal favorite jeans, including Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria Parker, Courtney Cox-Arquette, Trista Sutter, Stacy Kiebler, Kimora Lee Simmons, Kathy Griffin. Virginia Madsen, Gabrielle Anwar, Diane Neal, Samantha Harris and Jennie Garth.

Each winner will receive a letter of authenticity signed by the celebrity. The auction ends September 12th, so go to www.ebay.com/SpecialK to get involved now!

Kellogg’s Special K brand is hosting this auction in conjunction with its Special K “Drop a Jeans Size Challenge”, which has been and continues to be an inspiration to women to lead a healthy, active lifestyle and to look good while doing it! Looking fabulous for a cause has never been so fun and so rewarding, because 100% of proceeds from this auction will benefit United Way.

United Way is a global network of nearly 1,300 local organizations whose mission is to advance the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all. For more information visit www.liveunited.org.

Adult Film Stars Swing For Charity

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:25:32 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

Earlier this month, Motley Crue front man, Vince Neil, brought some unusual flair to the Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley for the Skylar Neil Memorial Golf Tournament. He, along with a host of adult film stars, flocked to the greens to raise money to combat childhood illnesses.

“In 1995, I lost my daughter Skylar to cancer, ” writes Neil on his website, “Since that time I have tried to do everything I can to help raise awareness and much needed funding for children’s illnesses. I’m so humbled by the response that we receive from our gracious tournament sponsors and participants for the past eleven years. To date they have helped me to raise nearly two-million dollars to fund research to combat cancer, AIDS and Leukemia. I know that Skylar would be proud of the work that we’ve done, and I couldn’t think of a better way to honor her memory.”

And how does the Lost Canyon Golf Club deal with the number of adult film stars who return year-after-year to honor Skylars memory and raise money for charity? “They’re cool about what we do on the course — the girls, the booze,” Neil said.

“People in the NFL all work with the United Way, and we have this,” said Evan Seinfeld, an adult actor.

Aside from golf, the event hosted a silent auction of sports, music, movie and celebrity memorabilia. During the charity auction, adult film star Gina Lynn offered to join the highest bidder’s team, as both caddy and celebrity guest golfer. The winning bid was $3,500.

“The story’s not about the sex stuff; that just gives it a little extra panache,” said Stuart Koenig whose been playing in the event for 10 years. “Every single player that plays this tournament wants to come back,” he said. “It’s just a really good time. This is the most fun you’ll ever have on a golf course.”

Malaria No More Fights A Forgotten Killer

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:55:26 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

When people think of health and welfare in Africa, they think of AIDS, famine, poverty, and hundreds of other killers that bring death and hardship to the continent. But they hardly ever think of malaria. “It’s not a problem anymore,” they say. “We’ve been treating it for over 100 years…”

And yet it is still a problem – a HUGE problem.

The disease, which is spread by mosquitoes, causes a drawn-out and painful death. It destroys red blood cells and clogs the tiny capillaries that carry blood to the brain and other organs – a horrible way to die in anyone’s books. And it is killing as you read this – an African child dies of the disease every 30 seconds. That’s 3,000 children a day… over 1 million a year. In addition to the devastating human toll, the African economy loses over $12 billion in productivity due to the disease annually.

Malaria No More is an organization with one simple mission: to stop all malaria deaths. Established in 2006 at the first-ever White House Summit on Malaria, the organization uses contributions from the public to fund the provision of bed nets, sprays, anti-malaria drugs, education, and also the development of a vaccine to achieve its aim. Founded by a group of organizations such as the American Red Cross, UNICEF, United Way, Millennium Promise, the Global Fund, the United Nations Foundation, and the Global Business Coalition, Malaria No More also supports the President’s Malaria Initiative, a $1.2 billion, 5 year campaign launched by President Bush in 2005 to cut malaria deaths in Africa by 50%.

Malaria No More recently benefited from Idol Gives Back, the special American Idol show that raised money for a variety of organizations both in America and overseas. It is still too early to know exactly how much Malaria No More will get of the $60 million raised by this year’s show, but the music extravaganza donated $9 million to the organization in 2007, and another $8 million to other malaria-related causes. Idol host Ryan Seacrest and Idol judge Simon Cowell, along with Idol performers, have visited Africa and seen the devastation of the disease, and last month 2007 Idol winner Jordin Sparks joined President Bush in Ghana to highlight malaria control efforts.

“I was shocked to learn of the devastation caused by malaria,” said Sparks. “It’s incredible what a difference a simple mosquito net can make in the life of a child.”

The organization, whose spokespeople include David Beckham and Ashley Judd, has also launched an exciting way for schools to join in the fight against malaria and empower students to be active in raising money and saving lives. Stayin’ Alive was created by a group of high school students in Florida, and encourages schools and students to hold fundraising dances. By dedicating a dance, or series of dances, to Malaria No More – and committing to a $1,000 donation from the proceeds – schools everywhere can play a significant role in eradicating malaria.

Malaria No More aims to partner with 10,000 Stayin’ Alive dances throughout America over the next three years. This will provide over $10 million in funds – enough to pay for $1 million bed nets to protect at least 2 million children.

To learn more about the initiative, visit the Stayin’ Alive website.

2008 Golden Globes Roundup

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:54:19 -0000

Written by Crystal A. Johnson

There may have been no red carpet, acceptance speeches, or flash of cameras for the winners of the 2008 Golden Globe Awards, but Look To The Stars takes this golden opportunity to recognize some of those who were honored and nominated.

Johnny Depp won his first Golden Globe after being nominated seven times since his career began, picking up the Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical award for Sweeney Todd. Despite his dark performance, there really is a lighter side to the actor. In the past, Depp’s charitable work garnered him the Courage to Care Award for his contributions to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

The Best Actress Award went to veteran Julie Christie, who was up against heavyweights such as Angelina Jolie, an outstanding supporter and contributor to charitable causes. Some of the charities she has supported include the Afghanistan Relief Organization, the Alliance For The Lost Boys, Fran Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer Movement, Doctors Without Borders, and the Daniel Pearl Foundation.

Daniel Day Lewis won Best Actor for his performance in “There Will Be Blood”, beating out celebrity humanitarians George Clooney and Denzel Washington. Like Jolie, Clooney is a major force in trying to make the world a better place, and he is a noted supporter of Cinema For Peace, Make Poverty History, Rock For Darfur, United Way, and the World Food Programme. Washington has spent time visiting wounded soldiers at Fisher Houses, hospitals which provide housing for injured soldiers’ families at little or no cost, and once made a large donation to the Fisher House Foundation. He is also the spokesperson for the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America, honorary chairperson for Save Africa’s Children, and a founding member of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

Australian-born Cate Blanchett took home the gold in the category for Best Supporting Actress. Charities Blanchett supports include the Australian Conservation Foundation, Kids Help Line, and SolarAid. In the past, Blanchett filmed a special appeal for SolarAid that was screened at the Hay Festival. The video is available to view on YouTube.

Queen Latifah took home the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a TV Movie/Miniseries, for her role in “Life Support”. A supporter of several charities, Queen Latifah once helped design a pair of shoes for the Stuart Weitzman charity shoe auction benefiting ovarian cancer awareness and research, and has been involved with Citymeals On Wheels and the Harry Holmberg Memorial Foundation.

Jeremy Piven beat his “Entourage” co-star Kevin Dillon to win his second award for Best Supporting TV Actor. Piven once hosted the fourth annual Fashion Rocks event, which benefited Alicia Keys’ Keep A Child Alive Foundation.

Congratulations to all the winners and the nominees for all the work that you do in front of the camera and behind the scenes to inspire a better world.

Johnny Depp and Daniel Radcliffe Items Raffled for Charity

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:11:19 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

The Northampton Welfare Rights Advice Service is holding its annual Christmas raffle on Saturday, but this year the prizes will include contributions from celebrities like Johnny Depp, Daniel Radcliffe, Dame Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet.

Around 70 prizes, such as a theatre programme from Dame Judi Dench and an exclusive signed photo from Johnny Depp, are hoped to bring in additional funding for the organization to help raise awareness about the service it provides, which is advice about what state benefits are available to families, the disabled and people over 60. EastEnders, Holby City and The Bill have also donated momentos for Saturday’s event.

While Northampton is collecting celebrity possessions for raffle, NBC is collecting character and set items for auction. Starting Monday, NBC will auction up things like The Office character Michael Scott’s (Steve Carrell) watch and lucky tie, original paintings from the Heroes set, a poker game, props and clothing used by the cast of 30 Rock, and various other collectable pieces from Friday Night Lights and Las Vegas.

This first NBC auction will run from November 19 through December 3, with part of the proceeds benefiting United Way.

Clooney Donates Academy Awards Gift Bag

Sat, 18 Mar 2006 18:17:54 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

George Clooney has donated his gift bag from the Academy Awards to the United Way Hurricane Response and Recovery Fund.

The bag and its contents, which include a BlackBerry 8700c, a Kay Unger kimono and a pearl necklace, will be auctioned online beginning March 22nd and ending March 28th. The auction will be held at the United Way website, and the winner will receive a special bonus – a handwritten letter of thanks from Clooney for helping with the hurricane relief effort.

Look To The Stars News: United Way

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