Look To The Stars News: DATA

Wyclef Jean And Bono Receive ‘Ripple Of Hope Award’

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer Wyclef Jean, and (RED) founder/U2 front man Bono, were honored this week at a ceremony thrown by The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, where each were awarded the ‘Ripple of Hope’ Award.

“As champions of justice, Bono and Wyclef have brought the national spotlight to human rights violations, empowered local activists, and transformed the lives of millions of people living in poverty from Port-Au-Prince to Darfur,” said Kerry Kennedy, founder of the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights. “Their efforts evoke the spirit of my father and we are honored to recognize them.”

Jean was honored for his work to inspire change in his native country of Haiti through his Yéle Haiti Foundation.

Eunice Shriver's Charity Legacy

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Eunice Shriver – founder of the Special Olympics – has died at the age of 88.

The fifth of nine children and sister of John F Kennedy, Shriver led a life of service to the community that she handed down to her children. Her daughter, Maria Shriver, is the First Lady of California and is married to Arnold Schwarzenegger. She runs the annual Women’s Conference in California. Her son, Bobby Shriver, is well known for co-founding the organizations DATA (Debt AIDS Trade Africa), the ONE Campaign and (RED) with U2 lead singer Bono. Her other sons are also leaders in philanthropy: Timothy Shriver is the Chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics; Mark Shriver is the Vice-President and Managing Director of U.S. Programs for Save the Children; and Anthony Shriver is the founder of Best Buddies International.

Awarded the US Medal of Freedom in 1984, Eunice Shriver was a founder of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Center for Community of Caring in the 1960s. But it was her work with the Special Olympics for which she will be remembered. Her work with the disabled started early – In 1962, she started a day camp, known as Camp Shriver, for children with intellectual disabilities at her home in Potomac, Maryland. From there, she promoted the concept of competition opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. Camp Shriver became an annual event, and the Kennedy Foundation (of which Shriver was Executive Vice President) regularly gave grants to universities, recreation departments and community centers to hold similar camps. In 1968, Shriver was approached to help fund a huge Olympic-style athletic competition for over 1000 people with special needs. The Special Olympics were born, and today it involves over 2.5 million in 180 countries.

Bono Talks World Hunger In Amsterdam

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:30:00 +0000

U2 singer Bono recently took time out from his current world tour to get up-to-date on global hunger by meeting with World Food Programme (WFP) head, Josette Sheeran, in Amsterdam.

During their meeting, Sheeran gave the singer one of the distinctive red cups which symbolize WFP’s ‘Fill the Cup’ campaign to raise funds to help the 66 million children in the world who go to school hungry.

Numbers Rising

Bob Geldof Launches One Campaign Report On G8

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:30:00 +0000

A host of leaders and stars helped launch the ONE Campaign’s DATA Report in London yesterday.

Bill Gates, Desmond Tutu and Bob Geldof all talked at the event, which launched the annual report that aims to measure the G8 against commitments made at their 2005 summit in Scotland. But the news is not good, revealing that France and Italy are performing so poorly that they are threatening to cause the G8 as a whole to default.

“It saddens me and angers me that great nations like Italy and France are going in the wrong direction,” said Archbishop Tutu of South Africa. “We must all campaign to encourage the forthcoming G8 meetings to do better and do what is right.”

Bono Becomes A Man Of Peace

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Nobel peace laureates gathered in summit in Paris on Friday 12th December to award Irish rocker-turned-activist Bono the annual “Man of Peace” prize for his struggle against poverty, disease and debt in Africa.

Paul Hewson (born 10 May 1960 in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland), more commonly known by his stage name Bono, is the main vocalist of the Irish rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his future wife, Ali Hewson, and the future members of U2. Bono writes almost all U2 lyrics, often using political, social and religious themes. During their early years, Bono’s lyrics contributed to U2’s rebellious tone. As the band matured, his lyrics became inspired more by personal experiences with members of U2.

Among his non-U2 endeavors, he has collaborated and recorded with numerous artists, sits on the board of Elevation Partners, and owns a hotel with fellow band member, The Edge. Bono is also widely known for his activism concerning Africa, for which he co-founded DATA. He has organized and played in several benefit concerts and has met with influential politicians. He is the co-founder of EDUN, the ONE Campaign and Product (RED). Bono has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and was named as a Person of the Year by Time, among many other awards and nominations.

Bono, DATA to Receive Liberty Medal via Webcast

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:02:12 +0000

U2 singer and activist Bono and DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), the advocacy organization he co-founded to combat poverty and disease in Africa, are scheduled to receive the 2007 Liberty Medal today to at 7:00 p.m. at the National Constitution Center in Historic Philadelphia.

The National Constitution Center, in partnership with the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and WPVI-TV, will webcast the 2007 Liberty Medal ceremony live, making the event available to a worldwide audience for the first time.

Vanity Fair Charity Issue Edited By Bono

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:35:00 +0000

Bono is putting his philanthropic energy into Vanity Fair’s July 2007 special issue about Africa. The issue has 20 different cover photos of high-profile individuals, all taken by renowned photographer Annie Liebowitz.

The magazine includes information about the issues and charities supported by actors, athletes, models, politicians, musicians, activists, and billionaire philanthropists, all of whom are using their celebrity status and the publicity they receive to bring attention to the complex set of problems faced by the inhabitants of Africa.

Africa is a continent with great need, and has been given a disproportionately low amount of attention and aid from wealthy nations. It is the first Vanity Fair issue to have a guest editor, and Bono’s highly publicized commitment to aiding Africa makes him an obvious choice for editor of this issue. In recent years, celebrities have used their status to bring a great deal of attention to Africa.

Bono To Receive Liberty Medal Honours In US

Sat, 26 May 2007 12:48:01 +0000

The US National Constitution Center is to honour Bono for his charity work in Africa by awarding him the Liberty Medal in September.

Award winners are those who have “demonstrated leadership and vision in the pursuit of liberty”, and six past Liberty Medal winners have also received the Nobel Peace Prize.

The award carries a 100,000 dollar prize, which will go to Debt AIDS Trade Africa (DATA), the charity founded by Bono in 2002.

Bono and Heather Mills Lending Their Celebrity to Raise Awareness of Genocide in Darfur

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:09:18 +0000

Adding to the efforts of celebrities like George Clooney and Bob Geldof, Bono and Heather Mills have recently spoken out in efforts to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide occurring in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

Speaking to reporters in London, Bono described the actions of Sudan’s Khartoum government as “an affront to decency.” It has been estimated that since 2003, when fighting broke out, 2.5 million people have been displaced from their homes and over 400,000 people have been killed by militias sponsored by the Sudanese government. The government has flatly refused calls to allow a UN peace-keeping force into the region, which Bono referred to as having “broken every shred of dignity possible in a government,” calling the situation in Darfur “preposterous,” and stating that “governments need to take up [their] slack in dealing with the situation.”

Bono’s charitable organization devoted to matters of debt, AIDS, trade, and Africa (DATA) earlier this year issued a statement on their website (data.org) concerning the atrocities in Sudan, saying that “the mass atrocities occurring in Sudan and across this region of Africa call upon our consciences and demand our action.”

Forbes' "Most Generous Celebrities" List

Fri, 19 May 2006 14:04:00 +0000

Forbes Magazine has published a list of “Generous Celebrities”, highlighting the incredible generosity of some of the world’s most public faces.

The ten celebrities listed are:

Bono supports AIDS charity DATA and many others