Look To The Stars News: Children's Health Fund

American Idol Gives Back $67 Million

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:30:00 -0000

David Beckham, Bono, Annie Lennox and Carrie Underwood have all accepted cheques from April’s Idol Gives Back event on behalf of the charities they support.

The show raised over US$67 million for charities such as the Global Fund, Malaria No More, the Children’s Health Fund, Save the Children, and the Children’s Defense Fund.

“I saw first hand with my visit to Sierra Leone with UNICEF last year how devastating malaria can be to a country,“ said Beckham, who was presented with US$12 million by Idol winner David Cook on behalf of Malaria No More. “This money will help buy millions of bed nets and also protect many people, particularly the young children who are most vulnerable.”

Annie Lennox was also delighted to receive $500,000 for the Treatment Action Campaign.

“This is just to express my gratitude to everyone on Idol Gives Back, for putting together a show with a difference, and for inviting me to be part of it,“ she said in a statement. “Because of this event, and the generosity of the viewers, who donated so kindly, I have been able to hand over a cheque for the amazing sum of $500,000 to Treatment Action Campaign, in South Africa. I can assure everyone that every single dollar contributed will go to excellent use, in the work to educate, assist and support people living on the frontline of the HIV/Aids pandemic, many of whom are women and children. Thank you so much.“

Bono received US$10 million on behalf of the Global Fund For AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

“The Global Fund will keep thousands of people safe from HIV/AIDS because American Idol has donated $10 million,” said the U2 frontman. “That’s YOU people, who sent in your hard earned cash.”

The Idol Gives Back show featured appearances and performances by Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Miley Ray Cyrus, Annie Lennox, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Sheila E., Fergie, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Peyton and Eli Manning, and Reese Witherspoon, and pre-taped messages from David and Victoria Beckham, Kiefer Sutherland, Ellen DeGeneres, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. Britney Spears, who couldn’t be at the event, donate $25,000 to the cause.

Nicole Richie Attends Charity T-Shirt Launch

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:36:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Nicole Richie attended the launch of the Signorelli Angel T-shirt at CUSP boutique in Los Angeles last week to benefit the Children’s Health Fund.

Signorelli – a high end casual clothing line that works with various charity organizations – held the event to launch their Angel apparel collection, which donates a portion of proceeds to the Children’s Health Fund (CHF).

During the launch, Richie pledged to raise $400,000 for the CHF through the sale of the Angel collection, which will be used to build a pediatric clinic on wheels to help the Fund bring urgently needed medical care to disadvantaged American children.

Signorelli – whose current socially-conscious efforts are to end extreme poverty in Africa by 2025, assist underprivileged children and the homeless with healthcare, prevent heart disease, protect the environment, stop global warming, end animal abuse, protect human rights, and put an end to breast cancer – has a special CHF collection that includes high end t-shirts, tanks, casual french terry jumpers, and rhinestoned hats which will retail at the top boutiques across the world, including Neiman Marcus’s Cusp, Kitson (LA), Fred Segal (LA), The Lounge (NYC), and Conley’s (Germany).

The Angel Tee, which has also been worn by Kim Kardashian, is available from Signorelli’s website.

Idol Gives Back On Wednesday

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:11:53 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

It will be raining philanthropic celebrities on Wednesday night when American Idol Gives Back airs on the Fox Network. The “star clouds” are set to burst with a gala of music, fun, appearances, and surprises – all in the name of charity.

Idol host Ryan Seacrest will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which was taped in front of a lively audience at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night, and producers expect this year’s event to raise over $100 million for charity.

“Tonight isn’t just about raising money,” said Brad Pitt, one of the many guests to attend the gala. “Sometimes, to help people, we’ve got to travel outside of our comfort zone to really understand another situation.”

Pitt’s Make It Right campaign, which he launched to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, is one of many good causes to benefit from the event, which last year netted over $76 million for charity. Other organizations to benefit this year include the Global Fund, Malaria No More, the Children’s Health Fund, Save the Children, and the Children’s Defense Fund.

“It’s not about self-promoting,” said former Idol winner Carrie Underwood, who will perform on the show. “It’s not about singing your latest single. It’s not about trying to be the most downloaded whatever on iTunes. It’s all about getting people to call in and do something.”

Viewers of the show on Wednesday can expect performances by Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Miley Ray Cyrus, Annie Lennox, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, and Sheila E., as well as a surprise duet between Fergie and Heart. The show will also be sprinkled with appearances from Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Peyton and Eli Manning, and Reese Witherspoon, and pre-taped messages from David and Victoria Beckham, Kiefer Sutherland, Ellen DeGeneres, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama will also be shown.

Idol Gives Back to Children

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:20:19 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

When American Idol announced last spring that for every vote cast after their April 24-25 special broadcast “Idol Gives Back,” sponsors would make donations to the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF), no one expected it to result in over $75 million.

CPEF is distributing the funds through organisations that benefit children in the US and Africa. In the States, Save the Children, America’s Second Harvest, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America and Children’s Health Fund will be the recipients for approved project proposals. In Africa, $6 million has already been donated to each of five organisations for projects that focus on health and education.

Save the Children, UNICEF, and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria, each with a very strong presence throughout Africa, are grateful to the Idol Gives Back campaign. While Save the Children will continue to address preventable deaths from things like diarrhea and pneumonia across the continent, UNICEF is using the money in Rwandan schools to provide free meals and ‘catch-up’ programs to get drop-outs out of the working fields and back into the classrooms. The Global Fund is supporting anti-AIDS performances in South Africa, where in some areas HIV infection rates in youth are actually on the decrease. The sharp and critical plays on drugs, sex and AIDS are more powerful than a classroom lecture.

The CPEF donation is welcome support where malaria claims a child every 30 seconds. “It makes a massive difference,” says Martin Edlund of Malaria No More, who, along with Nothing But Nets is distributing insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and also works on anti-measles, AIDS and tuberculosis initiatives. Intelligent projects like these are not hand outs, but efforts to help get people’s lives back into their own hands. And they ensure the most benefit directly to those they’re intended for. “You can’t put a bed net in a Swiss bank account.”

Lopez, Marc Anthony, Paul Simon United For Children's Health

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 22:05:27 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Singer Paul Simon, Co-Founder of the Children’s Health Fund, was joined by Honorary Co-Chairs Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez for the charity’s 20th Anniversary Gala. Simon hosted the event, and CHF Advisory Board Member Anthony performed.

The charity advocates policies and public programs that promote quality health care for all children, and it partners with major medical centers to deliver care to disadvantaged children.

Marc Anthony himself benefitted from similar health programs as a child in New York City, and he told Access Hollywood, “This is basic healthcare, healthcare for children who otherwise do not have access … and I’ll support that as long as they need me. It’s a cause that I’m really, really close to.”

Lopez added, “I think it’s our responsibility as human beings to do as much as we can to help each other. And for us, for me, I’ve always had close to my heart the children’s charities.”

Former President Bill Clinton also made a special appearance, and was honored with a Humanitarian Award.

Idol Gives Back $60m

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:25:51 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Fox has announced that $60m has been raised so far by the two-night “Idol Gives Back” special, with donations continuing to flow in.

Viewers cast over 70 million votes following Tuesday night’s performances; Fox’s parent company News Corporation had pledged 10 cents for each of the first 50 million votes, and its donation was matched by AllState and ExxonMobil. Further corporate donations came from Ford, Coca-Cola, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, ConAgra Foods and AT&T.

During a two-hour results show on Wednesday, viewers pledged money via a toll-free number and Idol’s website, while host Ellen DeGeneres gave $100,000 and judge Simon Cowell made a “significant six-figure donation”.

Celebrities pre-recorded appeals for donations, including Madonna, who was in Malawi, and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, who was in Uganda where he filmed “The Last King of Scotland.”

U2’s Bono also sent a pre-recorded message, saying, “People say you can’t be the generation that ends brutal, stupid poverty, but we can and we will,”

The money raised will be administered by the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF), a new charity aiming to battle extreme poverty in America and Africa.

In Africa, the Fund will use the Idol money to support The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, Malaria No More, Nothing But Nets, Save the Children, and The U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

In America, CPEF will use the money to boost Save the Children, Second Harvest, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America, and Children’s Health Fund.

Mark Shriver, VP of U.S. programs for Save the Children, told Reuters, “They took a risk by using their show to raise issues of poverty and asking people to contribute, and that is a huge accomplishment. The American Idol format is hugely successful and they introduced starving, dying children in Africa and children struggling with poverty in the United States, and brought that to prime time television.”

Fans can still contribute directly via the Idol website, or visit the iTunes Store to buy for-charity recordings of the night’s performances by the contestants and celebrities including Céline Dion, Josh Groban, Annie Lennox, Earth Wind & Fire, and Il Divo.

Look To The Stars News: Children's Health Fund

American Idol Gives Back $67 Million

Related past articles

Nicole Richie Attends Charity T-Shirt Launch

Related past articles

Idol Gives Back On Wednesday

Related past articles

Idol Gives Back to Children

Related past articles

Lopez, Marc Anthony, Paul Simon United For Children's Health

Related past articles

Idol Gives Back $60m

Related past articles