Look To The Stars News: Meals On Wheels

Stars Sign Rollers Skates For Charity

Mon, 18 May 2009 11:30:00 -0000

It’s time to get your skates on for charity… or at least get somebody else’s skates on!

A group of celebrities have signed the roller skates they wore at the Pepsi Throwback Launch Party last month and are auctioning them for charity.

Kelly Osbourne, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Vanessa Minnillo, Lacey Schwimmer, Lauren Conrad, Holly Madison and Playmate of the Year Sarah Jean Underwood have all donated the skates they wore at the event. All proceeds from the auction will go to Meals On Wheels West, a charity that serves meals to the home-bound in Santa Monica and surrounding areas.

The auction – being run by Clothes Off Our Back – runs until May 26 and can be accessed here.

To find out more about Meals On Wheels West, visit their website.

Mel B Cares For All Ages

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Singer Melanie Brown’s auction last year of household goods and clothing in the UK went so well – bringing in thousands of pounds for CLIC Sargent – she’s decided to do it again in her newest residence, the USA.

“I’m going to be auctioning off a ton of stuff,” she said.

Spice Girls memorabilia, costumes from tours and wardrobe items from the Spice Girls movie and Dancing With The Stars television program are on the block, as well as items out of her closet. On her website she promises to add more.

“One hundred percent of what you bid on these clothes is going to go to two charities,” says Brown. “One is [”LA Children’s Hostpital":http://www.looktothestars.org/charity/349-childrens-hospital-los-angeles] and the other one is Meals On Wheels, so you get to help the young and the elderly."

Total bids have already surpassed $4000 usd. Click here to view the items and place a bid.

Gere Awarded Humanitarian Honor

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:29:43 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Actor Richard Gere has received a prestigious humanitarian award in his home city of Philadelphia.

The Golden Globe winner accepted the Marion Anderson Award, named after the famous African-American opera singer who fought racial segregation in the 1930s, at a ceremony at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on November 12.

“I’m not worthy of this award in any way whatsoever,” said the 58-year-old star of films such as “Chicago” and “Pretty Woman”. “I can’t tell you how this makes me feel. My heart is so wide open.”

Gere received the award for his charity and humanitarian work over the last three decades. A devoted Buddhist, Gere has advocated Tibetan independence since 1978, and is a friend and student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has made numerous trips through India, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, and China, and has released a book featuring his own photographs of these regions, with a foreword written by the Dalai Lama.

In 1987, Gere co-founded Tibet House, and is now Board Chairman for the International Campaign for Tibet. He has testified on Tibet’s behalf before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, the European Parliament, and the House International Operations and Human Rights Subcommittee in an attempt to free the nation from China’s grip. His own charitable organization, the Gere Foundation, was set up to award grants to humanitarian foundations, especially in relation to Tibet.

Gere also established Healing the Divide, an organization dedicated to improving care for HIV/AIDS patients, and in 2004 instigated the Heroes Project, which addresses the spread of AIDS in India. He is a spokesman for Meals On Wheels, and earlier in 2007 appeared in the charity’s first ever advertising campaign, along with his father who has been a volunteer for 17 years. He is also a longtime supporter of the American Foundation for AIDS Research, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

“We are proud to honor Richard Gere with the Marion Anderson Award,” said Philadelphia Mayor, John F. Street. “His accomplishments as an actor are only surpassed by his accomplishments as a humanitarian and as a advocate for human rights issues around the world. We are particularly pleased to honor Mr Gere this year as it will mark the first time that the award will be conferred upon a native Philadelphian.”

Gere attended the award ceremony with his friend and co-star of three films, Diane Lane, and made special mention of the woman the award is named after. He told the audience that Marion Anderson paved the way for artists to use their celebrity status for humanitarian work, and urged people to adopt her traits.

“I think that is what we are here for,” he said during the ceremony. “To make the road easier for those who follow us.”

The Marion Anderson Award, which includes a $100,000 honorarium, is bestowed annually upon individuals whose support for a cause upholds humanitarian principles and benefits society, and previous recipients include Oprah Winfrey, Sidney Poitier, Danny Glover, Quincy Jones, Elizabeth Taylor, Gregory Peck, and Harry Belafonte. Marion Anderson gained international fame in the music world in the 1930s, although she faced racial segregation at home in the United States. She bravely fought racism with her music, and became the first African-American person to perform at the White House in 1939. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Johnson in 1963, and died in 1993 at the age of 96.

“In honoring Richard Gere, we celebrate the achievements of an outstanding artist and humanitarian,” said Pamela A. Crawley, Chair of the Marion Anderson Award. “He has used his remarkable career as an actor to support his unparalleled advocacy for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. He has traveled the globe supporting efforts that allow people to live in health, in the integrity of their cultures, and with the fundamental human rights that all citizens of the world must possess. These are the qualities of a leader, and we are deeply honored by his acceptance.”

“Richard is a man whose heart dictates his choices,” added award winning actress, Diane Lane. “He has cultivated this tenacious advocacy for those who are in danger of being railroaded, shut out, and trampled under the big machine of ‘Business As Usual’.”

Gere intends to share the prize money between selected charities.

Gere Launches Ad Campaign For Meals On Wheels

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 06:26:51 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

On March 21, Richard Gere joined members of the press and representatives of Meals On Wheels Association of America to celebrate the launch of the charity’s first ever advertising campaign.

Gere and his father Homer – a Meals On Wheels volunteer for 18 years – are featured in the new campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the charity, and to encourage donations and new volunteers.

At the event, which took place at the headquarters of supervising advertising firm Ogilvy, an impassioned Gere asked the media to give airtime and advertising space to the campaign, just as he and his father have donated their time to supporting the campaign.

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