Look To The Stars News: Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust

Mozilla Firefox Launches Celebrity Charity Challenge

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Christy Turlington Burns is giving you the chance to win signed t-shirts, CDs, DVDs and even a personal conversation via Skype – all you have to do is donate to her charity, Every Mother Counts.

“Please support Every Mother Counts as we work to build a clinic for mothers in need in Indonesia this holiday season!” Christy writes on her Crowdrise page. “Thanks to Mozilla Firefox and CrowdRise, we’re entering a competition and if our charity raises the most, Mozilla Firefox will contribute $25,000!”

Mozilla Firefox has donated $5,000 to a whole bunch of celebrity-endorsed charities, and the charity that raises the most by January 11 will be awarded $25,000.

Edward Norton Recruits Marathon Runners For Charity

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Edward Norton has recruited 10 runners to take part in this year’s ING New York City Marathon on behalf of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.

The 10 runners have all committed to raising $6,000 each for the charity, and will join Norton for dinner before the race.

“The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust is an organization I care about deeply,” says Norton. "I’ve been involved with the MWCT for over 10 years. In 2009, 29 other runners and I ran the New York Marathon to raise money for the MWCT and the campaign was a success…we raised over $1.2 million. The money we raise is used to protect the legendary ecosystems and astounding biodiversity of East Africa through conservation that directly benefits local Maasai communities.

Russell Brand Launches Campaign For Soldiers' Post-Traumatic Stress

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:00:00 +0000

British funnyman Russell Brand is using Edward Norton’s Crowdrise website to raise money for an initiative set up by David Lynch for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress.

“Operation Warrior Wellness is a national wellness outreach to help 10,000 veterans overcome Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through Transcendental Meditation,” writes Russell. "Staggering statistics from the Veterans Administration show that more soldiers are dying from the trauma of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan than at the hands of enemy combatants. Over 400,000 veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD since 2001, with 18 veterans committing suicide each day.

Sophia Bush To Run Half Marathon For Charity

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Sophia Bush has announced a special charity challenge to raise money to assist the clean-up following the Gulf oil spill.

“I am going to run a half marathon this November,” she wrote on her blog. "Yup. Me. The asthmatic with a years-old knee injury, who hasn’t run a mile since Junior High. No seriously. Since Junior High, as in since I was 13 years old. For the record I am now 28, but thanks to the genes of my kick ass parents (I love you Mom and Dad!) I still get carded when I buy beer for BBQs at the grocery store. Yay for me!

“Why would I do this to myself, you ask? Or is that me asking? I’ve been asking myself that question a lot since last Tuesday when I decided to do this. The ‘why’ is the Gulf. And it’s also you guys, really. I got the idea from the King of Crowdrise himself, Edward Norton, who ran the New York City marathon last year to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, a charity that stole my heart many years ago and still has a firm grip on it. Now, I make no claim to be anywhere near as tough as Ed, but I am determined. And in bouncing creative fundraising ideas off of some pals at work in North Carolina, I mentioned Ed’s marathon, and my friend Jane said, “Well, you know there’s a half marathon here in November.” I promptly laughed in her face.

Edward Norton @ Crowdrise For Charity

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:30:00 +0000

Recently named U.N. goodwill ambassador and nominated for a DoSomething.org Award, actor Edward Norton initiated Crowdrise.com earlier this year, an online social network that encourages youth to fundraise for causes they care about.

Crowdrise.com hosts a community where anyone can create a free personal or charity account. It features opportunities to start and share fundraising projects as well as donate or vote for other projects, with the added pizazz of earning points for actions taken. For every one dollar that a member raises or gives, there will be a reward of ten points. As points accumulate, they could be turned in for prizes, though the prizes are yet to be revealed.

Norton was inspired by the admirable success of an online campaign for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. Crowdrise.com’s trademark is as simple as it appears to be. It doesn’t root for any particular cause, but instead, embraces all types and focuses more on pushing the public to simply just give.

Edward Norton Named As United Nations Ambassador

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Acclaimed actor and conservation activist Edward Norton took on his latest role last week, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon designated him United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity.

With the issues of community development and conservation close to his heart, Norton voiced hope that he can channel the attention he receives for his work in Hollywood towards raising awareness of the UN’s ideals and activities.

“I think that [Goodwill] Ambassadors in many ways can play a role in highlighting the models of success that the UN is promoting around the world,” he told the UN News Centre.

NYC Marathon Attracts Celebrities For Charity

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

The NYC Marathon took place last Sunday, and what a race! The NYC Marathon is one of the most difficult marathon courses around. However, that didn’t stop a long list of celebrities, athletes and even royalty from training and putting on their running shoes to benefit a long list of charities.

If we talked about them all, this article would be encyclopedic. To remedy that, here is the link to the NYC Marathon’s Famous Faces 2009 webpage which notes them all.

However, let’s talk about 10 of them. That’s a nice round number that captures both the breadth and diversity of charities represented in last week’s race.

Alanis Morissette Joins Edward Norton's Maasai Marathon Challenge

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Last month, Look To The Stars brought you news about Edward Norton’s New York Marathon charity challenge to benefit the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. We can now reveal that singer Alanis Morissette has signed on as part of the initiative.

Morissette will join Norton and magician David Blaine for the run on November 1, which will help the organization protect the East African grasslands which the Maasai tribe calls home and is under threat by rapid industrial development. The Trust also seeks to promote sustainable development.

“Just ran a marathon last weekend on behalf of national eating disorder association, unbelievably harrowing and beautiful and moving and surreal experience,” wrote Morissette on her pledge site. "I was blown away on many levels, not the least of which being that at around mile 20, even though it was clear I could NOT keep going, I did. I have to bow down to the human capacity to persevere…and for me, ALWAYS easier to do that with a Star of Bethlehem to keep my eye on and I soldier on. This cause fueling this run is beautiful. And I love Edward and Shauna. Halfway through the marathon last weekend I thought “Oh, I’ll have to tell Shauna and Edward that I can’t do it. It won’t be a big deal. They’ll forgive me.” Then, mere seconds after I crossed the finish line, someone came up to me and said “Will you do it again?”… and I found these words coming out of my mouth: “Yes, November first.” I am committed. For the Maasai Conservation Wilderness Trust. For Edward. For Shauna. For myself. And for the collective idea of tenacity, perseverance and loving/prevailing in the face of fear and pain. Yay, can’t wait. Jumping in last minute, please contribute whatever you feel called to… super grateful.

Edward Norton’s New York Marathon Charity Challenge

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Actor Edward Norton will swap his trailer for trainers in his next role: running the New York marathon to raise funds for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.

The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust is an organization that strives to protect the East African grasslands which the Maasai tribe calls home and is under threat by rapid industrial development. The Trust also seeks to promote sustainable development.

Kristin Davis Accepts Charity Donation

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

Sex And The City star Kristin Davis was in New York on Wednesday to accept a donation to one of her favorite charities.

Top fashion store Lord and Taylor handed the actress a check for $5,000 during her visit to publicize AHAVA beauty products, of which she is a spokesperson. The donation is to go to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, an organization that supports the preservation of biodiversity in East Africa.

From the charity’s website : “The mission of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust is to support the preservation of biodiversity within the Maasai tribal lands of East Africa by promoting conservation, education and health services within the Maasai community. The uniqueness of both equatorial Africa’s grassland ecosystems and the storied culture of the Maasai people face a daunting challenge to survive and co-exist in a sustainable manner. Recognizing that the fate of both rests with the Maasai themselves, the MWCT raises awareness and financial support. Funds support a host of programs designed to conserve the legendary wildlife of the area and to encourage sustainable land practices to benefit the ecosystem, ultimately preserving the traditional Maasai way of life.”

Hill, McGraw and More Become Cartier LOVECHARITY Ambassadors

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 11:29:26 +0000

Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Djimon Hounsou, and Eva Mendes are among the list of 2007 Cartier LOVECHARITY Bracelet Ambassadors.

The Cartier LOVE bracelet was introduced more than 30 years ago, and has risen to be one of the most coveted jewelry designs in the world. In 2006 alone, more than $1.2 million was donated to eight global charities from the sales of its LOVECHARITY bracelet, spurring the company to create a new LOVECHARITY bracelet for 2007. The goal is to exceed last year’s donations as a number of new celebrities join the endeavor.

The 2007 LOVECHARITY bracelet features an 18K white gold miniature LOVE bracelet graced with the word LOVE and accented with two signature screw motifs. It is set into a knotted silk cord available in various colors, with each cord designating support of a unique cause. The bracelet costs $475 with $100 per bracelet benefiting its corresponding charity.