Look To The Stars News: Richie Madden Children's Foundation

Joel Madden Visits Africa For UNICEF

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:00:00 -0000

Rocker Joel Madden has just returned from a weeklong visit to the war-torn Central African Republic (CAR) observing UNICEF programs and visiting vulnerable children.

“I see 25,000 fans in stadiums we play to regularly,“ said Madden, who fronts the rock band Good Charlotte and was named a UNICEF Ambassador this summer. “I can visualize that number, and it gives me chills to think that many children under five die every day from preventable causes. One major way we can tackle this and help reduce that number to zero is by making sure schools and communities get better access to safe water and sanitation facilities.”

Madden visited CAR – which is bordered by Chad and Sudan – with his brother and fellow band member Benji Madden.

Outside the capital city of Bangui, in the village of Sam Ouanda, the pair met with the families of 47 children who had succumbed to water-related illnesses. The village borders the Darfur region of Sudan and has been attacked by rebels twice in the past year. In addition to diarrhea cause by intestinal parasites found in dirty water, young children and their families who do not have bed nets are susceptible to malaria carried by mosquito vectors bred in stagnant pools of water.

“Without access every day to clean water, sustainable development is impossible,” said UNICEF Representative in CAR Mahimbo Mdoe. “We are facing a huge infrastructure deficit and we are struggling to get more and more support.”

Madden’s trip comes at a timely moment, highlighting the situation of an overlooked country with some of the worst health indicators for children in sub-Saharan Africa. The mortality rate for young children in CAR is 175 per 1,000, meaning that nearly one in five children does not live to see his or her fifth birthday. The lifetime risk of death for women who become mothers is 1 in 25, and an HIV prevalence rate of 6 per cent continues to wreak havoc among populations made vulnerable by chronic poverty and ongoing conflict.

Though Madden is a veteran activist on behalf of children, this was his first mission as a UNICEF Ambassador. Along with Nicole Richie, he recently founded the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation to raise awareness about issues facing children around the world and to inspire the public – especially young people – to get involved.

Madden will also serve as the 2009 national spokesman for UNICEF’s clean-water campaign, the Tap Project. Now in its third year, this grassroots US-based initiative aims to provide safe water to children worldwide by inviting patrons to donate $1 for the tap water they normally get for free at participating restaurants.

“Around the world, in places just like CAR, nearly 900 million people don’t have access to safe water – but it’s the kids, like the ones I met on this trip, who are the first to get sick and die from dirty water,” he said. “The good news is that we can stop this now. I believe in zero. We can reduce that 25,000 to zero.”

Nicole Richie Celebrates Text Success

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are celebrating after raising $10,000 for a new children’s playground in just a week.

Last week, Look To The Stars brought you the news that the couple had launched a new text message campaign to raise money for the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation, and so far over 2,000 fans and parents have donated $5 after texting the campaign.

But the goal is $35,000, so get those thumbs working and text the word CHILD to 90999. The money will be used to build a playground for Beyond Shelter, an non-profit organization that provides permanent housing and support services for homeless families with children.

Nicole Richie Launches Charity Text Message Campaign

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden have launched a new text message campaign to raise money for the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation.

According to their website: “We’re pleased to announce the launch of TEXT CHILD to 90999, a new campaign to raise funds to help kids through a new kind of fundraising – with a simple text message. Each text message donates $5, billed to your phone bill. This is the first time that a text campaign has been done by mass media like this, so we’re excited to see how much we can raise!”

Money raised from the campaign will be used to build a playground for Beyond Shelter, an non-profit organization that provides permanent housing and support services for homeless families with children.

Out of the $5 donation, $4.50 will go to The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation to support programs like the playground at Beyond Shelter, and $0.50 will go to the Mobile Giving Foundation to support more text donation programs.

The text promotion only works for those people living in the US. Overseas supporters can pledge their donations online.

To take part in the campaign, simply text the word “CHILD” to 90999.

“I think being parents – it opens yours eyes,“ said Madden. “Every child I look at, it reminds me of my child. Makes me want to take care of every kid. And every mother I see, reminds me of Nicole.”

Richie-Madden Children's Foundation Seeks Intern

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden’s charity has put an internship opening on quarterlife, seeking someone who can help them keep their charity’s website up-to-date.

The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation was founded in 2007, and helps provide young mothers with the items they need to raise their babies, such as cribs, car seats and bottles. The couple recently launched a gift registry to help struggling mothers in need, as well.

The internship ad states that “The Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation (www.richiemaddenfoundation.com) is seeking a Communications/Web Design Intern ASAP.”

While no pay is offered, the chosen intern will receive college credit, and the opportunity to help the celebrity couple provide “meaningful opportunities to children in all corners of the globe, while also striving to bring light and laughter into their lives through unique entertainment and special events.”

Duties to be taken on by the Communications/Web Design Intern will include updating content regularly for client web sites, coordinating with Wireimage and photographers to get photographs for the site and developing new opportunities to engage web viewers to get involved with the Foundation and make a difference.

For more information on how you can apply, visit the Richie-Madden Foundation’s page on quarterlife.

Nicole Richie Launches Baby Gift Registry

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are launching an online gift registry to provide baby products to moms in need.

Through the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation – inaugurated last year – needy families who register through social services agencies will be able to select the baby products they require that are posted on the Foundation’s website – much like how a bridal or baby shower registry works. Then donors can choose what to contribute. Observing that even a clean blanket was out of reach for some, Richie felt the wish-list was an efficient way to connect new moms with those who want to help.

“We take for granted the basic necessities,” Richie told People. “For some families, it’s a serious struggle. This is one way to ease the financial burden and help new babies have a good start in life. We are only working with companies and products that Joel and I would use. We’re checking every product out for safety – and all products are BPA-free.”

A changed man since the birth of his daughter earlier this year, Madden says, “I look at every single child and think of my own child… to think that 26,000 children die every day from simple things that we could prevent, just blows my mind.”

The registry should begin operations this autumn in Los Angeles and New York, with hopes of an eventual international expansion.

2008 Cartier Love Charity Braclets Launched In LA

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

It wasn’t just about the bling when a major jeweler hosted a star-studded event to launch a line of exquisite bracelets to benefit a worthwhile charity last night.

Stars such as Nicole Richie, Joel Madden, Eva Mendes, Fergie, Hilary Duff, and Janet Jackson attended the official launch of the Love Charity Bracelet in Los Angeles, and pledged their support of the initiative.

This year’s bracelets are made of silk cord with different colors corresponding to a selected charity, and feature two links – one white and one rose gold. They retail for $995, with $200 of that price going towards one of the charities selected by each celebrity. The list of celebrities, colors, and charities include:

Janet Jackson – grey; the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.
Fergie – orange; The Black Eyed Peas Foundation.
Good Charlotte – deep green; the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation.
Hilary Duff – purple; Blessings in a Backpack, a program run by USA Harvest.
Ashanti – royal blue; Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America.

This is the third year the campaign has been run, and it has so far raised over $2.24 million for sixteen different charities.

“Cartier is about selling joy and emotion,” said Frédéric de Narp, president and chief executive officer of Cartier North America. “You can’t pretend to sell emotion if you don’t care for people.”

To view the bracelet and find out where to buy one, visit the Cartier website.

Nicole Richie Founds New Charity

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:36:07 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

One of the hottest couples in Hollywood are expecting a baby – and have founded a children’s charity to celebrate.

Nicole Richie and Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden held a baby shower with a difference on November 18, with most of the gifts they received being donated to mothers in need. The couple formally introduced their new charity, the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation, in front of 90 guests at the Wizard Of Oz themed party.

“It’s really sweet,” said Rashida Jones, from NBC’s The Office, who joined guests such as Paris Hilton and Masha Gordon at the party. “With all the swag these days, we’re given so much stuff it’s almost wasteful. It’s kind of nice when we’re giving to each other to give to someone else.”

The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation is being established to help young mothers and families, and plans to donate 100 “Mom-To-Be” kits to the Los Angeles Free Clinic in December. They are currently asking for donations of items such as cribs and mattresses, diapers and liners, strollers and car seats, baby bottles and pacifiers, baby monitors, toys and books, baby carriers, and baby bathtubs to be included in the kits. A website for the new foundation is being planned, which will create and promote an online registry to inspire the purchases of items for families in need.

“We’ve had opportunities and know that we’re very blessed,” said Joel Madden, who is excited about the arrival of the new baby in January. “We couldn’t imagine having a baby and not being as blessed as we are. We’re just trying to help out some other young couples, and the Los Angeles Free Clinic – which provides healthcare, pre-natal care, and job opportunities for free – is the most amazing place I’ve ever seen.”

Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Free Clinic, which provides dependable and affordable healthcare and services, celebrated its 40th anniversary. For those who wish to contribute to the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation’s “Mom-To-Be” initiative, the clinic can be contacted via www.lafreeclinic.org.

Look To The Stars News: Richie Madden Children's Foundation

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