Celebrity Charities – Last year Forbes magazine named J. K. Rowling, the creative genius herself, the first female billionaire author. A lot can happen in a year, though. It turns out Rowling has donated so much money in the past 365 days that she did not make the 2012 edition of...
Mar20
To the Sea
Jack Johnson's Benefit Album
Celebrity Charities – Surfer/pop-star Jack Johnson recently announced a new live compilation album, The Best of Kokua Festival, the proceeds of which will go to his foundation. Featuring 13 tracks from Johnson;s annual Earth Day Kokua Festival, the LP includes songs recorded by stars...
Mar04
Goin Hungry
More Americans Can't Afford Food
Social Issues – While most of us are whining about not being able to afford gas, there are millions of Americans struggling to put food on the table. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a nonprofit research group, found that about 18.6% of people, or 1 out of 5 people said they...
Feb29
Tony Hawk for Kids
Building Skate Parks
Celebrity Charities – Ebay and Auction Cause are giving fans of legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk a chance to bid on some of his personal collectible items to benefit underprivileged kids. 100% of the auction proceeds will benefit the Tony Hawk Foundation, which has been working since...
Feb21
School Bus Rock
Help Hell&Lula Turn Their Touring School Bus Into A Lean, Green Machine!
Environment – Hell&Lula sounds like a cross between a bedroom-electronic project and glam-rock stadium extravaganza. Something like if VHS or Beta clashed with Foxy Shazam and ended up strutting down Hollywood Boulevard while wearing their environmentalism and social advocacy on their collective sleeve. The up and coming Los Angeles quartet—comprised of MAK (vocals), Devon Culiner (guitar/programming), Russell Henson (bass/synth) and Alex Vega (drums)—is currently raising money to convert its touring school bus into a Cool Bus run on waste vegetable oil. MAK told The Daily Activist that he found the 1996 International school...
Feb20
I.M. EDUCATION
Will.i.am Raises $5 Mil For Education
Celebrity Charities – Last thursday night, Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am hosted a benefit concert at the Hollywood Palladium to support his namesake education program, the i.am Angel Foundation. Bringing in support from the rest of the Black Eyed Peas (excluding Fergie), Stevie Wonder (who played piano, harmonica and sang classics like “My Cherie Amor” and “Superstition.”), Ne-Yo, K’Naan, and Flo Rida, the “Trans4mation Experience” event raised $5 million for the foundation. During the performances, videos played bringing attention to students in U.S. neighborhoods, including Boyle...
Feb17
In Lieu Of Flowers
Whitney Houston Charity
Celebrity Charity – In honor of the late Whitney Houston, her family is asking that fans donate to her childhood school, in lieu of flowers. Houston was involved with several charities over the years and her family members wish her legacy live on at her Alma Mater, the Whitney E....
Feb17
GRAMMY POWER
Katy Perry For MusiCares
Celebrity Charities – Pop star Katy Perry debuted her new song at the Grammys last weekend and that single, “Part of Me,” has already topped the charts. In thanking her legions of fans on Twitter, she also made a generous proclamation in 140 characters or less: “My...
Feb16
Less Really is More
Restaurants Can Now Go Halfsies
Social Issues – A new program called Halfsies was recently created to give restaurant goers an option to choose smaller portion menu items in an effort to help reduce food waste and support hunger relief. Since portion sizes are grotesquely larger than they were in previous generations,...
Feb15
Cup O’ Joe with Leo
Leo DiCaprio's New Eco-Partners
Celebrity Charities – The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) has consistently worked hard to bring awareness of environmental issues to light. The foundation’s latest partnership is working with La Colombe Torrefaction to create a new sustainable high-end coffee line called LYON....
Feb12
Party for a Cause
Oscar Party Ticket Auction
Celebrity Charities – Everyone in Hollywood is buzzing about the Oscars, and this year Charitybuzz.com is auctioning off two tickets to Vanity Fair’s Oscar party to the highest bidder. The auction price is currently sitting at $25,000. Proceeds of this auction will go to Larchmont...
Feb08
Blown Load
NEA Rejects Sasha Grey Money
Social Issues – An attempted donation in the name of former porn star Sasha Grey to Read Across America has been rejected by the program’s founding organization, the National Education Association (NEA), America’s largest teacher’s union. Assence Films is releasing a...
Feb04
Rockers Speak Out
Komen Controversy Far & Wide
Celebrity Charities – Although the Susan G. Komen Foundation (SGKF) recently apologized for its decision to pull funding from Planned Parenthood, the backlash from the original announcement is likely to be felt for some time as many have already made decisions to donated directly to...
Feb02
Material Girl Reworks Charity Mission
Madonna Set To Break Ground With Malawi Schools On March 30th
Celebrity Charities – After six years of negotiations and setbacks, Madonna’s mission to provide schools and education to children in Malawi will literally break ground on March 30th and is projected to be completed in June 2013. Things have changed since the Raising Malawi charity began: the design of the schools will be simpler, the charity will be able to reach double the original number of students, and Raising Malawi is now also working with an agency called buildOn to co-develop the schools. “This remains a very big priority in my life and I am excited that with the help of buildOn we can maintain our ongoing...
Feb01
Brad Makes It Right
Celebs To Host Katrina Fundraiser
Celebrity Charities – Nearly 7 years after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, some are still working on rebuilding the once thriving city. Make It Right, a foundation started by the sexiness that is Brad Pitt, works to build homes in the lower 9th ward of New Orleans where more than...
Jan31
Benefit Concerts To The Rescue!
Charity Gigs Already Defining 2012: Jay-Z, Coldplay, And More!
Celebrity Charities – Benefit shows certainly have their place in rock and roll history – The Concert for Bangladesh, Live Aid, Farm Aid, The Concert for New York City, to name just a few. But 2012 may have already established itself as the year of the benefit show, as major acts like Jay-Z, Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, My Morning Jacket, and The Swell Season have all announced major headlining shows where proceeds will be donated to the band’s favorite causes. Check out some of the concert info and charity specifics below. Artist: Jay-Z Dates: February 6 at 8pm and February 7 at 9:30pm Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York City,...
Jan26
Adam Levine Backs LGBT Community
Maroon 5 Dumped Grammy After Party Venue Over Proposition 8 Support
LGBT – Singer Adam Levine’s promiscuous sex life might be the talk of the tabloids, but once again, he’s championing for the love lives and marriage rights of others. The frontman for pop-rock group Maroon 5 just told the media that he and the band would change the location of their Grammy after party because the original place does not support LGBT rights. The anonymous owner of the unnamed establishment was apparently a vocal and strong financial proponent for the infamous Proposition 8, which invalidated and illegalized all marriages not between men and women in the state of California in 2008. Levine explained to...
Jan26
True Champion
Pro Wrestler Biggest Giver
Celebrity Charities – Professional wrestler and not-especially-tall-but-really-really-built-dude, John Cena, has a new accomplishment to wear: he has granted the most wishes in the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s history. It makes a very good case for the good a celebrity can do by...
Jan24
Collars Not Cruelty
Celebs Join Virtual Dog March
Animal Rights – A number of celebrities have come out in support of animal rights as part of a virtual “dog march” this week. Comedian Ricky Gervais, television star Victoria Stillwell, and actress Kristin Bauer are all contributing to the World Society for the Protection of...
Jan23
Team Liam: Miracle Boy 4 A Cure
Artistic Toddler Auctions His Paintings To Help Family Pay His Cancer Bills
Social Issues – With the cost of health care reaching exorbitant levels these days, one cancer patient is turning to art to help his family pay his medical bills. That little boy, three-year-old Liam Myrick, has taken to painting as a form of mental and physical therapy. And in order to combat their medical expenses-totaling more than half a million dollars-his parents are auctioning off his works via a Facebook page. The toddler was diagnosed with stage four Neuroblastoma, a malignant tumor that forms in nerve tissue. In Liam’s case, the tumor was on his kidney and so far, he’s already had chemotherapy and a bone marrow...
Jan22
Get Involved!
5 Ways To Give Without Spending
Social Issues – With the economy down the proverbial drain and considering how many of us are un- or under-employed, it’s often hard to continue our charitable giving and help those that are less fortunate than us. Five websites are trying to change this increasing problem by...
Jan16
Saving Music Education
Van Halen For Mr Holland's Opus
Celebrity Charities – Kids in Los Angeles public schools might be shredding like legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen in a few years. Or at least, they’ll be learning how to play music on Van Halen’s guitars. Van Halen, whose eponymous band was one of the most important rock...
Jan15
Still Helping Haiti
Musicians Offer New Earthquake Relief Ideas
Celebrity Charities – January 12 marked the two-year anniversary of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince. And yet, with all the money donated, all the medical supplies transported, and all the relief efforts completed, there’s still work to be done. According to the UN Human Development Index and Disaster Emergency Committee, Haiti was one of the poorest countries in the world before the natural disaster, the lowest ranking in the entire Western Hemisphere. We at The Daily Activist have written about numerous ways to help Haiti and support relief efforts as well as ways that celebrities...
Jan13
Demolition Boy
7 YO Cancer Patient Gets Wish
Social Issues – Seven-year-old cancer patient Maxwell Hinton got an answer to what might be the coolest wish one could have-he got to blow up a building. A big one, no less. The Fresno, California boy was granted the opportunity by the Make-A-Wish foundation, a foundation that meets with...
Jan10
Hot Lips!
Cheryl Cole: Lipstick For Charity
Celebrity Charities – Cheryl Cole, a member of the British pop group Girls Aloud, is making lipstick not only fashionable, but also charitable. The singer just released a new shade of lipstick through L’Oreal Paris; the catch is that money from each sale will be donated to The...
Jan09
Morrissey For Peta
Rocker Named Person Of The Year
Celebrity Charities – Nearly 27 years after British rockers The Smiths released their number one album Meat Is Murder, PETA UK has named ex-frontman Morrissey its Person of the Year for 2011. After The Smiths broke up in 1987, Morrissey embarked on a successful solo career that also...
Jan06
Bieb’s Fan Gives Back
Fan Donates Guitar To Charity
Celebrity Charities – Girls all over the country swoon at the sound of Justin Bieber’s voice and most would jump at the chance to meet the prince of pop and own something that has been touched by the Biebs (insert starry eyed sigh here). So when 14-year-old Alexx Mowbray was...
Dec30
Bubba Offers 2 For 1
Bill Clinton to Match Donations
Social Issues – Charity – Through the end of the year, or what is now commonly being referred to as “this Saturday,” Bill Clinton will put up a $2 match for every $1 donated to his foundation. Clinton established the foundation 10 years ago after completing his tenure...
Dec28
War On Nukes!
Michael Douglas Nuclear PSA
Social Issues – Well known for his commitment to nuclear disarmament, actor Michael Douglas has teamed up with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CNTBT) Organization to film a series of PSAs to raise support for the Treaty. The CNTBT outlaws “all nuclear explosions...
Dec26
Firestarter: Stephen King Keeps Families Warm
Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation To Match Donations
Celebrity Charities – After reports that the federal government would be cutting $30 million in heating assistance to residents in Maine this year, Stephen King announced that the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation would match donations raised by his Bangor, Maine radio station, to pay for the heating of low-income residents. “This economy is terrible and Tabitha and I both worry so much about Bangor because it is truly a working-class town and we are always looking for ways to help,” said King in an interview with Bangor Daily News. The Bangor radio station is trying to raise $70,000 to aid the local residents, whose...
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