Giving Back

According to current statistics, one out of eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.  That makes it an issue for all women everywhere.  May is Women’s History Month, and the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, together with the Avon Foundation for Women is asking women everywhere to help them build an army against breast cancer.

It’s called the Army of Women, an enormous database of women — both with and without breast cancer — that researchers can turn to when they need volunteers for research studies about breast cancer and about breast cancer prevention. On the Army of Women website, Dr. Susan Love is quoted as saying:

“Over and over I’ve heard scientists lament how difficult it is for them to find the volunteers they need for research studies. I’ve long believed that helping scientists overcome this obstacle would accelerate our understanding of what causes breast cancer and how to end it. By responding to this need, the Army of Women will change the face of breast cancer research.”

Joining the Army of Women is simple.  Once you register — and anyone can register — you’ll be given a link to current research studies that are looking for volunteers.  If you find that you match the criteria for one, you can request more information.  Some studies require commitment, while others involve simply filling out an online survey.

I signed up, will you?

Aid is finally flowing into Haiti, but the nation is going to need help for a long, long time.

If you’re looking for a way to help and are also a lover of beautiful things, then you’ll want to check out To Haiti with Love.  To Haiti with Love is “is an online auction of art, photography, papercrafts, clothing, and creative goods,” that’s being run by Kate Inglis, who also writes the blog Sweet/Salty.

It’s a gorgeous collection of items, all being sold at reasonable prices.  All proceeds from the auction will go to St. Joseph’s Family of homes for children in Haiti.

If art isn’t your thing, what about a t-shirt?  Fretto Prints is selling a “Help Haiti Rise” t-shirt for $15.  All proceeds from the sale will go to Partners in Health, an aid group that has been in Haiti for more than 20 years.

Aid groups want us to remember that sending money — not stuff — is the best way to help in Haiti.  If you’ve found a unique fundraiser, feel free to leave it here in comments.

My husband and I could not agree last night.  The issue?  Where to donate to help Haiti.  “The Red Cross,” he argued.  “Partners in Health,” I said.  We both had our reasons, and realized very quickly that the solution was easy enough:  Donate to both.

Haiti has never needed our help more than they do now.   Food, water, medical care, search and rescue teams — these are critical needs that the country is going to need for the foreseeable future. When disaster strikes, as it did in Haiti last week, people are often more than willing to open up their wallets and give.  In fact, Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation raised $5 million in a texting campaign, just days after the earthquake hit.

What many people forget, though, is what happens after the headlines fade.  Haiti may be lifted out of crisis in the coming weeks, but rebuilding their lives and their country will take months, if not years.  If you’ve been wondering how to help Haiti, the Washington Post has an excellent list of reputable organizations that are helping Haitians.  And if you’ve already given, consider giving again — now, or in the weeks and months ahead.

Whenever I think I’ve got an excuse for not exercising, someone in really great shape — and with a better excuse — comes along and reminds me that there really is no good excuse for not being physically active.

Take Team Type 1, a group of cyclists that participate in the Race Across America, a five-day bike race from one coast to the other.  Every member on the team has Type 1 Diabetes, a disease that’s a challenge in its own right, but that can also be difficult to manage during exercise.

Eight men ranging in age from 19 to 44 will race this year.  These guys don’t just participate in the race, they aim to win.  In 2007 they claimed the title, but came in second last year.  This year, they’ve got their eye on first place again.  “We’re sprinting 100 percent of the time we’re out there,” Joe Eldridge, cyclist and team co-founder of the team, told the New York Times.  “I had my best moments and worst moments on a bike during that race.”

Eldridge says that his goal is to win, for sure, but to also bring awareness to their cause and to teach other people with diabetes — especially children — that managing their disease can bring them closer to reaching their goals.

Establishing a regular exercise routine requires a lot of dedication and discipline, and motivation can be hard to muster when schedules get tight and life gets busy.  But hard-working teams like Type 1 inspire us all to be our best, to manage our daily lives, and to take care of our bodies so we can be healthy too.  We’ll be rooting for you, guys!

Photo courtesy of well.blogs.nytimes.

Michael J. Fox might be battling Parkinson’s, but that’s not keeping him from playing sports (especially when it’s for a cause). Late last month, Fox put his new-found golf skills to the test for The Principal Charity Classic which raised funds for children’s charities in Iowa through Fore Our Kids.

Fore Our Kids is a group of five charities: Blank Children’s Hospital, Bravo Greater Des Moines, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, United Way of Central Iowa and Variety — The Children’s Charity of Iowa.

This is far from the first time Fox has surprised his fans with his reaction to Parkinson’s. The actor-turned-activist, upon finding out he had early onset Parkinson’s, started the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research and has written two books,  “Lucky Man” and “Always Looking Up, The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.”

We can all take a lesson from Fox – no reason to waste the best years of your life pouting about what’s wrong. Instead, focus on what’s right and what you can do to make it better!

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

Miranda Kerr, an Australian model (who’s also currently the main squeeze of a Mr. Orlando Bloom), has an amazing body, and she’s using it for a very worthy cause — koala bears!

Kerr is on the cover of the Australian version of Rolling Stone, tied to a tree (in the nude) to raise awareness for the Australian Koala Foundation’s No Tree, No Me program. Just 100,000 koalas are left in the wild, and since 1986, the foundation has worked against the issues that threaten koalas’ survival.

Kerr grew up in Gunnedah NSW, otherwise known as the koala capital of the world, and had koalas living in her backyard.  “I feel strongly about the need to protect our natural environment because it supports our life – it really is that simple,” said Kerr. “It’s a sad thing – there are only about 100,000 koalas left in Australia. Something like 80 per cent of the koalas’ habitat has been destroyed since Europeans arrived in Australia. The great thing about having people recognize you is you can try to make a positive difference – that’s what I’m trying to do, especially for young women.”

Photo courtesy of savethekoala.com

Every parent has his or her own concept of what the right choice is for their children, particularly when it comes to food. Tori Spelling is no exception — she’s taken to making her own baby food, and thinks you should, too. She posted a video to MySpace saying that, although she served jarred organic baby food to her first son, Liam, she took a different approach when her daughter, Stella, was ready for solid food — she went to the food processor and made her own.

Spelling knows that some fans might not believe that she does it herself, but she swears it’s true. And it’s totally worth it — Stella absolutely loves it. “[O]nce I made my own baby food … I literally gave it to her that first day, it was a spoonful, and her face lit up. She had this huge smile.”

She sure makes it sound easy enough, but I know a lot of moms who would have a difficult time fitting yet another duty into their day. Have you made your own baby food before, and if so, do you have any tips to share?

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Gisele Bundchen is a super sexy supermodel, for sure, and if anyone can make “green” look good, it’s her! She showed up in Vogue wearing an organic bikini, and fashionistas (as well as their significant others) took note.

The one page feature showed the Victoria’s Secret model in a Barstow Bikini by the loyale clothing company. The suit is made from 100% organic cotton and is made using low-impact dyes.

Loyale is devoted to making sustainability stylish — it’s a “a fashion-forward, sustainable clothing company that aims to make the simple act of getting dressed in the morning world changing.” An admirable goal, don’t you think? And when they have beautiful people like Bundchen getting their name out there, I think it puts that goal well within reach.

Now, if only that $120 bikini (and a body like Bundchen’s) were well within my grasp …

Photo courtesy of Vogue

Twilight hottie Robert Pattinson is serious about raising money for charity, even if it embarrasses the heck out of him. He recently auctioned off a meet and greet and kiss on the cheek while in Cannes to raise money for the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS fund. And raise money he did — two bidders offered up $20,000 each!

Pattinson wasn’t the only thing on the auction block. Josh Hartnett also put himself up there, auctioning off a joking strip tease (which never actually got a high enough bid — so sad!). Bill Clinton’s personal Alpine Alto saxophone raked in $130,000, and Elton John designed a Chopard watch to help the cause. Additionally, a CHANEL transporter (like the Segway, but, you know, Chanel) was up for bid.

President Bill Clinton, amfAR Global Fundraising Chairman Sharon Stone, amfAR Chairman Kenneth Cole, Marion Cotillard, Josh Hartnett, Emile Hirsch, Elizabeth Hurley, Joshua Jackson, Diane Kruger, Hayden Panettiere, and 50 Cent were among the famous faces in attendance. Stone led a heartfelt tribute to one of the faces notably absent — actress and amfAR supporter Natasha Richardson who died from a skiing accident earlier this year.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

We all love Jackie Chan — he entertains us, astounds us, and in his spare time, he devotes himself to charity work to benefit the disabled. And now, he’s being honored for his hard work. Chan was named Ambassador of Love in Beijing at an appearance at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

In addition to his position as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, Chan founded the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation over 20 years ago. The Foundation provides scholarships and other assistance to youth in Hong Kong, aid to those affected by natural disaster or illness, and other projects that benefit Hong Kong’s people.

And, as if that’s not enough, Chan is also involved with the Dragon’s Heart Foundation, which was created in 2005 to “fulfill the desperate needs of children and the elderly in remote areas of China.” The Foundation has built more than a dozen schools and provided all the necessary items (like books) to go with them, and it also provides warm clothing, wheelchairs, and more to the elderly. Chan himself often travels to these remote areas for the charity.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been a fan of Simon Cowell. He’s always seemed mean and pompous and like someone I would not want to be around. However, I might have to rethink my position — it turns out he’s a big animal supporter, and he recently gave a really interesting interview to PETA.

He discusses the Obamas’ dog decision (they didn’t adopt a shelter dog as planned), saying that he thinks the First Family should also adopt a shelter pup. Heck, Cowell will even pay for dog food! Additionally, he talked about Michael Vick’s horrific animal abuse: “He should never, ever be publicly supported again. Ever.” And then, he went on to discuss the practice of chaining animals up outside.

“That’s disgraceful. The awful thing about what that person doesn’t realize is that in the dog’s mind, as he’s being chained up … that dog has put his trust in the person who’s chaining him. That dog would give up his life nine times out of 10 for the person who’s chaining him up. … For a dog, under those circumstances, just to be left alone, starving to death, lonely and thirsty, is about as low as a person can go. You’ve got to have a really warped, disgusting personality to want to do something like that. That really disgusts me.”

For once, I completely agree with his judgement. How about you?

Photo courtesy of tvguide.com

Tom Hanks was recently honored for being a tremendous actor and all around good guy. And the honor was well-deserved in a number of ways, one of them being his commitment to the electric vehicle. In fact, the actor recently wrote to The New Yorker to set the record straight on which electric cars he’s owned and driven.

While many electric vehicles were required to be returned at the end of their leases (among them, the General Motors EV-1, which a writer from The New Yorker assumed Hanks had once driven), Hanks actually still owns his first electric vehicle — “a Toyota EV. It had four doors, a rear hatch, room for my family, including a dog in the back, power windows, A/C, a great sound system, and the fastest, most effective windshield defroster known to mankind … I have the pink slip. I own that car, and it is still driven every day, albeit by one of my crack staff of employees.”

Lest you worry that Hanks has given up on driving electric, have no fear — for the last two years, he’s been driving an all-electric Scion XB conversion.

If electric cars were more available (and affordable), would you drive one?

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

Kids living in urban areas don’t always see much in the way of plant life, but a number of celebrities are looking to change that for children in some schools in Los Angeles. Along with the Environmental Media Association and Yes To Inc, stars like Rosario Dawson, Lance Bass, Nicole Richie, Amy Smart, Maroon 5, Olivia Wilde, Maria Menounos, and Matthew Rhys are backing a campaign that will bring organic gardens to a number of the city’s schools.

Dawson told Access Hollywood, “I grew up with community gardens in my neighborhood, so I know how important they can be for kids. I am very excited to be supporting the Environmental Media Association’s new project to support organic gardens in LA schools.”

Bass had his own reasons, as he told People magazine: “Organic gardens are so important, especially in urban areas where many students would otherwise never see any greenery. I hope that the Environmental Media Association’s support will help them to grow and flourish in Los Angeles.”

Feeling inspired yet? Take a cue from Michelle Obama and Sesame Street, and go get started!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Prince Charles sure has some famous friends. Either that, or he’s got a lot of pull — he was able to convince a surprising variety of celebrities and the Dalai Lama to join him in a 90 second video promoting the conservation of rainforests. Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Pele, Robin Williams, Prince William and Prince Harry were among the big names joining in.

“Our aim, with your help, is to build an online community to call, from the bottom up, for urgent action to protect the rainforests, without which we will most certainly lose the battle against catastrophic climate change,” said Prince Charles.

Ford, who has spoken out about environmental topics before, said, “What happens in the rainforest has an immediate and powerful effect on our lives. The air we breathe, the clean air that’s required, the services that ecosystems provide are beyond value.”

To find out more about Prince Charles’ rainforest project and see the video, head over to the official website. Will you pledge your support?

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

Next month, on June 3, the North Shore Animal League America will present the President’s Award for Humanitarian Excellence to Rachael Ray for the work she’s done on behalf of animals, specifically pitbulls. Ray’s pet food company, Nutrish, has been a big supporter of the North Shore Animal League — the organization is just one of several shelter and rescue groups that benefits from Nutrish sales.

According to the North Shore Animal League, “Rachael’s devotion to her own dog, Isaboo, her championing of the often unfairly maligned pit bull breeds and her support of shelter and rescue groups has brought attention to the plight of homeless animals.” Additionally, “Rachael and her husband John stirred up the excitement attending the DogCatemy Celebrity Gala where they shared their home-made video of their beloved Isaboo. Her concern for the wellbeing of all animals is reflected in the Rachael’s Rescue website, where the Animal League stands as one of several shelter and rescue groups benefitting from proceeds of Nutrish sales.“

Some of the other rescues and shelters named on the website for Rachael’s Rescue are BAD RAP, an organization dedicated to dispelling the myths about pitbulls being violent and bad pets, the ASPCA, and Vet Dogs, a new program from the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc., serving the needs of veterans who are blind or visually impaired.

Want to see Rachael receive the award in person? Get your $150 ticket here.

Photo courtesy of rachaelraymag.com

Canada’s 2009 seal hunt has just ended, and more than 280,000 animals were brutally killed. Paul McCartney, like many of us, is appalled at the cruelty of the yearly event, and he’s speaking out to try to end it.

McCartney has joined with The Humane Society and Respect for Animals by signing a petition asking Members of European Parliament to make the trading of goods made from seals illegal, which, of course, would give hunters no reason to continue their brutal hunt.

He said, “The fate of millions of seal pups is in the hands of elected members of the European Parliament. In the next few weeks, they will have a historic opportunity to stop the cruel trade in seal products throughout the European Union.

McCartney went on to ask that everyone make their voices heard, too, by signing the petition (you can sign it by clicking here). If you don’t know much about the seal hunt, I definitely suggest you click that link and at least educate yourself. You might find that it’s a cause that’s truly important to you!Photo courtesy of contactmusic.com

Hugh Jackman is donating $100,000 to a couple of deserving charities, which, in and of itself, isn’t such big news. Don’t get me wrong; I know it’s a lot of money, but in the grand scheme of things, $100k isn’t all that much for the Sexiest Man Alive. What is big news is how he chose the charities — he called upon his fans to use the social networking Twitter to tell him what charities were most deserving!

He asked his fans to tell him on Twitter (in 140 characters or less, of course) what charity should receive his generous donation, and later wrote another message to fans saying, “The more passion shown for your charity the better! Get the support of your friends and teach them the importance of giving.”

Jackman selected Operation of Hope and charity: water to share the $100k donation. You’ve got to love a celebrity who gets his fans involved in his philanthropy!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Happy Earth Day! I hope you’re doing something fun and green, but in case you’re just hanging out, watching your shows, you should know that today would be a great day to tune in to Oprah — she’s dedicating today’s show to trash and the effect on our oceans.

This is nothing new. Oprah always take the opportunity to use Earth Day as a way to showcase environmental issues. Julia Roberts has appeared on the Earth Day show to talk about composting, while Matt Damon has also made an appearance to discuss reducing junk mail through an awesome organization called GreenDimes.

She’s also talking about ways that going green can save you green, which is something I think we’re all pretty interested in these days. Her site is full of helpful “go green” tips, so even if you’re not normally an Oprah watcher, today might be the day to convert!

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

There are some unbelievably awful things happening in the Congo, and Nicole Richie wants to make sure you know all about them. She’s posted a video on her website telling us about the impact many of our every day purchases have on the women and children of the African country, and you need to watch it.

The video begins with Richie saying, “I’m about to tell you a true story about a place where babies and grandmothers are being raped on a daily basis, and the reason they are being raped is directly connected to the purchases of our cell phones, of our laptops and of our iPods.” The violence is related to the mining of minerals that go into the making of these items.

She goes on to say, “The number one weapon out there is not guns, its not knives, it is rape. They are raping these women. Not only is it rape, they are being raped in front of their husbands and children, their children are being killed … they’re being told to eat their children. This stuff is really inhumane. This is the worst stuff that I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Richie introduces Kimberly Pinkson from the Ecomom Alliance and John Pendergast from the EnoughProject.org, two organizations working to end the cycle of violence in the congo. The former reality star then offers four steps we can all take to do our part.

• 1. Join the Movement at www.raisehopeforcongo.org.
• 2. Text “CONGOPLEDGE” (one word, no spaces) to ACTION (228466) or visit www.raisehopeforcongo.org/special-page/conflict-minerals to endorse the Conflict Minerals Pledge.
• 3. Send emails to the industry leaders and ask them to be a leader on this issue by signing the pledge. Visit www.raisehopeforcongo.org/special-page/conflict-minerals to send your emails now.
• 4. Call the White House switchboard at 202.456.1414 or write to President Obama at www.whitehouse.gov and ask him to appoint a special envoy for the Great Lakes region.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

I’ve always admired Doris Day’s dedication to the paws cause, and it turns out she wants to be like me, too. Well, okay, maybe not exactly, but she has become a blogger (just like me!). And, not surprisingly, she’s blogging about animal rights.

Day is blogging for CNN, and she’s a natural. April is Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month, and she has a small request:”[B]e a good citizen and keep an eye out for your neighbors’ dogs, cats, birds and other animals to make sure they are being treated humanely.”

She goes on to say that, at the very least, all animals should have “shelter, food, water, protection from the weather and company from their guardians,” and if you notice an animal constantly crying or pass a troubling situation day after day as you go for a walk, do your part and report the problem — animal abuse is illegal.

Her final point is a good one. She wrote, “Our animals’ lives are so short, and they love and watch out for us. We need to make their time on earth special and give them the compassionate treatment they deserve.”

Interested in helping out the Doris Day Animal Foundation? Find out what you can do here.

Photo courtesy of ddaf.org

Who doesn’t love a beautiful bag? And who doesn’t love a good cause? Obviously, plenty of celebrities love both, because Jessica Alba, Alec Baldwin, Sandra Oh, Mena Suvari, Blair Underwood, Rosie Perez, Justine Bateman, and Robin Wright Penn have all jumped on board with a fabulous handbag auction for The Nature Conservancy!

Sakroots, the environmentally-focused branch of The Sak, is hosting a celebrity bag auction for The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees campaign. The above-mentioned stars have signed a gorgeous Pax Eco Weekender to raise funds for the campaign.

Plant a Billion Trees is focused on planting a billion trees (shocking, I know) on the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, which is on the brink with only seven percent of its original trees remaining. It’s one of the world’s most endangered forests, and if something isn’t done now, it will soon be too late.

Ready to do your part (and maybe win a fab new bag to boot)? Head on over to the auction and place your bid. You have until Earth Day (April 22) at 3 p.m. ET to get involved!

Photo courtesy of charityfolks.com

Noah Wyle has been on a lot of people’s minds lately with the big series finale of “ER,” but that’s not all the actor has been up to. Last weekend, he served as host for Oceana’s Save Our Surf (or S.O.S.) Project big celebrity gala.

S.O.S. is all about helping people — surfers and non-surfers alike — get involved in saving the Pacific Ocean. The event was preceded by a surf-a-thon, and then the gala itself consisted of a blue carpet walk, live music, cocktails and a buffet dinner, as well as a live and silent auction with items like Dennis Hopper’s photography, a Costa Rican surf trip with Frank Caronna, and lots of original art.

Oceana is a strong organization that does a lot of good — find out more about them here.

Photo courtesy of ecorazzi.com

Paula Abdul gets a lot of flack for her occasionally, uh, wacky appearances on American Idol. However, even if she might come off as a little loopy sometimes, the gal’s got a good heart. Yesterday, the Straight Up singer presented guide dogs to seven veterans, one who has served in three wars.

The dogs came from Guide Dogs of the Desert, a Palm Springs-based organization dedicated to improving the lives of blind people by helping them become more independent and giving them outreach opportunities. It’s really no surprise that Abdul was involved in the event — she’s been involved in the guide dog cause for some time, and has signed up to help raise awareness and money for guide dog organizations all over the United States. May is National Guide Dog Month, and Abdul will be active in a number of events throughout the month.

“As an animal lover, it’s my honor to help raise awareness for [the] invaluable organizations who give so much help to the blind,” Abdul said. “I hope everyone will contribute to this program.”

Photo courtesy of paulaabdul.com

The recently slimmed down Scarlett Johansson has signed on to be the celebrity spokesperson for Moet & Chandon champagne, and last week, they held a “Tribute to Cinema” gala at London’s Big Sky studio.

Of course, the gala was attended by a plethora of celebrities, including Thandie Newton and Joseph Fiennes. And, those celebs weren’t shy about putting their signatures to a good cause.

Keeping with Moet’s tradition, celebrities were then encouraged to sign a bottle of Moet & Chandon Nebuchadnezzer. The bottle will later be auctioned off to benefit Oxfam (which was the charity chosen by Johansson), specifically to help with the agency’s climate change work.

Johansson is the first celebrity to serve as a brand ambassador for the popular champagne, and it’s great to see that she’s using her influence for a good cause.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

The Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards were held this past weekend, and one of the big winners was Leonardo DiCaprio — not so much for a movie role, but rather because of his commitment to the environment. The eco-conscious actor was presented with a large, blimp-shaped trophy to signify the first ever Big Green Help Award.

DiCaprio took the opportunity to speak directly and candidly to his young audience, saying, “Do you like this planet that we live on? Is this an awesome place to live or what? Well, it’s the only place we’ve got … We need all of you, the next generation, to take action. In fact, I bet someone watching this very show tonight will be a part of the solution to global warming.”

Additionally, DiCaprio showed a film about how he lives an environmentally friendly life. Cameron Diaz, who presented the award to DiCaprio, called him, “the coolest guy on this hot planet,” and I think she might be right. Between the work he does for his charity, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, and all the attention he’s constantly bringing to environmental causes, there’s no doubt this award was well-deserved.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

When I heard celebs were dropping their panties for charity, I wasn’t super surprised to hear Fergie’s name — not for any bad reason, just because she’s young and funky and that seems right up her alley. And “glamor model” Katie “Jordan” Price doesn’t seem to wear undies all that often anyway. But Emma Thompson? Helen Mirren? Tilda Swinton? What kind of charity was able to make all this happen?

The New North London Synagogue offers a wide range of educational, cultural, social action, and other communal activities for members and others, whether Jewish or non-Jewish. They’ll be putting all kinds of underwear up for auction, and the money raised will pay for food and essentials needed by those seeking asylum. According to the organization, “Destitute asylum seekers have had their asylum claims refused. They live here in fear, terrified of being forcibly returned home where they face more of the prsecution they orginally fled from. Many are survivors of torture and have lost loved ones in conflicts back home. They are not allowed to work and in most cases are not eligible for housing or benefits.”

The underwear comes into play because many can’t even afford underwear, so the celebrities have signed underwear to raise funds and awareness of the problem.

In addition to the celebs mentioned above, Borat’s Sascha Baron Cohen, Daniel Day Lewis, Ricky Gervais, and many more will offer up their drawers for charity. You have until March 31 to bid — find the auction here.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Award-winning singer Kylie Minogue and popular children’s group, The Wiggles, to record a song to benefit UNICEF. The song, Monkey Man, was originally a reggae song back in 1969 but gets new life on The Wiggles’ new album,

Go Bananas — the album is being released today.

All performance royalties from Monkey Man will go to UNICEF, which is really no surprise since The Wiggles have been UNICEF Australia Goodwill Ambassadors for over a year now. They’re currently working toward the Millennium Development Goal to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe water and basic sanitation in the next six year.

Wondering what Kylie has to offer to The Wiggles’ dynamic? You can check it out for yourself here!

Photo courtesy of hardcandymusic.com

She’s been a country superstar since she was a teen, but Leann Rimes is so much more than just a singer. The singer (who is now also an actress — she’s starring in a Lifetime movie based on a Nora Roberts novel), is also a true humanitarian, and will receive the Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award during the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. She’ll receive a crystal trophy from Tiffany & Co. for the honor.

Rimes’ humanitarian efforts have been numerous. She’s highly involved in children’s causes and has served as the International Spokesperson for Children’s Miracle Network. She is a generous supporter of Camp C.O.P.E., which helps children of wounded veterans deal with the changes. Additionally, she partnered with Kellogg to bring attention to disabled vets and donated all proceeds from her song, “I Want You With Me,” to the cause.

Additionally, she financed construction of the Leann Rimes Adventure Gym at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville and supports the Nashville Humane Society, as compassion towards animals is a cause near and dear to her heart.

Rimes said, “I feel blessed to be able to help. I strive to be actively involved in my community with my time and my heart, and I’ve been touched by the spirit and bravery of those I have encountered along the way. I’m honored that The Home Depot and the Academy have chosen to recognize my work and spread awareness of the worthy causes that inspire me.”

Photo courtesy of cmt.com

Carrie Underwood has been called America’s sweetheart since making it big in the music business, and it’s easy to see why. I mean, sure, she has an angelic voice, and a face to match, but she’s also a real beauty where it really counts — on the inside.

The country crooner has remade Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home,” which is bring sung as contestants are voted off of “American Idol.” However, even if it might bring a tear to the contestants’ eyes, it does something more — it will raise money for the Humane Society.

The song is being released as a single, and Underwood is donating proceeds to the charity. “I’ve always loved this song, and besides being very fitting for Idol, to me, the title is also very fitting with animal rescue and finding animals their own homes. So we felt it was important to tie the release into an amazing animal charity like the Humane Society,” said the singer.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Hayden Panettiere made news a year or so ago for risking her life to save whales in Japan — the Heroes actress even had an arrest warrant issued (which has since been dropped). Well, she’s not done raising awareness for marine mammals — she’s been working to get a million signatures for a petition to stop the slaughter of whales and dolphins, and she’s almost reached her goal. But not quite.

Hayden is working with The Whaleman Foundation,  and announced a new widget that anyone can place on his or her blog or MySpace page to make it super easy for people to sign the petition. She’s working to create something similar for Facebook, too.

She’s extremely grateful to everyone getting involved, saying, “I can’t express in words how much this means to me … Iceland recently announced it was upping its quota from 40 whales a year to 250 whales a year including 150 endangered Fin Whales and 100 Minke Whales. Now, it’s more important than ever that we reach our 1 million signature goal, an dlet the world know that this needless slaughter has to stop.”

To sign the petition or get the widget for yourself, go to SocialVibe.

Photo courtesy of Hayden-Panettiere.com

Robert Redford is far more than a successful actor — he’s a kind and generous person, too. Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment has taken notice and is honoring Redford with their annual Duke LEAF award, an award given to “artists whose work inspires environmental awareness and stewardship in others.”

Duke was proud to honor the actor for his lifetime of service to society, and Redford was thrilled to receive the award. “I am honored to be in the company of a school which has as its mission to train leaders of consequence for a sustainable future,” said Redford. “Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment has a particularly unique creative and innovative bent to it, which makes it all the more meaningful to me.”

Redford has definitely used his fame to promote environmental causes, and is well-deserving of this award. Let’s hope his achievements inspire a whole new generation of actors and activists!

Photo courtesy of hollywood.com

Those Jonas Brothers are almost too good to bear. Not only do their squeaky clean lifestyles keep them out of trouble (and the tabloids) — they recently took time out of their crazy schedules to help a sick little girl realize her dream.

Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas visited 9 year old Jayla Cooper, who is fighting an aggressive form of leukemia. They went above and beyond a simple meet and greet, though — they hugged her, told her they loved her, and sang her favorite song, “Love Bug.” I mean, do these guys bleed sugar or what?

Jayla was thrilled with her visit from the Jonas Brothers, of course, but she has eyes for another boy. She symbolically married her boyfriend, 7 year old Jose Griggs, who is also battling leukemia. She told People magazine that Jose is “funny, sweet, and cute.” And she loves him.

Let’s all hope that a celebrity visit isn’t the last amazing thing that happens to this little girl and her family!

Photo courtesy of everythingjonas.com

Jenna Elfman has always looked the part of the eco-warrior — I mean, there’s a reason she had the starring role in Dharma and Greg. But, living an eco-friendly lifestyle isn’t an act for Elfman, and she shared some of her tips and habits with EcoStiletto.

Not only is she involved with Healthy Child, Healthy World, a national non-profit focusing on the environmental health of kids, but she also is extremely eco-conscious in her day to day life. She said, I admit, I am not some perfect, green, mother person. But I do use planet/baby-friendly household cleaners, detergent, diapers, wipes, baby soaps/shampoos, flooring, paint, crib mattress and bottles. Plus, all the recycling. It’s a start in the right direction. I learned a lot since getting involved with Healthy Child, Healthy World. They’re awesome.”

Elfman credits motherhood with giving her a better connection to the future — it made her feel “more aware and responsible for the consequences” of her actions because she wants her son to have the best possible life, now and in the future.

Her full interview will go up on EcoStiletto this week — supposedly, she talks about a serious recycling obsession, which has to be about the healthiest obsession a Hollywood star has ever admitted to!

Photo courtesy of jennaelfman.com

While I have quite a reputation for dunking apple slices in peanut butter (favorite snack ever), Shaquille O’Neal is far better known for dunking the basketball. However, the man isn’t just a superstar on the court — he’s also pretty big time when it comes to charity work.

Last week, Shaq was at Church on the Rise in Westlake, Ohio, for their “PB and Shaq” challenge. Admission for the event was 10 jars of peanut butter, and Shaq served as the featured guest, where he mingled and chatted with other guests. The peanut butter isn’t just to satisfy Shaq’s craving for PB&J (although, at 7’1″, can you even imagine how many sandwiches that man could scarf down?) — all the donations will go to Feed the Children and distributed in care packages to families in the Wilmington area. The recent closing of a DHL center has greatly increased the area’s need.

This wasn’t Shaq’s first rodeo, either. The NBA giant has long been involved with the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America (he’s a million dollar supporter!) and sponsors at-risk and disadvantaged kids. He also holds a charity gold tournament and gala (Shaq’s Mama Said Knock You Out) and has gotten involved with Childhelp by recording a PSA.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Elton John’s post-Oscar party is legendary — all of the hottest stars make appearances. In fact, this year, among the 650 guests were Victoria Beckham, Kiefer Sutherland, Sharon Stone, Elle MacPherson, and plenty of other celebs.

And, it’s all for a good cause — the Oscar bash benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which funds educational programs aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS and getting rid of the prejudice and discrimination against the disease. Additional, the Foundation provides services to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Tickets to the party ran approximately $3500, but Sir Elton tries to make sure people get what they pay for, saying, “We give them the best that they can possibly afford. It’s beautiful inside the tent, the food’s great, everyone will be served the best wines, but they need to be because they’ve paid an awful lot of money for a seat.”

Photo courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

As you might imagine, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale’s kids have some pretty cool clothes, many of which were probably only worn a couple of times. And, rather than just dropping Kingston and Zuma’s old stuff off at Goodwill, is taking it a step further, and donating a number of their hand me downs to, fittingly, Gwenhandmedowns.com, where they’re holding an auction to raise money for the Orangewood Children’s Foundation and the Children’s Hospital of Orange Mission.

There’s just one day left, but there are loads of cool items to bid on. Gwen’s Bugaboo Chameleon is currently up to $530, while one of Kingston’s “Rockstar” tees is already going for over $150.  There are a number of other items, too, any of which would be a ridiculously awesome gift for a Gwen or Gavin fan!

Although this is definitely for a good cause, I’m wondering how many people would bid on things like these when you could buy many of the same things, brand new and in the box, for a lot less. I get the appeal, but I’m not sure it would be for me — I’d rather just make a donation to the charity of my choice. But, I suppose, that’s a lot less fun. What do you think?

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

The debate on whether or not to breastfeed is a big one, no doubt, but to Salma Hayek, there’s no question as to whether or not it’s the right thing to do. She’s still breastfeeding her daughter, Paloma, who was born in September 2007, and recently made headlines for breastfeeding another woman’s undernourished child in Africa.

Hayek was in Sierra Leone, supporting the tetanus vaccination project that we covered last year. She met a mother who had a starving baby — a baby who was born on the same day as Hayek’s — and the mother was malnourished and her body wasn’t producing any milk for the child.

Hayek’s reasons were two-fold. For one, she wanted to help the child; however, she knew that feeding a baby one time wouldn’t solve his problems. Her other reason was to try to lift the stigma against breastfeeding in Africa, where men encourage women to stop early, even if they’re able to produce milk, because they often think women can’t have sex if they’re still nursing.

Her reasons for continuing to breastfeed little Paloma are far less political, though. She’s compared herself to an alcoholic, saying, “It’s like, I don’t care if I cry, I don’t care if I’m fat, I’m just gonna do it for one more week, one more month, and then, when I see how much good it is doing her, I can’t stop. It’s a very powerful thing, you know.”

What do you think about breastfeeding? What about breastfeeding another woman’s child?

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

I’m a big fan of Kelly Ripa — I think she’s funny and smart, and I’m in constant awe of how she balances everything she does. And, she’s just added one more thing to her juggling act — she’s been working with Electrolux for some time now, and their most recent project is a bake sale.

Of course, this isn’t your standard bake sale. It’s a virtual one. And it gives you the chance to raise money to fight ovarian cancer without spending a dime out of your own pocket. Aside from the fact that I don’t actually get to bring home any cupcakes, it’s perfect!

To take part, all you need to do is head over to Kelly Confidential, where you’ll sign in or register and then, you make a cupcake, and when you send it (for free), Electrolux donates $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. They’ll donate at least $25,000, up to $30,000. You can log on every day to do it.

And, you should — not only will you help raise money for a good cause, but you also will enter yourself in a contest to win a new Red Hot Washer and Dryer from Electrolux!

If you’re then motivated to make some real cupcakes, there’s even a tab with Kelly’s Cupcake Tips, where she gives some insight into how she makes cupcakes and shares her recipe for butter cream icing.

Photo courtesy of kelly-confidential.com

By now, you’ve almost definitely heard about Ashley Judd‘s video criticizing Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s support of the aerial hunting of wolves — if not, you can get yourself up to date at the new site Defenders of Wildlife launched called Eye On Palin.

Anyway, this is turning into a real saga. The topic came up on The View (of course), and Elisabeth Hasselbeck questioned Judd’s logic, saying that she’s loud about how many wolves have been killed (900 this year), but, “Is she as loud about the 260,000 kids killed in abortions.”

And, of course, Palin herself spoke up, saying that the campaign distorts the facts, and, “These audacious fundraising attempts misrepresent what goes on in Alaska, and I encourage people to learn the facts about Alaska’s positive record of managing wildlife for abundance. Shame on the Defenders of Wildlife for twisting the truth in an effort to raise funds from innocent and hard-pressed Americans struggling with these rough economic times.”

Judd wasn’t about to let that go, though, and she went on Larry King Live to clear up any questions. She explains that she’s not an extremist, and that she’s not against the killing of any wolves, ever — she’s against the urban hunters who come, hire private planes and pilots, and shoot the wolves strictly for sport when there is a native tribe who is not allowed to hunt for subsistence.

I think Judd sounds really intelligent in her argument, but I’m sure I’m biased because I agree with her cause. What do you think? You can check out the video and more of the interview here.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Tom Selleck is one of those actors who seems to have nothing but fans. Think about it — have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like him? Because I sure haven’t. And now, he’s being named as the Spokesman for a new Vietnam Veterans Education Center.

So, what’s the connection between Selleck and Vietnam? Well, for one thing, he served as a member of the Army National Guard, and, of course, he had friends who went off to fight who didn’t come home. But, from a more well-known perspective, Magnum, P.I. was the first positive portrayal of Vietnam vets in the media, making Selleck a perfect choice.

Selleck recalled a friend whose name is on the Memorial, saying, “For him, and for all the others whose names are on The Wall, for all those people who are missed every day by their friends and loved ones, I want to do all I can to get the word out about what is being planned for the Education Center.”

The Education Center at The Wall is being developed by the Memorial Fund with the goal of teaching millions of visitors annually about the Memorial and the Vietnam War. It will be built near the Vietnam Veterans and Lincoln Memorials, underground.

Another part of this project includes The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of The Wall that goes all over the country so that folks who otherwise couldn’t see the memorial in Washington can have a chance to experience it. Selleck will be on hand next month for the unveiling of a new trailer for the mini-wall.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Of all the places to visit, one of the most exciting places, at least for people my age, has to be Sesame Street. We grew up watching it — the characters were like friends, and we knew every doorway, every corner. Just like regular folks, there are a few famous faces who love that street, too.

John Mayer and Queen Latifah made a visit to our favorite childhood getaway to film a special episode to raise children’s awareness of the struggles of military families, titled “Coming Home: Military Families Cope with Change.” The special will air on April 1 at 8:00 p.m. (on PBS, of course).

The half-hour special will recount stories of those in the military who come home with injuries, both those that can be seen and those that can’t, and shows how the families find their “new normal.” It celebrates the strength these families have, and gives the public a better idea of what many service families have to deal with.

David Letterman’s production company is involved in this project, and the late night host said, “The men and women of our military have made indescribable sacrifices. The very least we can do is tell their stories, and to honor the bravery and strength of both the soldiers and their families.”

Photo courtesy of justjared.com

Even if you’re not familiar with Björk’s music or charity work, I’m willing to bet you recognize her infamous swan dress. Yep, she’s quirky. It’s kind of her thing. But, you know what else is her thing? The environment. The unique chanteuse has long been active in her native Iceland, trying to make it a greener place to live (Wait, isn’t Greenland the green one? Oh, right …), and now, she’s stepping up her efforts by launching a venture capital fund to rebuild the country through backing environmentally and socially sustainable companies tapping Iceland’s highly educated population and many green energy resources.

The company managing the projects said, “Instead of talking about the problems we have, she is on a mission to build a sustainable Iceland that’s not going to leave the country in worse shape for future generations.”

Previously, she’s released environmentally-focused music videos and held concerts to protest environmentally-destructive practices, but this really shows her commitment. So, yeah, Björk might be a little different, but she’s a big winner in my book.

Photo courtesy of fabsugar.com

Chace Crawford’s hit show, Gossip Girl, might have some pretty twisted plot lines, but this isn’t one of them. The wildly handsome young actor is doing his part to help the teenage homeless population.

Crawford wants you to give away your old jeans to help teens in need. He’s doing a PSA, and says, “One in three homeless people in America are under the age of 18. They’re just ordinary people living extraordinarily difficult lives. But you can do something! Clean out your closets and support Teens for Jeans.”

Teens for Jeans is backed by Aéropostale and Do Something, and aims to get young people to give what they can, and realize that they have the ability to make a difference in the life of someone who, really, is just like them.

Want to get involved? Take your jeans to an Aéropostale store between now and February 22, and they’ll get the discarded denim to a local homeless shelter or charity. And you get something, too — 25 percent off your next pair of Aéropostale jeans!

This isn’t a new campaign — in fact, last year, it collected more than 125,000 jeans. This year, with your help, they’re hoping to collect more than twice as many. So, check out Crawford’s PSA, then head to your nearest Aéropostale to do your part!

Photo courtesy of gossipgirlinsider.com

Ellen Degeneres is always championing good causes, specifically those involving animals — if you watch her show, you’re aware of how often she promotes animal-related charities. So, it might not surprise you too much to learn that she, along with her wife, Portia de Rossi, have gone vegan, eliminating all animal products from their diet and lifestyle.

What makes this a little more interesting is the fact that, when the couple went on their first date, Portia was wearing fur and Ellen was wearing leather, and that sparked a discussion. Portia said, “She was giving me a hard time about wearing the fur and I said, ‘Why is a fox any more important than a cow?’ We took that idea and went all the way with it. We are doing what we can.”

Going vegan involves a major adjustment in one’s lifestyle — you’re not only giving up meat and leather, but also eggs, dairy, honey, silk, and much more. It definitely requires a bit more meal planning in order to get the proper nutrition, but I’m guessing Ellen and Portia have chefs to help them out with that, but still, I’m proud of them.

One byproduct of going vegan — weight loss. Both women have noticed a change in their bodies since changing their diet (hey, I’d lose weight, too, if I cut cheese out of my diet!), but they’re both feeling great. The question is, would you consider going vegan? What would be the deciding factor? For me, I would need it to be a household decision — it’s too hard to cook one meal vegan and the other … not.

Photo courtesy of celebitchy.com

On March 2, Jimmy Fallon will take the “Late Night” reigns from Conan O’Brien, and while there will naturally be a lot of changes made, many of those changes will be taking nature into account. Fallon plans to greenify the studio as much as possible.

He told The NY Post, “Everything is recycled. We are building everything with recycled metals and using all green lighting. We are starting (construction) from scratch so it is NBC’s policy that we make everything from the ground up entirely green. Everything.”

This SNL alum is thrilled with NBC’s cooperation, saying, “The craziest stuff I asked for — believe it or not, I got. I even got the Roots (as a house band).”

Additionally, Fallon has big plans to incorporate the city in a bigger way, including hitting the streets to film spontaneous shots. And it’s going to be a lot more “techy,” treating video game premieres like movie premieres.

Can’t say I’m so excited about the video games stuff, but I love the fact that Fallon aimed for the moon and got all the green goodies he wanted. Kudos to him and NBC!

Photo courtesy of latenightwithjimmyfallon.com

She effortlessly navigated the red carpet at the Golden Globes, but will Mad Men actress January Jones find it as easy to navigate shark-infested waters? Let’s hope so — she’s heading to the Bahamas to take part in a shark dive in Bimini February 1.

She told People magazine, “I’m going to swim with sharks and do cage diving with Great Whites. We have a huge problem that can ruin the whole ecosystem. We need to save the sharks.” Jones works with Oceana, and while she doesn’t make the tabloids for some of the hijinks other Hollywood hotties get into, she’s hoping to use her celebrity to bring attention to this worthy cause.

Perhaps she should look at hiring Mickey Rourke to protect her — he did a pretty good job at the Golden Globes. “Someone made fun of my name,” said Jones, “and Mickey said he was going to hurt them.”

Actually, I think bringing Rourke along would be pretty interesting … but maybe not so good for the sharks. Or for positive publicity.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Actress Olivia Wilde made a pretty big impact on the red carpet at last night’s Golden Globes — she was stunning and embraced this year’s trend of looking naturally beautiful. It turns out that wasn’t just a red carpet fluke — the actress also graced the cover of the first issue of Organic Beauty Magazine.

Wilde, who stars in House, was a natural choice to the editors of the magazine. The first issue was titled “Green and Gorgeous,” which pretty much describes Wilde perfectly. She’s become well known for not only living a green lifestyle, but also for helping humanitarian efforts. She gives an interview in the mag explaining her beliefs about natural and organic products, going on to say it’s unnecessary to “sacrifice your health with what you’re putting on your body.”

Want to check it out for yourself? Head over to Organic Beauty Magazine’s website or pick up a copy at a local bookstore.

Photo courtesy of justjared.com

When you think of P. Diddy, what comes to mind? I mean, besides a slew of other names? I tend to think of luxury — he’s always impeccably dressed, driving fancy cars, and being photographed at the swankiest places. He definitely lives the good life, and now, he’s hoping to share “The Good Life Experience” with everyone else.

So what exactly is “The Good Life Experience”? It’s a series of celebrity events to which the general public will have limited access. Each unique event or party will feature a star studded guest list and top notch entertainment and hospitality. Oh, and they will benefit a good cause.

Joining Diddy to host the January 29th Tampa event is boxing champ Winky Wright, who has just launched his new Winky Wright Foundation. The Tampa event, which has a “Vegas Fight Night” theme will donate a portion of the proceeds to Wright’s charity as well as The Charity for Women.

January 30th and 31st, events will be hosted by Diddy and football legend Deion Sanders, and, of course, each night will have a different theme. Ticket prices start at $200 (and go way up from there) — get yours at the Good Life Experience website.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Nobody can dispute that Oprah is a big giver — so many organizations (and individuals) have benefited from her generosity. The talk show queen started off 2009 on a good note, with a major donation to a worthy cause.

Over the holiday season, Oprah donated $365,000 to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. The private school was founded by Ron Clark and is in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Atlanta. He’s also been on Oprah’s show a couple of times.

You might have heard about the Ron Clark Academy earlier in 2008 — the school became “internet famous” after creating a video — “You Can Vote However You Like.” The video showed a bunch of animated young people rapping about voting.

This large donation comes shortly after Oprah was named Peta’s 2008 Person of the Year for her promotion of eating vegan (even though she only did it for 21 days, she certainly brought attention to it and undoubtedly encouraged countless people to rethink their conception of vegan food). Additionally, Oprah took on puppy mills, doing an expose on the cruelty and horror that goes on within them.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Madonna has gotten a lot of bad press this year, but she’s actually been pretty generous — an not just in her divorce settlement with Guy Ritchie. Throughout 2008, Madonna made donations totaling about $3 million!

So where did all the money go? Madge gave a quarter million to Mobilization Against AIDS, as well as $15,000 to the TJ Martell Foundation for Leukemia and Cancer Research. Madonna also contributed $23,000 toward setting up playgrounds in Russia and she helped out churches and religious groups in California.

By far, however, the Kabbalah Center had the biggest year, receiving $2,626,529 from one its most famous members. The singer donated another $4,025 in royalties from her children’s books to Spirituality for Kids.

It’s always nice to hear the other side of the story, isn’t it?

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Pierce Brosnan helped to make the holidays a little brighter for a few of his favorite charities, and he’s encouraging you to do the same. On the official Pierce Brosnan Website, the former 007 blogs, “In the spirit of giving this holiday season please consider making a small contribution to those in need. The following organizations were on our holiday gift giving list:”

• The Jane Goodall Institute, where the funds will help sponsor environmental education and youth based humanitarian programs;
• Roots and Shoots, where the money will provide clean, safe drinking water to a developing nation by distributing thousands of portable water purifiers;
• American Red Cross, where the donation will offer relief services for the victims of the Southern California Wildfires; and,
• Kauai Humane Society, where the funds will provide care for numerous stray animals while also supporting the spay and neuter shelter program on the island of Kauai.

Brosnan and his wife Keely Shay aren’t new to giving — they’ve been helping environmental causes by offering their time and money for years. However, it’s always great to hear about how our favorite stars make donations, and I think Brosnan made some great choices this year.

Did you make any donations this year? If so, what charity did you choose?

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Zac Efron of High School Musical isn’t just nice to look at — the cutie patoutie is also just plain nice. The teen and tween sensation showed up at a Los Angeles hospital with $10,000 worth of presents for some sick kids. Zac spent two hours touring the wards, handing out toys, signing autographs, and posing for pictures (with staff as much as with the patients).

One source described the visit, saying, “He really spent time bonding with each of the children and their families. The kids were smitten and beaming from ear to ear. Some of the kids couldn’t even speak, but they had the widest grins and would sit as close to him as possible. Zac was super gracious and could not have been more kind and truly happy to be there.”

Zac isn’t the only Hollywood do-gooder this holiday season — not by a long shot. John Mayer headlined a special early morning concert for kids in a New York hospital, raising more than $250,000 in the process. He was joined by Rob Thomas, and the must-hear new talent on the block, Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles. And, Adam Sandler did his part, too, by sharing the red carpet for the premiere of Bedtime Stories with more than just co-stars Courteney Cox and Keri Russell — they used the opportunity to support Marine Toys for Tots.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Admit it — at one time or another, your good intentions have gone out the window as the weather worsened. Maybe you didn’t volunteer, or visit a friend, and it’s not the end of the world. I truly think we’ve all done it. Well, all of us, except  Adrian Grenier.

The uber-green Entourage hottie braved the blustery New York City weather to ride along in City Harvest’s new hybrid truck to pick up unused food from NYC bakeries and restaurants. After spending the day picking up goodies, Adrian stopped at the Yorkville Common Pantry where they left the food. The Yorkville Common Pantry’s mission is to “reduce hunger while promoting dignity and self-sufficiency. YCP champions the cause of the hungry through food pantry and meal distribution programs, nutrition education, basic hygiene services, homeless support, and related services.”

Adrian was doing this good deed on behalf of Feeding America, which is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, providing food assistance to over 25 million low-income, hungry people in the States, including over nine million children and almost three million seniors.

Photo courtesy of thecinemasource.com

Snoop Dogg doesn’t get all that much press for doing good, but the fact of the matter is that the hip-hop superstar (and reality show star) has causes (other than illegal substances) that he cares about and works hard to support. At the moment, he’s auctioning off a garden shed to raise money for his Snoop Youth Football League.

I know what you’re thinking — a garden shed? But this isn’t just a garden shed. If this shed could talk, it would have some unbelievable stories. Snoop explains, “I’ve had this shed since tha turn of tha century. I’ve beaten over 1,000 people in Madden in it, watched football game tape, seen the Lakers win championships, and, most of all, written hits in it.” Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have spent time in the shed, and many of them have autographed the door and walls.

Snoop founded the Snoop Youth Football League as a way to keep kids active and out of trouble while helping them learn team building and leadership. The kids practice, have games, and even get to play in the Snooper Bowl.

Photo courtesy of snoopyouthfootballleague.com

We all know that Bono is an incredible giver, raising funds and awareness for a variety of causes close to his heart. And it’s not just his fans who are aware of this — last week in Paris, he was awarded the Nobel Man of Peace Prize for his work in the fight against poverty, debt, and disease in Africa. He continually strives to get rich countries to assist the struggling continent.

Bono was, understandably, incredibly honored. “This is a very big award for me, because let’s be honest — this is as close as I am going to get — as close as a rock star is ever going to get to the Nobel Peace Prize. I am an over-awarded, over-rewarded rock star,” he told a crowd including fellow Nobel laureates.

He went on to say, “You are the people who do the real work. So I am very, very pleased to be in such esteemed company.”

I don’t know about you, but I just became an even bigger fan of U2.

Photo courtesy of nymag.com

David Beckham spent some quality time in New Zealand last week to help out those less fortunate, both on two legs and four.

His first stop was a gala to help out KidsCan, a charitable trust dedicated to meeting the basic physical needs of financially disadvantaged children, helping them have the same chances to reach their potential as any other child. The gala event was also attended by several members of New Zealand’s All Blacks, the country’s rugby team which just happens to be a big supporter of KidsCan.

Beckham was sure to do his part to raise money for the worthy cause — he gave up $9,000 in an auction for a print of President-elect Barack Obama, and then donated it back to the auction in order to raise more funds.

He then joined his LA Galaxy soccer team for a charity game against the Oceana Allstars (LA won), which raised money for the New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Earlier that day, some New Zealand celebrities played an exhibition game to benefit a few New Zealand charities, including the afore-mentioned KidsCan.

Good to see that Becks isn’t just relying on his celebrity status — he’s obviously intent on giving back, and he looks awfully good doing it.

Image courtesy of askmen.com

That George Clooney is nothing if not a class act. Sure, he might be tight-lipped about his love life, but he spilling plenty about something even more important (and yes, there are things that are more important than who George is spending quality time with these days).

He was recently honored for his charity work, but says he doesn’t deserve it. In fact, although he was awarded the Golden Heart award at the Ein Herz fuer Kinder gala, he was more interested in giving that award to aid workers who risk their lives every day.

While you probably know a little about George’s work — he’s traveled to Darfur in Sudan, Chad, and Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — you might not know who else is helping him out. In addition to his famous Not On Our Watch buddies, like Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Don Cheadle, his dad has traveled with him. Actually, his dad even pushed for the trip to Chad, even after fighting broke out and others ditched the the trip (much to George’s mom chagrin).

So what keeps George involved, even though it’s so dangerous? He knows he can make a difference, and now that he’s seen the devastation in person, he’s committed to spending his free time helping those in need all over the world. The thing that bothers him the most is “[t]he systematic violence towards women. Or also the fact that a village won’t ‘only’ be destroyed, no — the wells will also be poisoned, so that life there is impossible. It is not about land, it is about race hate.”

Gorgeous George had plenty more to say in a recent interview with Bild — read it all here.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Most of the time, Will Ferrell is almost too goofy to handle, which might be why it makes such an impact when he gets serious about a cause. Ferrell helped to launch Human Rights Awareness Month to bring attention to the plight of those living in Burma under a violent government.

He’s asking others to support this cause too, saying, “You know when you hear about something happening in the world that is so awful, so violent and terrible and evil and wrong and you think wait — I have to do something about this. But it just seems too big … [T]his month, all that is going to change for you. A human rights crisis is happening right now in the South East Asian country of Burma … Today we’re launching a 30 day campaign for human rights and democracy in Burma.”

You might recall a similar campaign earlier this year. In May, Ferrell, along with Jennifer Aniston and tons of other stars, voiced his support for One Million Voices for Burma. And, just like the Million Voices campaign, this one is full of famous faces. Aniston will once again get involved, as will Woody Harrelson. You can check out videos of some of your favorite celebrities on the US Campaign for Burma YouTube page.

So, what can you do to help? Ferrell encourages us all to learn about the problem and spread the word. Talk to your friends and family. Speak up at school, work, or church. Tell your neighbors, and people on the street — we can use our freedom to help Burma get theirs.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Josh Duhamel, star of Transformers and engaged to Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, isn’t content to just play a hero on the big screen. The big-hearted hottie hung with scientists from the non-profic organization Polar Bears International at Hudson Bay close to Churchill, Manitoba, in Canada, in order to get a first-hand look at how climate change is hurting the polar bears. While there, he toured the area and recorded a PSA for Polar Bears International.

Duhamel bundled up and talked to ET Canada, saying, “The bears sort of symbolize something global and if we think globally, we have to think locally and if we’re thinking locally we have to be conscious of things we can do to reduce, you know? They’re just amazing creatures, they’re just awesome. The more I learn, the more interesting they are.”

He’s absolutely right, and I’m so glad to see a well-known celebrity taking the opportunity to bring attention to these incredible bears. They’re a potentially endangered species, and with ice shrinking in Russia, Alaska, and Canada, their numbers are shrinking, too.

If you’re hoping to help, too, Polar Bears International has several ways for you to do so. Click here to find out how you can get involved.

Photo courtesy of ecorazzi.com

Earlier this year, Nicole Kidman impressed us all with a really generous donation to UNIFEM. But, don’t think for a second she just spends money to help out good causes — she also physically takes a stand.

Yesterday, Kidman visited the United Nations headquarters in New York to announce that an astounding five million people have signed an internet-based petition for the “Say No to Violence Against Women” campaign, a part of UNIFEM, which works to provide financial and technical assistance to innovative programs and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality.

The actress and new mom said, “We thought that the more names we collected, the stronger our case to make ending violence against women a top priority for governments everywhere,” adding, “Well, the results are in. We’ve tallied the numbers from Bangkok and Tanzania, from Ecuador to Fiji, from Jordan to India. I am so delighted to announce that they have far, far, surpassed our goal.”

This is a cause that Kidman is obviously passionate about — I can’t wait to see what else she does for UNIFEM!

Photo courtesy of hollyscoop.com

Some charity work is physically difficult, and some is emotionally taxing. But sometimes, it’s just plain fun. Debra Messing’s latest charitable endeavor definitely falls into the third category — the Starter Wife and Nothing Like the Holidays star is joining with famed jewelry designer Robert Lee Morris to create a piece of jewelry to benefit YouthAIDS.

You’ll have the opportunity to check out Messing’s design skills — the piece will be featured in InStyle magazine this February and May. Also, a special website will go live to showcase the piece on January 13, staying up for a little over a month.

Additionally, Messing has been confirmed as a celebrity participant in the Leaves of Change charity initiative. She is the first A-Lister to join in, but will soon be joined by others in designing a gold pendant necklace with some sort of leaf motif. The stars will then decide whether they want proceeds from the sale of their designs to go toward a charity of their choice or Jewelers for Children, which helps children whose lives have been devastated by serious illness or abuse.

Hoping to get your hands on a celebrity-designed piece of jewelry? You’ll have to wait for spring, at which point a charity event will be held in Los Angeles, along with an online auction. I’ll keep you up to date, don’t worry!

Alicia Silverstone is might not be taking leading roles in major movies anymore, but the girl is busy. She’s an actress, producer, and animal-rights activist, and now it looks like she’s adding “author” to that list.

The former “Clueless” actress is extremely passionate about veganism and the positive effect it has on our planet, and so it only makes sense that her new book will spotlight veganism. Titled “The Kind Diet,” the book is “a 3-step diet program that explores the connection between what we put in our bodies and what we’re doing to the planet, and how choosing the right foods in the kitchen can help you feel lighter, sexier, and more alive.” And, it will include 75 vegan and macro-biotic recipes.

I say, if it’s going to help me look like Alicia Silverstone, sign me up! I’ll have to wait a while, though, as it won’t be available until the fall of 2009. I think I’ll go clear a spot on my bookshelf in preparation, though.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are slated to be the hosts of UNICEF’s 2008 Beverly Hills Snowflake Lighting ceremony. They’ll be flipping a switch, which will light up the UNICEF Snowflake and 20 Baccarat chandeliers along Rodeo drive. These bright, beautiful lights will stay lit throughout the entire season, symbolizing hope, peace, and compassion.

The ceremony will take place on Saturday, November 22 at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard. The day’s festivities will kick off at 3 p.m., with the lighting ceremony happening at 6 p.m. Activities will include loads of family-friendly activities, live entertainment, and a visit from Santa. Fireworks atop the Beverly Wilshire will end the evening.

Nicole and Joel have shown a great commitment to UNICEF’s child survival mission ever since Nicole became pregnant with their little girl, Harlow, so they were a natural choice to host this event. If you’re in the area, swing by and kick off the holiday and support a good cause!

Photo courtesy of eonline.com

I’m going to admit, I have a bit of a crush on Pierce Brosnan. The smile and the accent play a big part, but what I really love is his dedication to environmental causes — activism is sexy, you know?

Pierce was honored for his charity work last Friday at the second annual Jane Goodall Institute Global Leadership Awards Celebration, where he, along with his wife Keely Shay, were presented with the Responsible Activism in Media and Entertainment award. Pierce been a part of the institute’s Roots + Shoots global environmental youth program since it came into being, and, of course, was honored to receive the award.

He credited his wife with making him more environmentally focused, saying, “I have a wonderful wife in Keely, who is very versed in the world of green. This is a partnership now of 16 years and she has educated me on the environment and how to bring up children, whether it’s the food they eat or the food that we grow at home in Hawaii — clean water, good vegetables, and recycling.”

Awww. All that mushy talk just makes me love him more!

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

This weekend, some concert goers got a rockin’ surprise — The Killers took to the stage, unnanounced, on the first night of Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions in London to play Human, Smile Like You Mean It, and a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

A number of other well-known British rockers are scheduled to play the Little Noise Sessions, including Kasabian, Stereophonics, Keane, and Razorlight. But even they expected other, bigger names to join in the eleven-day event. Last year, U2′s Bono and The Edge played four acoustic songs, also unannounced.

Mencap is “the voice of learning disability,” working to support and value those who have a learning disability as well as their families and carers. They help those with learning disabilities with education, training and employment, independant living, housing, and just about any other type of support they could ever need.

If you’re in the London area and want to see who else shows up over the next week and a half, you can get your Mencap music tickets right here.

Gavin Rossdale might have a brand new son of his own to focus on, but the rocker still found time to step on the tennis court for the Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic, which raised money for the fight against drug abuse, child abuse, and homelessness.

The Classic has raised more than $16 million for its selected charities, and this year, the celebrities joining Gavin in taking the court included Chevy Chase, Jon Lovitz, Greg Norman, Jim Courier, and Mary Pierce. Gaving is an avid tennis player — he has a network of tennis players all over the country, so no matter where he’s traveling, he can find someone to challenge him and give him a good workout.

The Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic isn’t the only thing Chris Evert does to raise money for good causes. She’s been heavily involved in charitable causes since her retirement from professional tennis in 1989, and is currently a board member for a bunch of charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, the Florida Sports Foundation, Save the Children, Women’s Sports Foundation, and the National Committee to Stop Child Abuse.

Photo courtesy of gavinrossdalefans.com

Ashanti headed up an all-star cast for a special performance of the hit musical, Wicked, last Monday night. Mario Cantone, Joy Behar, George Wendt, and Matthew Settle joined her in telling the story of the relationship between Elphaba, who will become the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

This wasn’t just a regular performance by a special cast, though — it included never-before-seen scenes and songs, taken from a rough draft of the musical’s first act, and it all benefited Bette Midler’s New York Restoration Project, which works toward creating clean, green areas in all of New York’s neighborhoods. The special show was subtitled The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken.

Ashanti was able to bring a unique perspective to her role as Elphaba — she has also played Dorothy. And while Ashanti brought her beautiful voice with her, not all of the performers were quite so vocally talented. Wendt, who played the Wizard, got credit from the audience for trying, while Behar didn’t actually sing, instead opting to speak rhythmically.

It was surely a show to be remembered, and let’s hope that it is, because a performance like that will likely never happen again.

Photo courtesy of forums.superiorpics.com

We may have lost Paul Newman earlier this year, but his influence is still strongly felt in Hollywood. Celebrities including Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Joaquin Phoenix, Bruce Willis, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Sean Penn, Billy Crystal, and others joined together to honor Newman and raise money for The Painted Turtle.

The Painted Turtle is one of Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps, helping children with life-threatening illnesses enjoy a real camp experience, where they can forget about their disease for a while and just focus on being a kid in a safe environment. Not only do the experiences at The Painted Turtle let kids try things they might not have a chance to elsewhere, but it inspires them to have more confidence and be self-reliant, and more cooperative with their medical caregivers, all of which helps in the healing process.

The celebrities mentioned above were just a few of the attendees — more than 2500 people showed up to show their support and empty their pockets for this worthy cause. I imagine Paul Newman and his charities will continue to have a huge impact for many years to come.

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

Designer Peter Alexander cares about more than dressing the hottest young celebrities in his fabulous fashions — he’s also an avid animal advocate, so for the grand opening of his L.A. store last week, he decided to help out his favorite cause.

The event drew celebrities like Katherine Heigle, Mandy Moore, and Alicia Silverstone, and benefited animal rescue shelters Hearts United for Rescue and Kinder4Rescue. Additionally, he launched his new PJ line, which will raise funds for the animal shelters.

Heigl was familiar with Alexander’s devotion to the cause, telling ET Online, “Peter Alexander is an animal advocate and big on animal rescue. He approached me about this line to make it not only about his designs and who he is as a designer, but also who he is as an animal rescuer and advocate.” She continued to gush about the philanthropic designer, explaining that all the proceeds from the new line of pajamas will go towards shelters with which she is very familiar.

Silverstone has long been one of the more vocal animal rights advocates in Hollywood, and recently joined a campaign to create an enormous sanctuary in the northern San Fernando Valley for the elephants in the Los Angeles Zoo. And so, it’s no suprise she was impressed by his efforts. All of her dogs are rescued, so she’s fully appreciative of the energy and money Alexander is donating.

Photo courtesy of popsugar.com

Elizabeth Hurley has been one busy lady this month. As a long time supporter of breast cancer awareness (she lost her grandmother to the disease), Liz makes sure to use her celebrity to raise as much awareness (and money) as possible for the cause, and this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month is no exception.

It seems she’s ready to turn the world pink — first, she flipped a giant light switch in New York’s Bloomingdales store to swathe the entire store in pink. And then, just last week, she did the same thing at the Tower of London.

Elizabeth has done far more than just flip a few switches, though — as an Ambassador for Estee Lauder (which, as a company is highly involved in raising money for breast cancer awareness and research), she appeared at Selfridges on Oxford Street, where she shared some of her favorite beauty secrets and posed for photo ops. And, she took the time to sign items purchased from Estee Lauder’s pink ribbon collection.

She explains her dedication to the cause, saying, “My grandmother had breast cancer, as have a number of my friends. Now, more than ever, it is important to get the message out. Survival rates are rising, and each year we get closer to a cure. If breast cancer is detected early, it is 98 percent curable.”

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

When you don’t live in the immediate area, it’s easy to forget the problems that a natural disaster, like a hurricane, cause for months and years after the original event. However, Beyonce isn’t forgetting — in fact, the singer and actress has pledged a donation of $100,000 to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.

In addition to this generous donation, Beyonce will hold a benefit concert through her Survivor Foundation, a family-run charity that her Destiny’s Child bandmate, Kelly Rowland, also supports. She hopes to raise money for those in the area who’ve lost their homes, property, and jobs.

The Survivor Foundation isn’t brand new — in fact, it has raised over two and a half million dollars in the Houston area since it was first established with the purpose of helping those affected by disasters and providing assistance to children and others who are homeless or suffering from AIDS.

Photo courtesy of beyonce-knowles.com

Christina Applegate was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year after learning that she had an increased risk of developing the disease, and spent quite a bit of time in the hospital afterward recovering from a mastectomy. Fortunately, she caught it early enough and she is now cancer-free, but she’s concerned that other women won’t have the same good fortune because of the high cost associated with screenings and genetic testing.

While recovering in the hospital, Christina made roses from ribbons — a craft she learned when she was just six years old.  She made hundreds of them on her own, and when anyone came to visit her, she taught them how to do it, too, saying, “Anytime you would come into my room there would be, like, six people in there making these roses.”

Now, she’s using these hundreds of roses for a good cause — soon, she’ll be auctioning them off to raise money for Right Action for Women, but in the meantime, she’s encouraging her fans to make a donation to the charity.

Photo courtesy of rightactionforwomen.com

This fall, one of the hottest parties of the entire year will take place in the Hollywood Hills to benefit VH1′s Save the Music Foundation. Save the Music is partnering with Esquire magazine to hold a sure-to-be fabulous party in the magazine’s sixth annual Signature Space, a gorgeous, modern home that they’ve converted into “a true personification of the modern man’s lifestyle.”

This isn’t the first time Esquire has held a charity event in a Signature Space — in fact, they’ve raised over $7 million for charity so far, and with the help of a fun and famous hosting committee, they’re sure to raise a lot more for Save the Music.

The hosting committee this year includes Ellen Degeneres, Portia de Rossi, James Denton, Chris Webber, and many more. And, the evening will include a special performance by Gavin Rossdale. Of course, even if you’re not interested in the celebrities, the house is worth going to see — in addition to including just about any ammenity you could dream of, the Signature Space also boasts amazing views of L.A., the Pacific Ocean, and Catalina Island.

Tickets are available for $300 each. Just call 212.654.5956 or send an email to RSVP (at) vh1 (dot) com with “Esquire House” in the subject line. And bring a camera!

Picture courtesy of askmen.com

You might already know that Elizabeth Hurley has become a farmer. The brunette beauty and her husband live on a biodynamic farm, and last year she said she intended to gain organic status and “farm properly and we’re going to have a herd of cows and proper sheep and proper chickens, and we’re going to have Gloucestershire Old Spot Pigs.”

Now that she has her organic status, she’s not only focused on that, but also on helping women reduce their risk of breast cancer. Liz has been a longtime supporter of breast cancer awareness and research, and now she’s speaking out.

“I think we know now that many issues with women’s health can be linked back to their diet. We’ve been saying for a long time that many breast cancer specialists recommend sticking to as low-fat a diet as possible, which all has to do with how estrogen is stored in the body,” Elizabeth told People magazine, adding, “Now we genuinely believe that if any of even the zero fat milk is crammed full of antibiotics and hormones it can be very detrimental to your health.”

As of right now, it’s not clear whether the actress’ line of organic frozen dinners will be available in the States, but I wouldn’t be surprise, seeing as how she admits she’s “obsessed that women find alternatives to eat which are low in fat.” I know I would give it a try — would you?

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Bullies are everywhere — we’ve all had our run-ins with them. However, several celebrities are saying, “No more!” and getting together to stop bullying by joining up with STOMP Out Bullying. John Cusack, Ellen Degeneres, Sugarland, Elton John, Bette Midler, and lots of other famous faces are stomping away for the campaign, which is sponsored by Love Our Children USA.

The point of STOMP Out Bullying is to raise awareness of this very real and very dangerous issue in all its forms — the introduction of new technology means new forms of bullying are popping up all the time. Posters, brochures, V spots, videos, and wristbands will all help to carry the message to students and parents.

“It offers hope for every kid who experiences the harmful effects of bullying and teaches parents to keep open communication with their children and to look for signs,” says Ron Ellis, founder and CEO. “It also educates school administrators across the country, who have swept this issue under the rug for too long.”

In addition to the celebrities involved, several popular TV shows will also lend a hand in spreading the word. Watch for STOMP Out Bullying on Live with Regis and Kelly, Dancing With the Stars, among others.

Did you know that one in four kids is bullied? That makes this situation close to all of us. If you want to do more, go to the Love Our Children website to see how you can help.

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

Jenny McCarthy, as the spokesperson for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), will be joined by Lance Armstrong in hosting Ante Up For Autism, a celebrity charity poker event. The night will also include a live a silent auction.

Some of the celebs planning to ante up are Tony Hawk, Ryan Sheckler, Jim Everett, to name a few. The event is open to the public, with a $500 per person buy-in just to attend and a $1000 buy-in to take part in the poker tournament, so if you’re near the Regis Hotel in Monarch Beach/Dana Point, California this Friday, don’t say there’s nothing fun to do!

If you’re not in the area, or just don’t have $500 or more to throw around, you can make a smaller purchase and still help out — Ante Up For Autism playing cards are available for just $5.50 here. You can purchase tickets there as well, but you should know that they’ll only be available until Thursday, October 2 at 5 p.m. PST. Or, you can take part in the silent auction at this website.

If you’re just interested in learning more about the Ante Up For Autism Event, check out their website (and you tell me — does that picture look anything like Jenny McCarthy? What kind of photoshopping did they do?).

Ante Up For Autism playing cards can be purchased from TACA for $5.50.

Photo courtesy of celebrity-moms.blogspot.com

Ashlee Simpson, Angie Harmon, Tori Spelling, and Marissa Jaret Winokur are each getting the opportunity to be designers, but not in the same way as it seems every other celebrity on the planet is a designer. These hot mamas (or mamas-to-be) will design one Maclaren stroller each as part of the Celebrity Mom “Style My Stroller” Campaign benefiting the CJ Foundation for SIDS.

The strollers will be on display at NYC’s Union Square Babies “R” Us, and an auction for these strollers will run over at charityfolks.com beginning at 10 a.m. EST on October 6 and ending on October 13 at 9:30 p.m. The dates are meant to coordinate with SIDS Awareness Month. Bidding starts at $500 with all proceeds going to help the CJ Foundation for SIDS achieve their goal of eradicating SIDS.

The CJ Foundation was started by a couple who lost their daughter to SIDS 15 years ago, and co-founder/chairman Joel Hollander said that, after that tragedy, “[W]e knew it was our destiny to help raise awareness and support research to help eradicate SIDS. It’s an honor to have these incredible celebrity moms join us in our race to end SIDS.”

Photo courtesy of ashlee-star.com

I normally try to keep things pretty light and happy here, but this sad news deserves to be noted. One of the greatest philanthropists of our time, Paul Newman, passed away this weekend at the age of 83 after battling lung cancer.

While Newman always wanted the world to be a better place, one of the things that helped him make it so started off as a bit of a joke in his basement — Newman’s Own. It quickly became, as written in a statement issued by the Newman’s Own Foundation, a “highly respected, multi-million dollar a year food company.” Rather than profiting personally, Newman donated all profits and royalties to thousands of charities around the world, totalling over $250 million.

The Foundation’s statement went on to say, “Paul took advantage of what life offered him, and while personally reluctant to acknowledge that he was doing anything special, he forever changed the lives of many with his generosity, humor, and humaneness. His legacy lives on in the charities he supported and the Hole in the Wall Camps, for which he cared so much.”

The statement also offered a quote from Newman’s own lips, that I think is a beautiful way to sum up the way this great man, who we’ll all miss so much, viewed the world and his own circumstances: “I wanted to acknowledge luck; the chance and benevolence of it in my life, the brutality of it in the lives of others, who might not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it.”

I encourage you to do something for a cause you believe in today, in honor of Paul Newman. I will.

Photo courtesy of GreenDaily.com

In this months GQ, Forest Whitaker announced the launch of the Hope North Mentor campaign in northern Uganda. The campaign includes a 40-acre campus for refugees, orphans, and escaped child soldiers where they can feel safe, attend secondary school or join a vocational training center.

The idea for Hope North came from Okello Sam, who is a well-known Ugandan dance and theater artist who was abducted, along with his brother, by rebels. His brother was killed, but Sam went on to be released and purchased land for Hope North. He landed a job choreographing Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland and, along with other members of the Hope North community, actually appeared in the film.

After learning about Hope North, Whitaker felt compelled to help. He took a trip to visit the community, and said, “[When] I went up to Hope North, all of the children were either displaced from refugee camps or former child soldiers. I spent time with them, watched these kids have joy, dance and sing … It was a beautiful example of what happens when people truly care, step in and become involved and so I wanted to be involved.”

You can get involved, too — for as little as $10, you can help change the lives of children affected by Uganda’s 22-year civil war. Go here to make a donation.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

The first thing many of us think of when we hear the name Brigitte Bardot is the hair. Oh, and the bikini, I suppose. But, the bombshell is becoming well known as an activist, and her words are included in a new book coming out called One Can Make a Difference, which contains numerous essays by famous names such as The Dalai Lama and Paul McCartney.

Bardot shares some words of wisdom in the book, saying, “I think animals help us live; they’ve helped me live. It was only when I began to devote myself to protecting animals that I blossomed completely. Taking care of them, looking out for them, has given my life true meaning, a meaning I hope future generations can experience.”

She goes on to say that she has a lot of faith in today’s youth: “Young people are always a hope. More of them must realize that the animal is not an object for profit, not a toy for our amusement, hunted for sport, not something to be cut up for his fur. They may see that the animal has the right to live, just as we have the right to live. We, the animals, the plants are the whole, and the whole makes a chain, and if we break that chain, all of humanity will pay. That’s it.”

As always, I love hearing about people using their fame and influence for a worthy cause — kudos to Brigitte!

Photo courtesy of perfectpeople.net

Will Ferrell might be a funny man most of the time, but on occasion, he gets serious about certain issues. Recently, the actor hosted the Cancer For College Golf Classic and Live Auction. The event was a huge success, raising around $250,000 and giving out 15 or 20 scholarship checks.

Ferrell began the event as one of his most-loved characters, Ron Burgandy (from Anchorman), saying, “It is a glorrrious day here in beautiful San Diego, we’ve got a record turnout. I thought there’d be more media here frankly, for some one of my stature. In fact, I’ll have to say as I look out into the face of the media here, you guys look like a bunch of idiots compared to when I was in the newes game. Have some class, some dignity. I don’t see anyone wearing a suit.”

Cancer For College has long been supported by Ferrell, and for good reason. It was founded by his college buddy, Craig Pollard, who is a two-time cancer survivor. Pollard found strength in knowing that, after getting a bone marrow transplant, he would return to college, and he wants other kids and young adults to have that same opportunity.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Many celebrities support a variety of causes, but when that celebrity makes the effort to see that charity in action, it makes a big difference in not only how they feel about the cause, but the impact they have on other people regarding the cause. I’m far more likely to contribute after hearing a first-hand account.

Scarlett Johansson visited Rwanda recently on behalf of the (RED) organization. She wanted a better understanding of what exactly the health crisis there entailed, and, in addition, she drew more attention to the country’s fight against AIDS. She wasn’t just there to look on, either — the starlet worked with volunteers to help those who were sick and needy.

She said, “I came here with an open mind, wanting to listen, understand and learn; I leave with the overwhelming understanding that the small action of making a (RED) choice in your purchases in the West has an enormous impact on the lives of people in countries like Rwanda.”

Johansson knew that seeing this health crisis first hand was the only way to truly understand what she was fighting for and supporting, saying, “It’s not until you’ve had the privilege of meeting healthcare providers who are fighting the daily battle, heard from people who are now getting antiretroviral drugs to stay alive, and met mothers whose babies are born healthy because they received treatment that stopped the transmission of HIV, that you understand that we absolutely can do something to reverse the AIDS crisis in African countries.”

Maybe we can’t all see it first hand, but Johansson’s passionate plea will certainly be in my mind the next time I have the option to purchase a (RED) product. How about you?

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Jenna Fischer’s character on The Office isn’t the biggest cat-lover on the show — Angela takes home that honor. But, in real life, Fischer is just as fond of the little furballs as her co-worker/co-star, admitting, “In the show, Angela has all these elaborate procedures for her cat. I’ve done all that — the eye drops and ear swabs. I’ve checked their poop and massaged their tummy.” Fischer can add one more thing to her list of things she does for cats — the actress hosted L.A.’s Kitten Rescue’s first annual Fur Ball celebration.

According to their website, “Kitten Rescue is devoted to rescuing cats and kittens from the streets and shelter euthanasia.” The majority of their cats are rescued right before they are scheduled to be euthanized. Fischer is well aware of the good work Kitten Rescue, the area’s largest no-kill animal rescue group, does — she’s not only a long-time supporter, but also a former volunteer.

As a matter of fact, the feline-friendly celebrity even ran her own kitten crisis line for a year. Additionally, she has fostered nine cats. Sounds like she was a good choice for hosting this event!

The evening featured cocktails and dinner, live entertainment, a Kitten Rescue film presentation, silent auction, and awards for certain Kitten Rescue members, including Burn Notice‘s Tricia Helfner. Other celebrities celebrating the saving of over 9,000 lives over 10 years were Bones’ Emily Deschanel, Reno 911‘s Wendi McLendon-Covey, and General Hospital‘s Kent King.

Photo courtesy of ecorazzi.com

I’m not going to lie — I love a good commercial. I can get just as much enjoyment out of them as a television show. And, I don’t know about you, but I really like Kelly Ripa‘s commercials for Electrolux. You know the ones — she’s a dinner host, slumber party mom, she checks for monsters under the bed, and of course, everything works out perfectly.

It looks like I’m going to have a couple more years to enjoy this coupling — Ripa will stick around for two more years and just announced that she will work with them to raise $500,000 over that period of time for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

They’re raising money in a couple of different ways. First, starting this month (which is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month), whenever someone buys one of Electrolux’s turquoise (the color of the blue ribbon symbolizing the fight against Ovarian Cancer), the company will donate $100. Second, you can purchase a limited edition t-shirt (with all proceeds going to the cause) or send a virtual t-shirt to friends through Kelly Confidential, for which Electrolux will donate $1. What’s even better is that the t-shirts are cute. As in, if you buy it, you’ll totally wear it!

Photos courtesy of kelly-confidential.com

This should come as no surprise, but it’s worth mentioning — shoot, I think it’s worth celebrating – that Oprah Winfrey came in at Number One on The Giving Back Fund’s second annual list of the most generous celebrities. And how much did she give to earn this prestigious spot, you ask? Oh, just $50.2 million! That money went toward a number of different causes, including education, health care, and advocacy for women and children.

The top five spots were rounded out by Herb Alpert, Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman, and Mel Gibson, followed by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who shared the Number Six position on the list.

A mix of actors, comedians, athletes, and other personalities filled out spots seven through 30, with seven different celebs tying for Number 20 by giving a million bucks. I really suggest reading the full list — it’s so interesting to see what these large amounts of money are going toward. Many of the donations were made to the donor’s own foundation, while others benefited churches, schools, athletics, refugees, healthcare, and more.

This made me wonder — if you had, say, a million dollars earmarked to donate to the charity (or charities) of your choice, what organization or type of charity would you choose?

If you’ve ever watched Days of Our Lives (and if you’re a follower, I won’t tell. But OMG, Stefano is out his coma! What’ll happen with his estate?), you probably know Alison Sweeney as the scheming Sami Brady. She’s also been hosting The Biggest Loser, although the drama there is slightly different.

Anyway, she might play a character I love to hate on TV, but in real life, she sounds like somebody I’d like hanging out with. She’s a big believer in doing what you can — whatever you can — for the environment, but that doesn’t necessarily mean giving your home a complete green makeover or changing your whole life around. The little things add up, too.

Alison said, “People get caught up in saving the world. But I think the little things are just as important. We’re big on recycling at my house. My son Ben is three and understands the concept of recycling … We turn the lights out when we leave a room. Then there’s just taking off your shoes when you go in a room so you don’t have to vacuum as much or use as many cleaning products.”

She doesn’t stop there, giving some more good advice, “Instead of using cleaning agents, you can mix water with vinegar and clean with that. It saves money, helps the environment because you don’t use plastic bottles, and it helps your baby stay healthy.”

Alison is absolutely right — these things do make a difference, especially when everyone does them. Lately, Days of Our Lives has taken an eco-friendly turn — I wonder how much she had to do with that!

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Last Friday night held two major, start-studded events — Stand Up To Cancer and Fashion Rocks. One of my favorite singer/designers, Justin Timberlake, performed for Fashion Rocks to celebrate the relationship between music and fashion.

A bunch of famous faces joined him, and the female singers, including Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Natasha Bedingfield, Carrie Underwood, Fergie, and Sheryl Crow, to name a few, sang Just Stand Up, an unprecedented collaboration to support the fight against cancer. The song was beamed to the Stand Up To Cancer telethon.

Aside from Just Stand Up, there were a number of other musical performances by the likes of Kid Rock, the Pussycat Dolls, Keith Urban, the Black Eyed Peas, and Duffy. Justin and Beyonce also teamed up for a duet that completely rocked the house.

And remember, JT is serious when it comes to charity work. You might remember his golf tournament last year, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Well, he’s planning on hosting it once again this year, October 13 through 19 in Las Vegas.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

I have yet to meet anyone who isn’t a Michael Phelps fan. What’s not to love? He’s an incredible athlete, a good son to his mom, and he doesn’t look so bad in a swimsuit, either. And now, he’s taking that good guy act to a whole new level — he’s using the highly publicized million-dollar bonus he received from Speedo to start his own charity, the Michael Phelps Foundation.

Already Speedo International and Warnaco have donated an additional $200,000 to get the foundation started, and Michael is putting his plans into effect, starting with an eight-city tour across the U.S. to discuss his experiences with children. The tour will be the launch of an education program — Dream, Plan, Reach.

The Dream, Plan, Reach program will teach children about planning, goal-setting, and responsibility, which are qualities that are important in athletics, in the classroom, and in life in general.

Michael is proud of his accomplishments, but he also knows he didn’t get there by himself. “Thanks to a lot of hard work, some good fortune, the inspiration I drew from so many supporters around the world, and my incredible teammates, I was able to achieve that dream by winning eight Gold Medals in Beijing,” he said. “Now, my goals reach beyond the pool, to helping others realize their dreams, and continuing to grow the sport I love so much. I feel it’s only appropriate that I continue the momentum that Speedo helped to create, by committing my bonus to the establishment of the Michael Phelps Foundation, which I hope will help me inspire others to achieve their dreams, and give back to the sport that has given me so much.”

Photo courtesy of americajr.com

Did you have a chance to watch the Stand Up To Cancer telethon? If not, you definitely missed out. It was truly a magnificently star-studded event, although there was absolutely no celebrity attitude — everyone was there for a cause, and that took precedence over anything else.

Halle Berry, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Garner, and Casey Affleck read accounts of people who have or currently are battling cancer, some with inspiring, happy endings, and some ending in tragedy. Patrick Swayze, who announced earlier this year that he’s battling pancreatic cancer, made an appearance and looked remarkably healthy.

An incredible list of the world’s best known singers, including Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow (both cancer survivors) lent their voices to a new song, called Just Stand Up, but even those who weren’t singing kept busy. Plenty of other celebs, like Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Christina Applegate, Keanu Reeves, Jack Black, and Hilary Swank took part in different ways, but perhaps the most memorable “performance” was by Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Raymond, who underwent a prostate exam live on TV.

The basis of this telethon, which was broadcast by ABC, NBC, and CBS for one hour on Friday, was that there simply isn’t enough funding for cancer research, and that with more funding, a cure could be found. If you didn’t have a chance to donate during the show, you can make a donation now by visiting the Stand Up To Cancer website, or you can place a bid in an auction to meet a number of celebrities by visiting ebay.

Photo courtesy of reuters.com

There’s a lot to be said for tradition, especially somewhere like Buckingham Palace. However, the royal family has been open to certain changes, implementing new, more eco-friendly practices left and right. And now, it appears they might trade in the guards’ old bear fur hats for a cruelty-free, animal-friendly alternative, perhaps to be designed by vegan designer Stella McCartney or fellow Brit Vivienne Westwood.

Traditionally, the hats worn by the Buckingham Palace guardsmen are made strictly of black bear fur, and each hat requires one entire bear. That’s a lot of bears to kill and skin, and PETA, along with other organizations, has been trying for years to convince the powers that be that, in this day and age, there’s just no need to use real bear fur because there are so many faux fur options.

PETA has gotten a meeting with Baroness Taylor, who is in charge of acquiring all military equipment, and they will discuss possible replacements for the bear fur. PETA thinks Vivienne Westwood is the right designer for the job, but Stella McCartney, along with her U.S. designer Marc Bouwer, is more than willing to take on the challenge.

Seeing as how 50 to 100 new hats are needed each year, I certainly hope this meeting goes well, and that the Queen’s guards go faux!

Photo courtesy of smh.com.au

Many of us who love to read have a book we remember from our early childhood that really turned us on to reading. I remember reading No, No, Joan when I was a wee little preschooler, delighting in the fact that I could read it all by myself. Never mind that the only words in it were, “No, no, Joan,” until the final page. But still, it was a story I could read alone, and I never looked back, finding new favorites like Anne of Green Gables and Island of the Blue Dolphins.

As fascinating as I’m sure it is to hear about the books that got me hooked, I’m sure you’re far more interested in hearing about some celebrities! Many famous names have attached themselves to a fantastic initiative called What Book Got You Hooked? for the First Book charity, which strives to provide children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own a first new book.

Want to know what Rebecca Romijn’s book was? Or Stephen Colbert’s? How about R.L. Stine? You can find out all about Scarlett Johansson, Edward Norton, Patty LaBelle, and many, many other celebrities’ favorite first books at the What Book Got You Hooked website. And, you can join in the fun as well — enter the book that got you hooked, explain why, and then vote for the state you think should receive 50,000 brand new books for kids in need.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Nick Jonas, the youngest member of the band The Jonas Brothers, is on a mission. He was diagnosed with diabetes a couple of years ago, at the age of 13, and he’s not only determined to find a cure, but to help other kids cope with the disease. His initial response was, “Why me?” because he had nobody to relate the disease to — no athletes or Hollywood hotshots in his age group were really talking about it. Now, Nick wants to be there for other kids.

The latest move Nick and his brothers are making is to invite people with diabetes to enter a sweepstakes called “Walk In Nick’s Shoes” (W.I.N.S.). Four winners will get to meet Nick in L.A. and join “Team Jonas” in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk to Cure Diabetes on November 1. And while, of course, those lucky fans will surely be elated, they won’t be the only ones.

“It’s going to be really exciting to meet the winners who will walk with other young people and their families to raise awareness and funds for juvenile diabetes,” said Nick. “I’m lucky to have great support from my family, friends, and fans. By working with Bayer to help people see life in my shoes, I hope that we can motivate others to better manage their diabetes.”

Nick noticed early on that people don’t like to talk about diabetes, that many people, especially kids, feel embarrassed about it. I think it’s absolutely wonderful that he’s not only fighting for a cure but also letting kids (and adults) know that it’s okay to have diabetes, and the first step to take is to manage your disease. There’s nothing embarrassing about that!

Photo courtesy of mtv.com

Anjelica Huston is standing up for some of Hollywood’s actors — trained apes. She is narrating and distributing a PETA documentary about the cruelty towards monkeys and apes in the entertainment industry.

Huston said, “Having worked with actors for many years, I find it hard to believe that anyone would have to be dragged, kicking and screaming into show business. But the next time that you see a chimpanzee in a movie, on TV, or in an ad, chances are, that’s exactly what happened… Great ape mothers are fiercely protective of their newborns, which means that they must be tricked, sedated, or forcibly restrained when their infants are pulled from their arms. This cruel practice leaves lifelong emotional scars on both the mothers — who go into a deep depression — and the babies.”

Additionally, most chimpanzees grow too strong to be handled by the time they are eight years old, and, according to PETA, are often discarded at “dismal roadside zoos or pseudo-sanctuaries.” What makes this infinitely sadder is that chimps can live to be 60 years old, meaning they can spend decades in what is, essentially, a jail.

Huston makes a good point in saying that using an ape for an ad or a show, which might bring us a few moments of pleasure, can create a lifetime of suffering for that animal. To learn more about the treatment of monkeys and apes in Hollywood, visit NoMoreMonkeyBusiness.com.

Photo courtesy of anjelicahuston.net

Denzel Washington believes strongly in the importance of after-school and extra-curricular school programs. He’s even gone so far as to say, “If there were no athletic programs in Mount Vernon, I would not be the Denzel Washington that you know today.”

And so, when the Oscar-winner  heard that the his hometown was going to have to cut all of it’s after-school programs, including sports programs, he decided to step in and take action — he donated $100,000 to keep the programs going!

After-school and sports programs really are so important — they give kids a chance to grow and explore their talents, and it’s hard to imagine how many of us truly would be totally different people had we not had the chance to play basketball or join the school band. Good for Denzel for helping out so many kids. And keep in mind that, even if you can’t make a major donation for a cause like this in your area, every little bit will help pay for uniforms, coaches, facilities, and more!

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler still rocks. He recently took part in the first Boston Rock Ride For Africa by jumping onto his custom-made Red Wing motorcycle for a 15 mile charity ride along the waterfront in Boston. The ride raised money for two charities focused on stamping out poverty in Africa — FORGE and Opportunity International.

Tyler, 60, helped bring attention to the two day Boston for Africa event, which hoped to raise awareness of the problems in Africa which really affect the whole world. The event also included a gala at the Hard Rock Cafe — no word on whether Tyler attended that, but I’m sure they had plenty of Aerosmith memorabilia on hand.

The Boston for Africa website explains its purpose, saying, “While the United States has seen relative peace and prosperity on our soil for over 100 years, many African people have been born into a cycle of war and poverty that the rest of the world has an opportunity to end.” The organization believes, “With the simplest of opportunities, small-scale change is growing from the bottom up and the African continent is realizing positive change.”

Photo courtesy of exposay.com

A girl only turns 16 once, and if that girl is Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana), that birthday party is going to be a major celebration. Miley will celebrate the milestone 5,000 of her friends, family, and fans at Disneyland on October 5, and she’s making sure she’s not the only one getting a present — she’s giving back to one of her favorite charities, Youth Service America.

Anyone wanting to party with the teen sensation will pay a bit more than a regular Disneyland ticket for the pleasure — tickets are going for $232 a piece to ensure the charity benefits. Miley said, “The best part of the party is we’re going to recognize some really cool kids from Youth Service America who are giving back to their community. That’s so awesome because I think it’s really important for kids like us to volunteer.”

Only (only?) 5,000 tickets are available for the bash, and if you’re interested, you might want to get yours now. Learn more about the party and get your tickets here (warning — automatic music will play).

Photo courtesy of mileycyrusheaven.com

Brad Pitt and George Clooney are hosting a dinner tonight (squee!) to benefit their charity, Not On Our Watch. Unfortunately for me, but luckily for Italy, the dinner will take place in Venice because the pair is currently there for the Venice Film Festival promoting their latest film, Burn After Reading.

This is not the first time the famous friends have thrown a dinner to raise funds for the Darfur relief organization. Last year, in Cannes, Brad and George were joined by Ocean’s 11 (and 12, and 13) pals Matt Damon and Don Cheadle in throwing a party with which they raised $9.2 million!

There hasn’t been any mention of what the cost to enter today’s party will be, but the price to enter last year’s Cannes yacht party was $25,000 a head. I don’t imagine today’s tickets would be much less, but really, wouldn’t dinner with Brad and George be worth it? And it is going toward a good cause … I wonder if I can get there in time.

Photo courtesy of movies.yahoo.com

America Ferrera took some time out from being Ugly Betty to join some famous friends in being hot — Hot in Hollywood, that is. Ferrera, along with Katherine Heigl, Jaime Pressly, Ana Ortiz, Jason Biggs, and Neil Patrick Harris helped to raise nearly $300,000 at the third Hot in Hollywood gala, which benefited the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Just three years after its inception, Hot in Hollywood is fast becoming one of the major celebrity charity events in L.A. This year’s event, at The Avalon in Hollywood, had live musical performances, DJs, and an auction. As always, the money raised (including the $8,000 Heigl plunked down for a Jamaica trip) will benefit charities dedicated to the prevention, education, testing, and treatment of HIV/AIDS — this year, it will go to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Real Medicine Foundation.

Ferrera had a ball playing host this year, saying, “It is such a great space to make a fool out of myself! It was professional chaos!” The past two events were hosted by Pressly, who was honored this year with an award for her dedication toward HIV/AIDS awareness. She shared her reason for being so involved — she had an uncle who tragically died from the disease.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Like many moms, Nicole Richie had a baby shower while she was pregnant. Unlike most moms, even most Hollywood moms, Nicole gave her gifts (and all funds raised) away to needy moms through the Los Angeles Free Clinic on behalf of the Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation. And while that was pretty spectacular, Nicole and Joel had more up their benevolent sleeves.

The couple has set up a program through the Richie-Madden Foundation where needy families (registered through social services agencies) can sign up for items they need on the Foundation’s website. Then, donors can come in and select what they’d like to contribute.

Nicole explained that it’s hard to fathom how many basic necessities some of us take for granted, when other new moms have trouble obtaining a clean blanket for their newborns. As far as the products available on the website, they are Richie-Madden certified: “We are only working with companies and products that Joel and I would use. We’re checking out every product for safety — and all products are BPA-free.”

Nicole‘s more tattooed half has noticed a big change in the way he sees other children since the birth of his daughter, Harlow, and said, “… to think that 26,000 children die every single day from simple things that we could prevent, just blows my mind.”

The registry should be available sometime this fall in L.A. and New York, with an expansion planned later.

Photo courtesy of harpersbazaar.com

This is the kind of story that restores one’s faith in humanity, not to mention Hollywood. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell all stepped in to complete Heath Ledger‘s role in his final film, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and not only did they honor the late actor by giving great performances, but they also gave their paychecks to Heath‘s two-year-old daughter, Matilda.

You might have heard that Heath had not updated his will since the birth of his daughter, and when he died, everything went to his father. And while Heath‘s father has assured everyone that he will be sure to provide for Matilda, other members of the Ledger family have their doubts about his ability to manage finances.

It’s not like Matilda would be hurting for cash — her mom and Heath‘s ex, Michelle Williams, is getting plenty of movie work. However, the idea that three A-list actors would check their egos at the door and provide for the little girl of a man they all respected gets me a little misty-eyed.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

The Who played their first U.S. concert in Detroit, and have held that part of the country close to their hearts ever since. Singer Roger Daltrey said, “Pete Townshend and I are very aware of the problems people are having in Michigan and fell we should give something back for all the support we have had over the last 40 years.”

Give something back is putting it mildly — the classic rockers will be donating all proceeds from their October 21 concert in Michigan’s The Palace of Auburn Hills to benefit Detroit charities Gleaners Community Food Bank and Focus: Hope.

Charity is nothing new for The Who. Back in 1976, they founded a charity called Double O to help with drug and alcohol damage, domestic violence, sexual abuse, music education, emergency relief for international disasters, and young people’s prison reform. More recently, they’ve been highly involved in raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT), a charity that works to build specialist cancer units.

Daltrey explained that, “Seventy percent of young people with cancer still don’t have access to a TCT Unit… These units are a right, not a privilege. We all know that without teenagers, without their energy and their passion for music, we wouldn’t have rock and roll as we know it. It is out duty to fight for this group and give them a voice within the National Health Service.”

Who knew these aging rockers were so altruistic?

Photo courtesy of curiosidademusical.com

Natalie Imbruglia and a number of other stars have come out to support Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, a new campaign from the UK’s leading breast cancer charity, Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The campaign shows Natalie, along with Twiggy, Anna Friel, and Alan Carr wearing the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer tees, with a message saying, “Whatever your reason, wear one.”

Each of the celebs shared their reasons, with some being as straightforward as, “Mum,” while others, were a bit cheekier in their answers, like Natalie, who said she wore the shirt because, “I have a thing for pastel colours.”

The singer got serious, though, saying, “As a woman, I feel it is important to support this wonderful campaign. I was shocked when I saw the latest figures — 1 in 9 women are diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime… The Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign makes so much sense. All you have to do, like me, is buy a t-shirt and wear it with pride.”

Breakthrough Breast Cancer has already raise £8.5 million to support breast cancer research as well as provide education and assistance, and you can help that number grow. Whatever your reason, you can buy one here and be proud that your newest purchase is making a difference.

Photo courtesy of targetbreastcancer.org

Late last year, Hayden Panettiere (the petite blond cheerleader from Heroes) was issued an arrest warrant in Japan after joining with an animal rights group and actively protesting the “brutal and unnecessary slaughter” of marine mammals. The actress risked her life defending these dolphins, and, in the process, has drawn a lot of attention to her cause.

Hayden has stayed in touch with Japanese officials, and very recently was given full permission by Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura to return anytime she wanted. Hayden said, “I think they did it (issue an arrest warrant) to pretty much scare us from coming back. I went and had a meeting with the Foreign Minister and he said I was welcome anytime. Very kind man. Very welcoming, and he said I was his most welcome guest, so there’s a shocker.”

Think for just a second about that — Hayden Panettiere, who isn’t even 20 years old, not only joined other activists in protesting something she believes in, but she took the initiative to meet with the Japanese Foreign Minister to try to make it right. I can’t wait to see what this girl has up her sleeve in the next few years!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Occasionally, large groups of celebrities will get together to support a cause, but very rarely will three television networks join together as well. Don’t get me wrong — it’s happened before, for Hurricane Katrina support, but it’s not a common event, by any means. And that makes the Stand Up To Cancer telethon that much more special.

On September 5, CBS, NBC, and ABC will air a celebrity-jammed telethon for one hour, commercial-free, during which actors, singers, athletes, and other famous personalities will take part in musical performances and appeals to get people to dig deep and make a donation to fight cancer.

Celebrities taking part are (deep breath) Meryl Streep, Forrest Whitaker, Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron, Lance Armstrong, Hilary Swank, America Ferrera, Salma Hayek, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Masi Oka and Danica Patrick. News anchors Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and Charles Gibson will join them, as will Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts and former Senator John Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth. Robin and Elizabeth have battled breast cancer.

It’s sure to be an entertaining, yet emotional night of television. Make sure you’ve got a comfy seat on the couch at 8 p.m. on September 5 — you can call the celebrity phone bank, make a donation, and make a difference by standing up to cancer.

Photo courtesy of jenaniston.net

Jewel knows what it’s like to be in a vulnerable position — when she was 18, she was homeless for a year because she refused to sleep with her boss and found herself without money, a job, or a place to live. Having lived in that condition, Jewel has strong feelings about ending the cycle of domestic violence, which is why she helped the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation (MKACF) kick off it’s second annual A Kiss For Country campaign to benefit a Nashville domestic violence shelter.

A Kiss For Country brings in country music stars to kiss a piece of paper and sign it so it can be auctioned off to raise money, which goes toward stopping the domestic violence cycle. Jewel became familiar with the campaign last year at the Country Music Awards. She was impressed with the way it was run and the importance of the cause, and the MKACF is thrilled to have the singer on board as its spokesperson this year.

The MKACF has been very successful in raising funds for domestic violence shelters — it has contributed over $11.5 million already. If you’re interested in helping, click here to see which stars are doling out kisses for a cause.

Photo courtesy of jeweljk.com

Angelina Jolie might have her hands full with her newborn twins (and the other four children she and Brad Pitt) have, but that’s not stopping her from making plans to save the world. The actress told Hello magazine that she plans to travel with Zahara, her oldest daughter, to her native country of Ethiopia to discuss building a TB/AIDS clinic there for the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

It doesn’t stop there — the plan is for Zahara to take over that clinic when she’s old enough. Hey, at least she’ll have job security, right? I joke, I joke — it’s really beautiful to see Brad and Angie not just helping their own children, but also taking a major interest in the countries from which they come.

For example, it’s not just Ethiopia that will be getting a visit from the Jolie-Pitt clan. The family plans to take a trip to Cambodia, where oldest son Maddox was born. Angelina said, “The next trip for our foundation will most likely be to Asia to follow up on the situation in Burma and our work in Cambodia. The boys have been asking to go so we will take them when Knox and Viv are a little bit older.”

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Former President Bill Clinton and singer Annie Lennox were in Mexio this week for the XVII International AIDS Conference. The conference aims to allow a variety of parties of discuss and present new scientific research and ideas on facing the challenges of a global response to AIDS. This year’s theme was Universal Action Now, stressing the urgency of the situation.

President Clinton expressed the importance of working together to solve the problem, saying, “We know there is so much yet to be done: to expand prevention, treatment and care, to strengthen undeveloped health systems.”

Annie, who acted as an ambassador for Oxfam at the conference, had a slightly different focus — she brought attention to the plight of HIV positive mothers. She told conference attendees, “I feel it is a right of women to be able to give birth safely, and when a woman is HIV positive the baby can obviously have the virus transmitted before being born. I think this is a fundamental human right for every woman to have access to treatment and health care, so this is something I’m actually addressing and talking about while we are here.”

Photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Pamela Anderson might be best known for her cartoonishly curvaceous body and big blond hair, but she’s also gained a lot of recognition in recent years for her commitment to animals and the environment. No longer content to just raise awareness in this country, Pammy is now set to build a green hotel in Dubai.

After a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates for the Make a Wish Foundation, the bombshell was convinced by the royal family that she needed to become a hotelier there. She’s very excited about the idea of building an eco-friendly hotel there, saying, “It’s built with no fossil fuel at all … in Abu Dhabi — where they have all that oil.”

Pamela’s trip to the UAE took place at the behest of His Highness Sheikha Sheikha Bint Saif Al Nayan, who is using international celebrities to bring attention to the Make a Wish Foundation there, which he hopes will bring in support from the local community. Pamela participated in the fundraiser gala and auctioned off a dinner with herself.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, isn’t done raising money for charity. Late last year she auctioned off a book she had written and illustrated, and it was purchased by Amazon.com for nearly $4 million. Still, she wanted to do more, and this December, she will.

The book that was auctioned off was The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a book to which J.K. refers in the final book of the Harry Potter series. There were originally seven, and aside from the one that was auctioned, she gave six as gifts. With the blessing of those who received that book as a gift, as well as Amazon.com and the support of Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and Amazon, that book will be made available to the public December 4.

J.K. doesn’t plan to make any money off the release of this book — she has signed over her royalties to the charity she and Emma Nicholson co-founded called the Children’s High Level Group. The charity works “at a political and practical level to ensure that UN minimum standards for the care of children are implemented across the whole of Europe and beyond.”

The Tales of Beedle the Bard will have more than just a few storied J.K. jotted down. The author said, “The new edition will include the Tales themselves, translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger, and with illustrations by me, but also notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore, which appear by generous permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters’ Archive.”

Photo courtesy of theage.com.au

Be honest — when you think of David Spade, you picture him playing a snotty assistant-type character, or the immature, self-serving buddy, right? I used to, but I have a whole new perception of the actor now — he donated $10,000 to the animal shelter in his hometown of Lakeside, Arizona, to keep it in the business of saving innocent lives.

David’s mom still lives in the town, and apparently the shelter was falling apart and was going to be forced to shut down. The generous donation more than covered the cost of the necessary repairs. The facility focuses on rescuing animals abandoned in the woods and mountains surrounding it — some people assume that if they leave an animal in the wild, it will automatically be able to fend for itself, and that’s not at all the truth. It shelters and tries to find homes for approximately 3500 animals each year.

It should be noted that David made his donation under the radar — he didn’t have any photographers follow him, and he didn’t hold a press conference. He did it out of the goodness of his heart, and he should feel great knowing that this donation is saving the lives of thousands of animals.

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

Alexis Bledel might be a part of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but the actress is perfectly happy about where her traveling pants are going. The marketing campaign for her newest movie, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, is working with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans.

So what do pants have to do with Habitat for Humanity? More than you might think! Alexis said, “They are recycling jeans and making these tubes … that will help insulate the houses they are building down there.”

And it’s not just the folks working on the movie who are getting involved — Cotton Inc., GUESS, and Warner Bros. Pictures are spreading the word among people purchasing GUESS products, who will receive a discount for each pair of old denim jeans they turn in. The old jeans are reclaimed into cotton and turned into energy efficient insulation.

What makes this so cool is that, not only do you get to clean out your closet (seriously — how many pairs of jeans do you still have that you never wear?), but you get rewarded for it, and it helps out a good cause! Alexis made a good choice in her favorite cause!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

It’s well known that Rachael Ray is an absolute whiz in the kitchen, but did you know that she has quite a few recipes for dogs as well as people? In fact, the celebrity chef is coming out with a brand of dog food called Nutrish for Pets, which is based on recipes she came up with for her pet pit bull, Isaboo.

Proceeds from sales of Nutrish will benefit Rachael’s charity, Rachael’s Rescue, which she created to help shelter animals. She knows that many of the animals brought to shelters don’t find homes, especially if they’re older or have behavioral problems. Pit bulls, the breed to which she’s partial, are often overlooked because they have such a bad reputation, and she hopes that, by bringing more money and attention to the cause, more people will learn about shelter animals and do what they can to help out. She has a link to Bad Rap, an organization devoted to teaching people pit bull responsibility.

In addition to the link to Bad Rap, Rachael also has a link to the North Shore Animal League and a Pet Lovers blog that serves up loads of great posts, such as “Are you ready for a dog?” and “Can aspirin be toxic to dogs?” If you’re a pet lover, it’s a cool place to hang out. And, if you’re interested in whipping up some tasty treats for your furry friend, you can find recipes there as well!

Photo courtesy of rachaelray.com

Colin Firth has long been a humanitarian — he’s been a Make Trade Fair campaigner since 2002, and he’s now helping out Oxfam with their latest food drive for the people of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. The people in these areas are having a hard time feeding themselves due to the rising food prices along with drought, conflict, and poverty.

“A dangerous storm of factors … have stacked on top of each other and are pushing people over the edge. Malnutrition rates have spiked and children grow ever hungrier each day,” said Colin, who added, “Oxfam desperately needs the support of the British public to help avert catastrophe and keep people alive.”

This latest food drive comes on the heels of a disappointing G8 Summit in Japan, in which, according to Oxfam International Executive Director Jeremy Hobbs, “Several governments championed steps to tackle the crucial issues sitting on the G8 agenda, but in the end this summit did not deliver the breakthroughs that are so urgently needed.”

Colin is joined by other celebrities, including John Hanna and Daniela Nardina. Together with Oxfam, they hope to encourage Britons to answer the call to help. You can help, too, by visiting Oxfam’s website.

John Hannah, and Daniela Nardini a

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

Regardless of your personal feelings about the war in Iraq, I think everyone understands that the men and women coming home deserve our respect. Kanye West agrees, and he has teamed up with MTV to tell the stories of returning vets in a documentary titled Choose or Lose and Kanye West Present: Homecoming.

The documentary will air for one hour tonight at 10pm ET/PT. Kanye pays a surprise visit to some soldiers who have returned home to show the challenges these young men and women face. The rappers said, “There are hundreds of veterans out there who are falling through the cracks. They make the ultimate sacrifices for us by laying down their lives, but it seems like a lot of them just get forgotten about … I teamed up with MTV and took the opportunity to share the spotlight with these veterans and hear their stories.”

Not only with the documentary show the difficulties vets have upon returning home, but it will show young people some resources they can go to in order to help out, such as chooseorlose.com or the Dr. Donda West Foundation.

MTV’s research (yes, I know — I snickered at the thought of MTV doing research, too, but I’m assuming they went beyond the walls of the Real World house and the case of The Hills to get their information) shows that 70% of people ages 18 to 29 personally know someone who has fought in Iraq, so this documentary is sure to hit home to many viewers.

Photo courtesy of mtv.com

As a mother, supermodel Christy Turlington is fully aware of just how important it is for mothers to receive quality health care, and she’s campaigning to get better health care for women around the world.

Every minute, a woman dies in labor, so Christy, along with Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, went to Washington, D.C. to convince leaders to create legislation designed to help women who have difficult experiences with pregnancy and/or childbirth.

Christy is no stranger to humanitarian causes. She’s been working in Washington to bring more attention to the issue of maternal health, and she’s also an ambassador for CARE, an organization working on the global food crisis. The goal of CARE is two-fold — first, to get families the food they need in order to survive right now, and secondly, to help communities create solutions for the future.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Long before eating locally was “cool,” John (at the time, Cougar) Mellencamp was singing about how he lived in a small town, and how he could breathe in a small down. Now, with Farm Aid, he’s encouraging everyone to see how “small” their town can be by eating foods produced locally.

For the first time, Farm Aid will take place in New England –at Boston’s Copely Square Farmer’s Market on September 20, to be exact. Mellencamp, along with Willie Nelson and Neil Young first established Farm Aid in 1985 to raise awareness of family farms and help raise funds for farmers in need. They have raised over $30 million for their cause.

Dave Matthews first performed at Farm Aid in 1994 and, in 2001, was invited to join the board of directors and, along with the original three, takes part in the yearly concert. What’s cool about these concerts is that, while they might have corporate sponsors (this year it’s Whole Foods and Horizon Organics), the concession stands will serve 100% locally grown organic goodies from family farms.

Willie Nelson said it best, saying, “The only way to solve this is to do it locally. Let your neighbors grow your food so you don’t have to import it. That addresses not only the big expense, but the environmental problem. And at the same time you’re getting better food.” Right on, Willie — it’s a win-win!

If you’re interested in attending Farm Aid, tickets will be available at ticketmaster.com starting July 28.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

It’s always cool when you’re able to take part in something you enjoy and support a good cause at the same time, and Eva Longoria Parker, along with her husband Tony Parker, have an event coming up that allows just that.

The Tony and Eva Parker Celebrity Casino Night is slotted to take place on August 9th in San Antonio. A poker tournament will take place, for which players will have a $300 buy-in and receive $10,000 worth of starting chips. There will be other casino games available as well, such as blackjack, roulette, craps, slots, and a money wheel.

The money Tony and Eva raise will go to Eva’s Heroes, a charity the Desperate Housewives actress founded to help those with developmental disabilities succeed. She was inspired to set up Eva’s Heroes after seeing her sister grow up with an intellectual disability, and said, “She has given me so much inspiration and hope to face everyday with the strength and courage she has had her whole life. She has never seen herself with a disability and only sees the good in everyone and everything.”

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Demi Moore and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. The photogenic duo went to Guatemala to build houses for indigenous organic farmers on behalf of Habitat for Humanity.

A source says that “Demi and Ashton were actually building houses with tin roofs and schlepping breeze blocks in the midday sun. Ashton’s father is a carpenter so he has some experience.”

They weren’t the first of their family to get involved with this project — Demi’s 16-year-old daughter (with Bruce Willis), Scout, has already taken her turn. Earlier this year she spent her spring break building homes in Guatemala. It certainly seems like the Willis/Moore/Kutcher family has a lot of good to give, and it’s great to see so many members of the family getting actively involved!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

The Hills star Lauren Conrad recently attended Animal Fair‘s 2008 “Paws for Style” event to benefit the Humane Society. The event consisted of an animal designer fashion show with celebrity dog walkers.

Loads of celebrities and designers were slated to attend, and the show was a huge success with one exception — according to Animal Fair, Lauren (who has two rescue dogs of her own) refused to walk a rescue dog down the catwalk. Wendy Diamond, the magazine’s editor, went straight to the press with the information, while Lauren has notified the public through her MySpace page that she fulfilled her agreement and was happy to take part in the event, and nothing had been mentioned beforehand about walking the catwalk.

The controversy is unfortunate — it sounds like it was a misunderstanding, and now both sides are getting some negative press from it. However, the good news is that attention is being paid to an event and organization that raises money and awareness for shelter animals and rescue organizations.

Lauren, for her part, said that, “I was trying to do a good thing and help out a charity by doing everything I agreed to do. I continue to support the Humane Society, as it is a wonderful organization.”

Photo courtesy of justjared.com

I don’t think any of us harbored a doubt that Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban‘s baby girl wouldn’t want for a thing, and they’ve proved that to be true beginning with the nursery. They began with a crib from Q Collection Junior.

Fortunately for Baby Sunday, money isn’t really an issue for her mom and dad — the cribs in this line run around $1200. However, if peace of mind is priceless, that’s probably a good deal — Nicole can feel confident that her baby is sleeping in a crib made from only proven non-toxic materials and that it was made in a sustainable manner to keep the planet healthy and safe. As a matter of fact, Q Collection Junior’s motto is People Safe. Planet Safe.

Nicole and Keith aren’t the only celebrities digging Q Collection Junior — Gwyneth Paltrow is actually on the front page of the company’s website with a quote about how much she loves their products.

I imagine we can expect more green practices to surround Sunday — Nicole ordered organic linens, clothing, and toys earlier this year, and has spoken about how much she loves nature and organic gardening. You know, I can think of a line skincare products they might want to check out …

Alicia Keys threw a charity ball in London and many of her famous friends joined her to raise money for Keep a Child Alive, Alicia‘s charity which helps children and families living with HIV/AIDS in Africa by providing them anti-retroviral treatment.

One of those guests was Jennifer Hudson, who said, “I feel like your celebrity is not about the fortune or the fame. Butif you can’t help anyone then it’s in vain, it’s pointless.”

Other celebs who ponied up $2000 to attend were Kelly Rowland, Mischa Barton, and Annie Lennox. Annie got involved in the evening’s festivities by performing a duet of the Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams and REM’s Everybody Hurts with Alicia.

Alicia said that it’s important we remember that AIDS is a global problem. Though the gala raised nearly $700,000, she knows that it’s not enough — stopping AIDS comes down to each person. She said, “It scares me … It really does… We have a lot to really be careful about and it’s such a major thing that we have to be cautious. But we can totally avoid it by practicing safe sex and, if you can, just abstinence. And definitely being aware of what’s going on so that you know that you want to protect yourself every time, all the time.”

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Yes, I said tree planting — not tree throwing, or tree kicking. It looks like supermodel Naomi Campbell is making an effort to clean up her cell phone-hurling image by taking part in The Abuja Green Society’s tree planting campaign.

The goal of the campaign, based in Abuja, Nigeria, is to plant a tree for each baby born in the region’s hospital. Not only do they hope to give these children a better future by doing so, but also to promote awareness of environmental issues the region faces, specifically the need to find sustainable energy solutions.

The supermodel not only managed to keep her temper in check — she also managed to stay completely clean, and that’s not easy for someone who comes to a tree-planting dressed in white!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Jon Bon Jovi spent a little time in Detroit’s East Side earlier this week to lend a hand to a charity with which he’s been involved for three years, Habitat for Humanity. A partnership between Habitat for Humanity, Bon Jovi‘s Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation, and Saturn’s Hands on Homes will enable the building of many new energy efficient, green homes in the area, beginning with the five that Bon Jovi was there to announce.

These first five homes will be completed by November, and Habitat for Humanity has a total of 100 planned over the next few years. Bon Jovi was excited to be involved with the project, saying, “We really want to revitalize the neighborhood … so that the kids can play in these streets. That’s what America is all about.”

Detroit is a city that’s been hit remarkably hard by recent economic troubles, and since Saturn’s headquarters are there, and Bon Jovi was playing a concert in the city, the joining of forces for this occasion was ideal.

The rocker’s Philadelphia Soul Foundation is named after the arena football team he co-owns, and it’s something he’s extremely proud of, saying, “The Soul Foundation has really differentiated itself from other sports teams … by making community a huge part of its mission statement.”

This isn’t the first time these folks have teamed up. Last year, a similar project was completed in North Philly.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters originally started Broadway Barks as a way to promote the adoption of shelter animals in the New York City area. It has now grown into something more, facilitating communication between shelters and rescue groups so each can benefit from the marketing and promotion of all. And, on July 12th of this year, the 10th annual Broadway Barks event will be held and is sure to attract thousands — last year’s event drew over 6000 attendees.

This year will include an afternoon of fun, an auction of memorabilia signed by celebrities, the finding of forever homes for numerous shelter animals, as well as a book signing. Bernadette will sign copies of her children’s book, aptly titled Broadway Barks. Proceeds of the auction and the book go toward the Broadway Barks organization and toward the plight of homeless animals.

Not only are Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters involved, but celebrities such as Glenn Close and Mario Lopez, plus many other Broadway performers will be there.

If you’re interested in helping but unable to adopt an adorable critter of your own or attend the event, you can still make a donation here.

Photo courtesy of bernadettepeters.com

Cindy Crawford is more familiar with pediatric cancer than you might realize. The supermodel’s younger brother, Jeff, was a leukemia patient at the University of Wisconsin Children’s hospital in 1975. He died just before he turned four years old.

This past weekend, Cindy made some appearances in Madison, Wisconsin, to raise awareness of pediatric cancer. She’s the honorary chair of Kids with Courage, a group that reunites childhood cancer survivors and their families. This year marked the fourth reunion. Cindy took part in the three previous reunions in 1993, 1998, and 2003.

According to the University of Wisconsin, Cindy has been contributing her time and her money to its Pediatric Oncology program for almost two decades. She said, “When I was able to start raising money and awareness, I was able to choose where do I want to give back in my life and this just was the first place that popped into my head.”

The Kids with Courage reunions not only allow patients who survived childhood cancer to see each other again, but also allows the families of children who did not survive to see the children and families they spent time with in the hospital when their child was sick. And, former patients get to see their old doctors, which is great for both of them.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Alternative rockers Pearl Jam raised $3 million for the Robin Hood Foundation by playing a concert in NYC last week. They played a 26-song set at New York’s Beacon Theater, which holds 2,800 people, all to support poverty fighting initiatives in the city.

Some fans paid as much as $2,250 for a ticket, and since the concert was benefiting the Robin Hood Foundation, every cent went toward the cause. The Foundation believes in giving every penny directly to programs to fight poverty, along with identifying and going after poverty at its roots, helping existing programs become more effective, and evaluating programs to ensure everyone is realizing their potential to help.

Pearl Jam announced recently that would be supporting patients fighting health insurance companies for payouts. In fact, Jennifer Jaff (Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness leader) put together a fundraising party for that cause was held the day before the concert.

The band’s guitarist, Mike McCready, brought their attention to the cause because of his battle with Crohn’s disease, which affects the bowel. He says of Jennifer, “It’s super-important for her to fight against the insurance companies that will deny people any kind of coverage for their pre-existing conditions. The work she does is justified, and I love it. We live in the greatest country in the world … but we need to invest our money back into things that look at a broader scope … If people are going to die because some legislation didn’t go through, that, to me, is abhorrent. That’s not what America means to me.”

Well said, Mike – now let’s get those thoughts put to music and bring some more attention to the cause!

Photo courtesy of myrocksite.com

Bono‘s (RED) Charity has come up with a new way to raise funds — with a new music delivery system. People will have the option to pay $5 monthly for the service, and each week they’ll receive an exclusive (RED) song from a popular artist, a song from an artist new to the music scene, a “Crackerjack surprise” which will be something fun and non-musical, like a video, text, or image, as well as stories of how the money donated is making a difference.

Some of the top brands in the world have created (RED) products, which altogether have generated over $110 million. With the new music download system, half of each month’s membership fee will go directly to the Global Fund, which means that just five subscribers will provide enough money each year to provide antiretroviral treatment for a year to someone living with HIV.

In case you’re not yet familiar with Bono‘s (RED) charity and (PRODUCT) RED, let me fill you in. The primary objective is “to engage the private sector in raising awareness and money for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.” The companies that take part in (PRODUCT) RED give a substantial portion of sales or profits from a particular product to the Global Fund.

The new music delivery system isn’t actually available until next month, but you can pre-register (and get more information about the (RED) charity) at joinred.com.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Sean “P. Diddy/Puff Daddy/Puffy” Combs has teamed up with E! Entertainment for the Play-A-Part initiative which promotes the responsible consumption of alcohol and encourages those who drink to find a ride home. As a partner in Ciroc Vodka, P. Diddy aims to make this initiative a multi-platform action campaign.

E!’s Drive Safe campaign will feature on-air spots with popular celebrities as well as simple online and wireless access to taxi services all across the U.S.

P. Diddy said, “I believe that it is important to promote responsible drinking and generate public awareness on the necessity of designating a driver.” The on-air spots will feature celebrities like Tommy Lee, Eva Longoria Parker, Wilmer Valderrama, Gabrielle Union, and others, along with the crew from E!’s Daily 10. The celebrities and personalities will surprise club goers who are about to leave and offer them a ride home, the point being more than just “drinking and driving is bad,: — they want people to realize that “any designated driver is a star.”

It’s a good message, and I’m glad they’re taking real action to get people to realize how that they can have a social life and still be smart and safe with just a little planning.

Photo courtesy of thebestgossip.com

Each year, Elton John and David Furnish hold a fabulous White Tie and Tiara Party to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and this year was no exception. The party brought out a plethora of famous faces, including Bill Clinton, Liz Hurley, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, and Simon Cowell. About 630 guests coughed up the $4700 ticket price in all.

Guests were treated to dinner and a concert, and an auction was held with prizes like a trip to Africa with Elton John. The auction alone raised $20 million!

The Elton John AIDS Foundation’s strives to fund education programs regarding HIV/AIDS prevention as well as eliminating discrimination against those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Additionally, it funds programs and services for people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS. The Foundation recently received its third consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, and considering on 16% of evaluated charities earn more than two consecutive 4-star ratings, this is quite a feather in Elton’s already fabulous cap.

If you didn’t get a chance to attend (you know, because you forgot your tiara), you still have the opportunity to help out this worthy charity by going to the website and making a donation.

Photo courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

It’s always fun to see professional athletes compete in a sport other than their own. Come to think of it, it’s also a lot of fun to watch them play their own sports, too. And that’s probably why Steve Nash‘s recent soccer game in New York was such a hit.

The Phoenix Suns basketball superstar put together a soccer game, nicknamed The Showdown in Chinatown, between fellow NBA players and professional soccer players. The game was free to attend, but donations were accepted to benefit the Steve Nash Foundation. The Steve Nash Foundation “aims to grow health in kids by funding projects that provide direct services to children affected by poverty, illness, abuse, or neglect, and create an opportunity for education, health, and empowerment.”

Among the basketball stars taking part were Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Raja Bell, and Leandro Barbosa, and they were up against soccer greats such as Barcelona forward Thierry Henry, Red Bulls midfielder Claudio Reyna, and Robbie Fowler, formerly of Liverpool.

While the basketball players worked hard and had a great game plan (“outscore the other team”), the soccer players were in their element and won 9-4 while performing entertaining tricks and theatrics. The players and the crowd had a good time for a great cause, and you can’t ask for much more than that!

Photo courtesy of schemamag.com

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have never been shy about giving money to causes they find worthy, and their love of children is obvious. And so, it’s not really surprising to find that the Jolie-Pitt foundation is making a series of donations totaling $1 million to benefit children who have been affected by the war in Iraq, both stateside and in overseas.

The donations will be given to four different organizations which will help children who have lost parents, homes, and schools in Iraq. Three organizations in Iraq will split $500,000 which will pay for the basics, including school supplies, rehabilitation programs, and refugee aid.

The $500,000 that is staying in the U.S. will go toward the Armed Services YMCA Operation Hero Program. The program assists children who are affected by either a parent currently serving or the loss of a parent who served. Operation Hero knows that children of military families face special challenges, such as feeling isolated and experiencing low self esteem, having a parent deployed (or both deployed) for long periods of time, and problems with school work because they’ve moved around so much.

With Angelina and Brad busy expecting their newest additions, it’s great to see them bringing attention to other children in the world!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Gwyneth Paltrow must have a lovely, lovely voice. She recently participated in a London event to raise money for Palestinian refugee children — Karaoke with the Stars — and her rendition of Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly raised $90,000, making her warbling the most lucrative of the evening.

Gwyneth wasn’t alone in warbling for a worthy cause. She was joined by celebrities like Lily Cole, Lou Reed, Bruce Forsyth, and Stella McCartney. Altogether the event raised $440,000 for the HOPING Foundation.

The HOPING Foundation believes that the next generation of Palestinians hold the key to peace, and HOPING stands for Hope and Optimism for Palestinians In the Next Generation. HOPING works to show Palestinian children that their struggle for even the smallest daily victories is noticed and encouraged by people the world over, specifically in Britain. Grants go toward small community initiatives that make instant improvements to the community and “are provided to encourage and improve all aspects of children’s lives; through art, music, social and sporting activities, and through their education and health needs.”

We might not all be able to raise thousands of dollars by belting out our favorite songs (in fact, I think people would be more likely to pay me not to sing, personally), but if you’re interested in donating to HOPING, you can do so on their website — no singing required.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Funny man Steve Carell met a young man named Zachary Carson on the set of The Office last year through the Make A Wish foundation. The 19-year-old later died from diffuse pontine glioma, a type of pediatric cancer, but Steve is working hard to make sure that hope for other children stays alive.

Steve held a premiere of his new film, Get Smart, to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to benefit the Zachary Carson Brain Tumor Fund. Tickets were $100 per person and included a chance to see the movie as well as the opportunity to spend more money at an auction. One of the items up for auction was the chance to have Steve Carell record a voicemail message. I’d probably rather bid on jewelry, but hey — to each his own.

This isn’t the first time Steve has gotten involved in raising money for the Zachary Carson Brain Tumor Fund. Last year he held a similar premiere for Evan Almighty. This seems like a brilliant way to raise some money for a great cause and bring attention to his films — I hope more celebrities catch on!

Photo courtesy of stevecarell.net

Many celebs were on hand at the Los Angeles launch of the Cartier Love Charity Bracelet, including Janet Jackson, Fergie, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, and Hilary Duff. These stars weren’t just there to attend the bash — they had pledged support.

This is the third year of the Cartier Love Charity Bracelet, and this year’s version has a silk cord in different colors depending on which charity it’s connected with, and they feature a white gold and a rose gold link. Involved celebrities each chose a charity, and the sale of a bracelet in the color associated with the charity will net that charity $200 of the $995 price tag.

Some of the celebrities and their charities are Janet Jackson, whose grey bracelet corresponds to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance; Fergie, whose orange bracelet will benefit The Black Eyed Peas Foundation; Good Charlotte, with a deep green bracelet helping out the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation; Hilary Duff, whose purple bracelet will benefit Blessings in a Backpack (which is run by USA Harvest); and Ashanti, who has a royal blue bracelet raising money for the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America.

In the three years since Cartier began the Love Charity Bracelet, well over $2 million has been raised for 16 different charities. Great jewelry for great causes? Sounds like a beautiful combination to me!

Photo courtesy of celebrity-gossip.net

Jennifer Lopez is well-known for her diva-like demands and over-the-top lifestyle, but that’s not all there is to Jenny from the block. The singer/actress/new mom took time out of her schedule to give some autistic children in New York an amazing experience by performing at their graduation.

The kids’ teacher, Kathy Amati, and a paraprofessional showed Jennifer’s Let’s Get Loud video to the students, who loved it so much that they wanted to watch it every single day. They learned the lyrics and the dance moves, and with some coaxing from their teachers, sent a letter to Jennifer with the hopes of getting some pictures or autographs. They got a whole lot more.

Upon receiving the request, Jennifer went above and beyond anything the kids or their teachers had dreamed of — she contacted them and asked if she could to the kids’ graduation. And so, earlier this week, Jennifer not only attended the graduation — she performed Let’s Get Loud for the 10 and 11 year olds.

Big kudos to Ms. Lopez! I’m sure those kids and their families will remember her generosity for years to come, and I’d imagine she’ll feel good about it for just as long!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Toby Keith’s annual golf tournament last week raised over $700,000 for Ally’s House, a charity that helps families deal with childhood cancer. The charity is named after one of Toby’s bandmate’s daughters, who died from kidney cancer.

The Toby Keith & Friends Celebrity Golf Classic took place in Oklahoma, and since Toby started the tournament five years ago, it has raised over $2.3 million for Ally’s House. Of course, to raise that kind of money, you need more than one country singer swinging a golf club — the weekend included not only the golf tournament, but also music and a celebrity auction. Many stars associated with country music, and quite a few celebrities we know from other arenas donated to the auction, including George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Loretta Lynn, Tom Hanks, Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, LeBron James, Andrew Agassi, Tony Stewart, and Peyton Manning. The biggest money maker at the auction was a chance to dine with Toby himself, which went for $35,000.

More than 750 people attended some portion of the weekend, and Toby was thrilled, saying, “I knew we could make a difference with Ally’s House, but it really is even bigger than I’d hoped. We’ve helped a ton of families, and we’re proud that we have never had to turn away an Oklahoma family that needs help.”

Photo courtesy of countrystarsonline.com

Ben Affleck has spent a lot of time doing charity work in Africa, but had no idea his work there would take him to Canada. On one of his visits to Africa, he came across the One X One Foundation, a charity that raises money for needy kids, and they asked him if he would attend an event they were holding in Calgary, and of course he said yes.

One X One has raised over $7 million for charity since its inception in 2005. Its Toronto event last year alone raised half that, and it’ll be holding the fourth annual gala there again this year. Coincidentally, the gala, which will be held in September, will be hosted by Ben’s buddy, Matt Damon.

One X One states that “Life Belongs to Everyone,” and to make sure that is true, they “have selected philanthropic partners and supported major initiatives that serve [their] mandate of helping children find a better world and securing their future.” They select charities to spotlight and support each year and select new initiatives to fund along with supporting those partners that have been around since the beginning. The ultimate goal is to help children in Canada and around the world live safely and with dignity.

To see how you can help, check out their website for more information or to make a donation.

Photo courtesy of Ecorazzi.

NBA greats Charles Barkley, Jason Kidd, George Gervin, and Clyde Drexler hit the greens last week along with some of their professional baseball, hockey, and football buddies to take part in the Pro Sports Team Challenge Golf Tournament at the Eagle Falls Golf Club at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. They played for pride — each team wanted to show that their sport had the best golfers — but more importantly, they were competing for a $250,000 prize for the charity of their choice.

Team Basketball chose the USO as their charity. Charles Barkley has worked with them in the past, visiting troops in Iraq, Kuwait, and Dubai. However, he didn’t have much hope for winning much money for the charity at the tournament, saying, “… my team sucks!”

Team Football was led by Drew Brees and included LaDainian Tomlinson, John Elway, and Michael Strahan, and they competed for Operation Kids. While all the guys on all the teams made an effort to say hello to the kids at the tournament, Michael Strahan stood out by spending time with every anklebiter he came across and signing whatever they gave him.

Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull, Grant Fuhr and Pierre Larouche made up Team Hockey. Mario Lemieux, a cancer survivor, chose Hockey Fights Cancer as the team’s charity. They entered the competition as the team to beat because all four are well known for being excellent golfers.

Last, but not least, was Team Baseball, led by legend Ozzie Smith, who was joined by George Brett, Vince Coleman, and Bret Saberhagen, who were all playing for the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T), a charity that helps the families of players who have fallen on hard times. B.A.T. helps families with things like health care, medical, housing, burial, utilities, household expenses, and prescriptions.

The event was fun for all, especially for several young men who won contests that allowed them to participate in the tournament with the athletes. There was a good bit of trash talking (imagine that, with Sir Charles being there!), but it was all in good fun for a good cause.

To see which sport won the tournament, you’ll have to tune into Fox Sports Net on June 28 and 29.

Photo courtesy of azsportshub.com

You probably were already aware that Brad Pitt has an avid interest in architecture and that he’s interested in building sustainable housing. You might not be aware that he’s been asked to help design an enormous eco-friendly hotel in Dubai.

The five-star resort will have 800 bedrooms. Brad will be working as a consultant with one of the architecture firms that is also working on his Lower 9th Ward Make It Right project in New Orleans, Grant LLC.

Brad said (through a statement released by his rep), “Acting is my career, architecture is my passion. As my first major construction project the Dubai hotel will feature environmentally friendly architecture, but also embrace my career in entertainment.”

In a city with as many brand new luxury hotels as Dubai, this seems like a pretty smart move in a couple of ways. For one, whether people would choose to stay in a hotel because of Brad’s involvement or not, his involvement is certainly going to keep this hotel in the news and in the forefront of the public’s mind. Additionally, using green architecture is something everyone is interested in now, and it’s a great way for a five-star resort to set itself apart from some of the others.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Paul Newman is an amazing example of kindness and generosity. Between the years of 2005 and 2006, Paul privately turned over the full value of his Newman’s Own ownership to the Newman’s Own Foundation. The value of the donation is estimated to be around $120 million. Seriously.

This is true to form for the actor/director/activist, who reportedly gave away $8,746,500 of his personal fortune to charitable groups supporting children, Gulf Coast hurricane relief, education, and the arts. All of this is done quietly, as far under the radar as possible. Some of the organizations he contributes to are well known, but many are small, worthy organizations that aren’t well publicized.

Paul is currently in the news for some far less happy news, however — he is fighting lung cancer. However, just to be clear, his massive donation did not occur as a result of his diagnosis — he made the decision to turn his ownership value over to the Newman’s Own Foundation to celebrate his 80th birthday, before he was diagnosed with cancer. He issued a statement just today regarding his health, saying that he’s “doing nicely” by way of his mouthpiece.

Along with the rest of the world, I wish him all the best in his fight against cancer, and continue to be amazed by his generosity.

Photo courtesy of reuters.com

Yesterday, Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford, along with Bo Derek and Robert Duval, hit up an event to show their support of “a new global initiative by the World Bank to save tigers from extinction.”

The event took place at Washington’s Smithsonian National Zoo and introduced the Tiger Conservation Initiative, which aims to halt the killing and illegal trade of tiger skins, meat, and other body parts that some traditional Asian medicines still use. It will bring scientists and governments together to fight for these big cats, whose numbers have shrunk from over 100,000 a century ago to their current number of under 4,000.

Harrison’s goal in being there was to celebrate and lend support to the World Bank’s plan, saying, “By committing to help wild tigers, the World Bank is sounding its intention to be a global leader in biodiversity conservation.” Robert’s reason for coming was similar — he had always thought that tigers “might be the single most beautiful animal in the world,” and it boggled his mind that people just continue killing them as their numbers dwindle.

Bo Derek, Condoleezza Rice’s Special Envoy for Wildlife Trafficking, intends to focus on public awareness of the problem, starting with herself, saying “It was very embarrassing for me to find out that the U.S. is number two in consuming endangered wildlife.”

The initiative will work to end poaching in 13 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Indonesia, Russia and Vietnam. President of World Bank, Robert Zoellick said,”This is a problem that cannot be handled by individual nations alone. It requires an alliance of strong local commitment backed by deep international support.” Kudos to the actors (and everyone else who attended the launch) for getting involved for these beautiful animals.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Jenny McCarthy and her boyfriend, Jim Carey, led a rally in Washington, D.C. last week for Green Our Vaccines. Jenny‘s six-year-old son is autistic, and Green Our Vaccines is a program through TACA (Talk About Curing Autism), which Jenny is very involved with.

The goal of the rally was to “demand Congress take action to Green Our Vaccine supply while reassessing our current vaccine schedule. Ask Congress to reenact legislation that would eliminate mercury and other toxins from our children’s vaccines, study the instance of Autism and other neurological disorders in vaccinated versus unvaccinated children, and to extend the statute of limitation to allow all children affected by vaccine induced Autism to file in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.”

Autism is on the rise, and many parents blame the increasing number of vaccines that children are given at a young age. The rally didn’t aim to get people to avoid vaccinating their children –Jenny and Jim support immunization. However, they feel that children are receiving too many vaccines too soon, and want parents to do their research before giving kids their shots to find the least toxic options.

Photo courtesy of babble.com

Natalie Portman is currently in Rwanda to promote a youth village slated to open for 500 children who were orphaned by the 1994 genocide. The village is an American Jewish project, being built by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, American Jewish donors are financing it, and it will be run following the educational philosophy that was used in Israeli youth villages that housed Holocaust orphans.

As one of the world’s most well-known Jewish American actresses, Natalie is doing her part to promote the village by filming a clip, which is expected to air on Oprah in just a few weeks.

There is a strange cloud of secrecy surrounding Natalie‘s visit, however — all photos of her in Africa are off limits until her film airs on Oprah, and when she initially landed for a layover on her way to Rwanda and was spotted, another organization in the area claimed she was there for their own project. I imagine this short film she’s in Rwanda to shoot is going to be a really powerful tool, and they just want to make sure they get as much out of it as possible.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Jason Lewis, the actor who plays Samantha’s love interest in Sex and the City, might be busy promoting the new movie, but he’s not so busy that he can’t make time for a good cause. He spent some time in New Zealand in April to host a charity party for the KidsCan Charitable Trust.

KidsCan’s goal is to basically level the playing field in less affluent areas, regardless of whether the parents are truly poor or are wasteful of the money the have — either way, the children aren’t to blame. Many Kiwi kids come to school without their basic needs being met, and even more miss school during the winter due to inadequate clothing. KidsCan provides some of these basics for kids so that they can not only come to school, but come to school with pride.

Programs like Raincoats for Kids, Shoes for Kids, and Food for Kids are making a big difference in some New Zealand schools. Attendance during the rainy months is up, and now that more attention is being brought to the inadequate nutrition some kids receive, more parents are making an effort to give their kids three square meals. And, for those families that truly can’t afford it, the program provides free food to kids.

Jason feels strongly that celebrity and politics go hand in hand, looking to Bono as inspiration. He said, “I’m not a brain surgeon, I’m not curing cancer, but if I can show up and do an interview and that is going to raise awareness and someone’s going to give money to the hardworking people of this charity, great. I think it is the best use of celebrity that is out there.”

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Prince Harry is back in military action, but this time it’s not as dangerous a mission as his previous stint on the front line in Afghanistan. This time, the 23-year-old prince will be traveling with other servicemen in his Army regiment to Africa to assist with building and repairing facilities for projects supported by Sentebale.

Sentebale was founded in 2006 by England’s Prince Harry (who is third in line to the throne) and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. Its mission “is to transform the lives of Lesotho’s orphans and vulnerable children” in order “to help the forgotten victims of poverty and of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”

Back in 2004, Prince Harry spent part of his gap year as Prince Seeiso’s guest, volunteering on local welfare projects. Harry was touched by the plight of AIDS victims, and along with Prince Seeiso, founded Sentebale (which means “forget me not”). It was a way for him to help the people of Lesotho as well as pay tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana, who was passionate about raising awareness of the AIDS crisis in that country.

It doesn’t look like Harry will have any trouble following in his mother’s footsteps or keeping her memory alive — he’s off to a great start!

Photos courtesy of sentebale.org

Admit it — you would love to have one of Cliff Huxtable’s crazy sweaters from the Cosby Show. And now you have your chance! Bill Cosby is auctioning off his famous Cosby Show sweaters to benefit the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation.

The Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation was started in 1997 by Bill and Camille Cosby to continue the legacy of their son after his murder in 1997. The Foundation “equips teachers, parents and students with the practical information and educational tools needed to understand and address the needs of all learners before they experience the corrosive effects of frustration and failure.”

The Foundation implements several different programs to help make education successful for all students, including working with teachers and schools as a whole to recognize and help students who are most at risk for being left behind. It aims to help teachers understand how students learn differently and provides them with tools, like special planners, films, and reading materials.

The auction will take place today through June 12, and you can check out the sweaters and place your bid here. It’s for a good cause, and you know you’re dying to try one of those beauties on. I know I am!

Photo courtesy of blog.drjays.com

Is your baby fussy outside when it is very bright and sunny? It may be more than the heat getting to your little one; it may be the sunshine.

Squinting is uncomfortable for infants and young toddlers and their eyes are much more sensitive than adult’s eyes to damage from bright sun.

Even shade will not protect eyes in bright sun, because it is the  brightness and reflected sunlight that are damaging. The cumulative effect of bright sunshine plays a role in a number of serious eye conditions, like macular degeneration (a cause of blindness in later life), cataracts and chronic irritation of the cornea.

Kids need sunglasses! It may not seem practical to introduce sunglasses to infants and young children, but Frubi Shades are different. The soft, spongy nosepiece and wrap-around design make these sunglasses stay in place comfortably. The little ones may need a short period to adapt, but the improved comfort in bright sun makes the adjustment quick. The trick is to acclimate children to sunglasses at an early age, so they will continue the habit throughout their lives.

And there’s more to this story. Frubi Shades has donated thousands of sunglasses to children’s organizations as part of their Protect Their Eyes Campaign.

It feels good to endorse a great product from a company that also gives back. Hmm…just like Noodle and Boo!

Look for Healthy Lifestyle every week for health tips, recipes, fun with gardening!

Photo courtesy of frubishades.com

Eva Longoria Parker doesn’t look like she spends much time at fast food restaurants, but she spent a day at a Corpus Cristi, Texas, Wendy’s serving up Frosties to benefit the Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption.

She signed also signed autographs to raise funds for the Father’s Day Frosty Weekend. Eva was a Wendy’s employee before her Desperate Housewives days, from 1991 to 1994.

In case you’re curious as to why Wendy’s and Dave Thomas are involved in adoption (because I certainly was), it might interest you to know that Dave Thomas (the founder of Wendy’s) was adopted as a child. According to the website, “the Foundation leads signature national service programs and works to streamline the adoption process and make adoption more affordable for families. As the only foundation dedicated exclusively to foster care adoption, we are driven by Dave’s simple value: Do what’s best for the child.”

While a burger and Frosty might not exactly be the best thing for children, I’m happy to see the company (and Eva) working so hard for such a good cause. Official reports set the goal at over $1.3 million, and I hope they make it with room to spare. Shoot, I might even have to get myself a Frosty. Ice cream for a good cause is practically good for you, right?

Photo courtesy of popsugar.com

You know he’s amazing on the soccer field, and you’ve seen how great he looks as an Armani underwear model, but would you ever have thought that David Beckham is also a mountain climber? Technically, he’s not, but he has agreed to become one to benefit UNICEF.

This all came about because of U2′s Bono, who asked David to take on the challenge. David agreed to the intense six-day climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in order to raise money for the charity UNICEF.

No date has been set just yet, but a source close to the Beckhams stated, “The 19,340 peak is a bit outside David‘s normal comfort zone but he is absolutely set on making the climb. Not date has been fixed yet because David is very busy with his LA Galaxy commitments, but he is absolutely set on doing it.” In addition to finding the time, he also needs to get some insurance issues finalized.

Apparently, David was hesitant at first (which is understandable), but he soon found out, like so many celebrities before him have learned, that Bono is extraordinarily persuasive.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

I get excited every year for the Cannes Film Festival — everyone always dresses to the nines (or else they dress in something hideous, which is just as much fun), and, of course, the news starts trickling out about what films are must-sees. However, this year several celebrities gave me a new reason to love Cannes — George Clooney, Madonna, Sharon Stone, Natalie Portman, Mary J. Blige, Milla Jovovich, Harvey Weinstein, Kenneth Cole, and others got together at Cannes to raise over $10 million for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.

Sharon Stone, as amfAR’s global fundraising chairman, acted as conductor of the auction and started things off with a request for support in honor of her fiftieth birthday after starting with her own pledge of $100,000. She asked the room match her pledge, and over $2 million was raised in just 10 minutes. Additionally, Sharon auctioned off her own vintage Porche 911 Targa for $810,000.

Madonna did her part as well, auctioning off a a private performance of two songs for $560,000, as well as a diamond-encrusted alligator skin Chanel purse including her personal lip gloss, compact mirror, and blotting papers for $486,000.

But the item I’m most disappointed in missing is George Clooney‘s — he auctioned off a kiss for $300,000. Next year, I’m totally going!

Photo courtesy of eonline.com

You are likely well aware that singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow had a bout with breast cancer. She was diagnosed in 2006 and has since made a full recovery. What you might not be aware of is that she had none of the risk factors normally associated with breast cancer, and absolutely no family history of the disease. This has made her all the more passionate about the importance of breast cancer research.

She recently testified to Congress on behalf of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, stating, “I don’t live in a political world, and while this might seem like a political discussion, until you are the one in seven women diagnosed with breast cancer, you will never know how NOT political this is. I want to know what causes this disease — for me, and for the 2.3 million other who share this diagnosis. We need more resources to figure out what the environment has to do with [it].”
“I want to know what causes this disease – for me, and for the 2.3 million others who share this diagnosis,” said Crow as she spoke on behalf of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. “We need more resources to figure out what the environment has to do with [it].”

The bill Sheryl is fighting for would authorize spending $200 million over the next five years to research possible environmental factors behind breast cancer as well as making insurance companies pay for a minimum two-day hospital stay following a mastectomy.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Hatian-born hip-hop star Wyclef Jean has begun a food relief program called Together for Haiti. The country is experiencing a food shortage and this program will bring together his foundation, Yele Haiti, with the United Nations’ World Food Programme and the Pan American Development Foundation.

Wyclef was inspired to start Together for Haiti because of the recent food riots that have broken out in his home country. However, stopping the riots isn’t his only goal –he aims to help the people learn to help themselves, saying “The revolution has to start with the minds of the people. You can’t have a future without starting from the ground. We are not only interested in feeding people in response to the current crisis, but we want to offer them an alternative that can help them in a sustainable way.” Together for Haiti aims to feed 1.5 million people, employ 1,800 people daily, and provide fertilizers to 55,000 farmers.

Additionally, Wyclef is exploring the idea of microfinance, which would help families that want to set up businesses to be able to do so. The idea is to allow over 9,000 families to get themselves out of a state of poverty so that they can help themselves instead of relying on aid every time there’s a crisis. Wyclef knows what it’s like to grow up in poverty-ridden conditions. He said, “I grew up in a hut and went to school on a donkey.”

To find out more about Together for Haiti and to find out how you can help, check out their website.

Photo courtesy of ecorazzi.com

The Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament is right around the corner, and Luke Wilson and Steve Guttenberg are signed up to hit a few golf balls to benefit kids.

The Travelers Championship used to be called the Greater Hartford Open, and it’s the sole fundraiser for the Greater Hartford Jaycees. The organization is made up of men and women 21-40 years old and focuses on leadership development and community service, and the proceeds will allow the Jaycees do things like deliver Thanksgiving baskets and distributing scholarships and grants to deserving kids.

The tournament will also benefit Paul Newman‘s The Hole in the Wall Gang, which allows children with serious and life-threatening illnesses a chance to get away to camp (free of charge) and have the experience of just being a kid and being able to forget about their problems for a while.

The Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament will take place on June 18 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. For ticket information, check out the Travelers Championship website. I’m not sure about Steve Guttenberg, but I know Luke Wilson is considered one of the better golfers in all of Hollywood, so if you’re in the area, it seems like the tournament would be a fun way to pass a day. And it’s all for a good cause, so everybody wins!

Photo courtesy of pumatalk.com

I always love to see young stars get involved with causes. For one thing, they often have a contingent of teen- and tween-age fans who adore them and learn from them. Additionally, when stars begin working toward good causes when they’re kids, I think it gives them an appreciation for how important it is that they use their fame for good.

Aly & AJ, the teen duo whose music can be found absolutely all over the Disney Channel, obviously realize they’re in a position to make a difference. They modeled Tommy Hilfiger’s orange t-shirts to support the Nancy Davis Foundation for MS. May is MS Awareness Month, and the Nancy Davis Foundation is working with numerous retailers to sell items like the t-shirts to raise money.

Orange is the foundation’s signature color — it symbolizes hope. Proceeds from sales of the MS items will help community education and the funding of MS research.

The shirts are selling for $25, and you can purchase your own at the Nancy Davis Foundation for MS. While you’re there, you can shop for other items to support the foundation, such as an orange leather bracelet, orange wallet, lip gloss, nail polish, and more.

You might also want to read a little more about what the Nancy Davis Foundation for MS does and how you can get involved and help.

Photos courtesy of erasems.org

Lots of newlyweds can’t stop smiling, and Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are no exception — they seem really happy with their slightly rash decision to get hitched, so we’ll go ahead and be happy for them. We’re especially happy for them now that we see the couple is spending some of their honeymoon period at charity events.

Mariah and Nick spent an evening at the Skylight Studio in New York City at the 5th Annual Operation Smile event. Operation Smile is an organization through which volunteers work to “repair childhood facial deformities while building public and private partnerships that advocate for sustainable healthcare systems for children and families.”

The testimonials are truly touching. In just 45 minutes, for as little as $240, Operation Smile allows a child who otherwise could not afford to have surgery to correct a cleft lip to receive the surgery and treatment that will let them lead a normal life.

Mr. and Mrs. Cannon might not be spokespeople (yet), but other celebs have gotten on board with Operation Smile, including Jessica Simpson and Roma Downey. To learn more about the charity and to see how you can help, check out the Operation Smile website.

Photo courtesy of ecorazzi.com

Madonna adopted her son, David, from an orphanage in Malawi (where his father left him after his mother died in childbirth), and while she gave him a better life, she wasn’t done helping the people of that country. Her plans to build a girls’ school in Malawi are moving forward, with a task force of four prominent Malawians already on board.

Madonna‘s project is said to be on par with what Oprah Winfrey has done in South Africa. It will most definitely be a multi-million dollar project, but I don’t think any of us have any doubts as to whether Madge can foot the bill.

The pop superstar has been involved in other Malawian projects, as well. She produced and narrated a documentary called I Am Because We Are, highlighting the plight of several Malawian children whose mothers died of AIDS. The film was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival, where Madonna said the documentary carried the message that “We are responsible for each other and that if we can help in any way, shape or form, we should.”

Regarding Madonna‘s adoption of Malawian-born David Banda, the Malawian courts are expected to rule in her favor today.

Photo courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

I have yet to meet anyone, male or female, who doesn’t think Pierce Brosnan is a dashing, handsome man. And, I always feel a little less guilty about my gawking when the celebrity I’m daydreaming about is also a really good person, and let me tell you — I daydream about Pierce Brosnan without any pangs of guilt.

The former 007 has been a proponent of environmental action for over 10 years, and he and his wife have set up a trust to donate to environmental organizations. Not only has he done this and encouraged the public to donate what they can, but he has been a pretty hefty contributer himself, personally reaching the one million dollar donation mark. You’ve got to love a man who has no problem supporting the causes he’s passionate about by digging into his own pockets.

Pierce encourages his fans and fellow environmental activists to donate their money to causes that will offset carbon emissions by planting trees as well as paying carbon tax when traveling in environmentally sensitive areas. But the environment isn’t the only cause that gets this leading man to take action. He’s been a supporter of breast cancer research and replaced a playground near his home in Hawaii — a good guy through and through.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

I don’t think anybody would argue that being a mom is a tough job — that’s why Mother’s Day is such a special time for celebration for so many families. And while many celebrity moms get some flack because they’re able to hire nannies and continue to work as actresses, there are lots of famous moms who make a concentrated effort to take on all the responsibilities that come with motherhood, sometimes at the expense of their careers.

Love Our Children USA has come out with their Third Annual “Mothers Who Make a Difference List,” and there are a bunch of well-known names on it — Cate Blanchett, Marcia Cross, Geena Davis, Salma Hayek, Holly Hunter, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, Ashleigh Banfield, Marcia Gay Harden, Jill Hennessey, Finola Hughes, Vanessa Mathison, Melania Trump, Nancy O’Dell, and Kim Raver all made the 2008 list.

The “Mothers Who Make a Difference List” is Love Our Children USA’s way of honoring mothers who, despite a heavy work schedule, find a way to balance their home and career lives so they can serve as solid parents and role models.

Love Our Children USA comes out with this list because there are over three million children in our country who are affected by violence, and bullying, cyberbullying, and a bevy of other internet-related dangers are all too prevalent for a large percentage of school-age children. It’s important to recognize the impact a loving, nurturing mother can have, not only on her own child, but on every mother and child with whom she comes into contact because she makes her family her priority.

Can you think of a mother who makes a difference? Tell us all about her in the comments!

Photo courtesy of theage.com.au

Glenn Close is a bonafied dog lover, and was recently recognized for her efforts by Look To The Stars. She received the Golden Bone for her work as co-founder of Fetchdog.com, an high-end online store selling dog and puppy supplies. That alone, while nice, isn’t such a big deal. What’s special about Fetchdog is that when Glenn and her husband started it last October, they decided to donate a percentage of every sale to a dog-related charity of the purchaser’s choice.

The store itself has some really cool items, ranging from training tools and leashes (I have my eye on the Not-a-long Coupler) to Earth friendly beds, toys, bath products, and more. But that’s not all the site has to offer.

Glenn also has a blog called Lively Licks, and I’m a huge fan. In it, she holds interviews with celebrity dog owners like Martha Stewart and Debra Messing as well as interviews with inspirational dog owners, like Tracy Christensen and his avalanche rescue dog, Mick. Additionally, she gives tips, tricks and advice on dealing with things like dog smell, hair, and accidents.

She might have played Cruella DeVil in 101 Dalmations, but Glenn Close is anything but cruel in real life. Congrats on your newest award, Glenn, and keep up the good work!

Close-up photo courtesy of starpulse.com. Photo with dogs courtesy of fetchdog.com.

Social networks are all the rage — it seems like everyone is on MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, or some other version. And while these definitely have a lot of advantages, like staying in touch with friends or getting back in touch with long-lost acquaintances, they aren’t exactly used for “good” most of the time. There are a lot of creeps out there.

Jessica Biel is aware of this, and felt that the tools of online social networking could be put to better use. And so, she teamed up with her dad to start the Make The Difference Network, which aims to connect individuals and businesses with nonprofits to make caring and doing good things just a little easier.

People can use MTDN to search for nonprofit organizations, donate to their wishes (like literacy, women’s issues, holistic health, etc.), and then see how their donations help the organization. The nonprofits can join for free, and they keep every single bit of the donations made.

Jessica was inspired to do what she could to aid individuals and organizations in need after helping to raise money for a fan with muscular dystrophy. The fan has since passed away, but she continues to be inspired by his (and his family’s) courage, and knows that by providing MTDN, she’ll be helping others in similar situations.

If you have a specific cause you’d like to help fund, but don’t know what organization you should give your money to, check out the wish section of MTDN and find your cause!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Celebrities are raising their voices to support the U.S. Campaign for Burma. The people of Burma are being attacked by their own government, and many are unjustly imprisoned, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi (who is the leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma and the only Nobel Peace Prize winner currently imprisoned).

In addition to this, Burma was hit by a cyclone on May 2nd — a cyclone of which the government was aware but refused to warn its people — and the death toll could be as high as 60,000, with hundreds of thousands left homeless. Still, the Burmese government has blocking any international aid.

Fortunately, Hollywood is stepping up, hoping to get one million voices involved in Burma: It Can’t Wait over 30 days. This campaign is a part of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, and is using celebrity videos to help make people aware of the human rights being violated there and get people like you and me involved.

Will Ferrell‘s video was Day 1, and Day 2 consisted of a humorous skit involving Jennifer Aniston and Woody Harrelson. Other celebrities who already have videos up (and we’re only on Day 7) are Sarah Silverman, Eddie Izzard, and Jason Biggs.

So what are you waiting for? Go, check it out, watch their videos, and add your voice. I just did.

Photos courtesy of askmen.com

As I wrote about a couple of months ago, Reese Witherspoon is the Global Ambassador for Avon, and she’s working with the company to raise awareness and funds for a variety of women’s issue.

Reese was on hand for Avon once again this past weekend, this time at the sixth annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Washington, D.C., where she acted as a special guest. She cheered on walkers and spoke at the closing ceremony. However, this wasn’t the first time Reese was involved with a breast cancer walk.

In her speech at the closing ceremony, she said, “As the Honorary Chairman of the Avon Foundation, one of my first experiences last year was to meet Avon Walk walkers at at training walk in Los Angeles … [I] hope my presence can in some measure express my deep appreciation for all the women and men who participate in the Avon Walks, and for all of the people who dedicate their lives to breast cancer research and care.”

Is there anything not to love about this girl?

Photo courtesy of ecorazzi.com

Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, are celebrating the 20th anniversary of his rainforest charity, the Rainforest Foundation, by throwing a benefit concert through which they hope to raise $2 million.

The Rainforest Foundation has been quite successful — early on, it helped to legally set aside over 37,000 square miles of land in Brazil for the Kayapo Indians after the tribe’s chief asked for help in saving his people’s land from developers. This was just a start. The Foundation has offices in New York, London, and Oslo, and serves as much as a human rights organization as one that protects the rainforest.

Often, we think about plants and animals as the primary victims of deforestation in the rainforest, but indigenous people have lived in these areas for centuries, so they are affected by displacement as well.

Sting won’t be performing solo — he’ll be joined by Billy Joel, James Taylor, and Brian Wilson. The concert will take place next Thursday at Carnegie Hall, and tickets are priced between $175 and $400.

Photo courtesy of sting.com

Harrison Ford has been an environmentalist since his childhood days — a National Geographic interview reveals how the action hero made friends with a fox as a kid and gained an understanding of the impact that humans have on animals and the environment every day. The actor has lived for years in Jackson, Wyoming, and is vice chair for the environmental group Conservation International, which works in over 40 countries to fight climate change, protect plants and animals, and to assist communities that are indigenous to the area.

Recently, Harrison made a move that surprised many — the tough, gruff, manly man took off his shirt on Access Hollywood and got his chest waxed to highlight deforestation. By stripping down and getting his chest waxed on TV, he hoped to shock people into realizing the pain involved in deforestation.

The 65-year-old is certainly bringing attention to the problem of deforestation as well as to all the other good works he does, including flying on search and rescue missions to find stranded tourists in Jackson. If he hadn’t already been my hero before, he would be now!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Jake Gyllenhaals‘s looks aren’t the only thing delicious about him. The 27-year-old dreamy-eyed actor is preparing to open a an organic restaurant in Los Angeles.

Apparently, Jake has long held a passion for the culinary arts. As a matter of fact, he has made numerous appearances on celebrity chef Mario Batali‘s show, Molto Mario, and the A-lister actually made a promise to himself some time ago that, if his acting career took off, he would open a high-end restaurant before his 30th birthday.

As of right now, he is looking at real estate with longtime friend and chef Chris Fischer. The duo intends to create a high-class atmosphere where diners can experience the wonders of Tuscan food in a completely natural way. Additionally, this summer, Jake plans to take a summer cycling tour of Tuscany with his girlfriend, Reese Witherspoon, to see what kind of inspiration he can come away with.

Many celebrities have found success in the restaurant business, and it certainly sounds like Jake plans to be truly involved in this venture. We wish him all the luck in the world, and look forward to tasting a delicious Gyllenhaal dish!

Photo courtesy of criticsrant.com

Johnny Depp is lending his voice to a good cause — helping coma patients. He recorded a series of physical commands (in the voice he used for his Pirates of the Caribbean character, Captain Jack Sparrow) for Sophie, a 17-year-old British girl who has been in a coma since last November and is now starting to respond to people and sounds.

Apparently, her response to famous voices has been remarkable — so much so that her family is working to make famous voices available to other families with loved ones in a coma.

It’s important for coma patients to be exposed to a variety of possible “keys” — one never knows what might get through to them and help bring them out of the coma. It could be a smell or a sound, even a voice. In this instance, the family knew Sophie was a huge Johnny Depp fan, so they got a recording of his voice, which proved to be extremely beneficial. They then realized how useful it would be to have a bank of celebrity voices, so no matter who a patient’s favorite star is, their family could play commands in that voice.

A number of other celebrities are signing on to help out, and Sophie’s family is doing even more — they’ll be holding a charity gala ball in June to raise funds for their project. For more information, go to the Sofie’s Gift website.

Photo courtesy of jacksparrow.moonfruit.com

Happy belated Arbor Day! It was Friday, in case you missed it — and don’t worry too much if you did miss it, because there were a number of celebrities, most notably Bette Midler, in Brooklyn on Friday getting their hands dirty and planting trees.

Joining Midler was actress Marcia Gay Harden, the Blue Man Group, along with a number of other somewhat famous faces and a whole slew — over 500 — of volunteers. They spent Arbor Day in Greenpoint Brooklyn, at McCarren Park.

In addition to celebrating Arbor Day, the group was taking part in MillionTreesNYC Month, a program of which Midler is a founder and Mayor Bloomberg a big supporter. The goal, as you might have guessed, is “to plant and care for one million new trees across the City’s five boroughs over the next decade.” The City will plant 60% in parks, on streets, and in other public spaces, leaving 40% of the planting to individuals and private groups.

Meeting this goal will increase the number of trees by 20%, and at least this much is necessary to go along with the population growth NYC is experiencing. Planting trees is a relatively easy and cost effective way to ease the pains of population growth because they clean the air, provide shade, and make neighborhoods more beautiful.

To see how you can help, visit the MillionTreesNYC website and learn about getting involved. And please keep in mind that, even if you don’t live anywhere near New York, you can still plant a tree in your community — every little bit helps!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Shakira believes the best way to ensure a better, safer world is to provide vulnerable children with a basic education, and she went to Washington D.C. on April 22 to promote, as honorary chair, the Global Campaign for Education “Action Week,” which will run until the 27th.

The Global Campaign for Education “promotes education as a basic human right,” and works to put pressure on governments to provide “free, compulsory public basic education for all people.”

Having grown up surrounded by poverty in Colombia, Shakira was able to speak from her heart about growing up in a world where parents “are desperate to provide education for their children.” She spoke inspiringly, saying, “I know this is a challenge, but it’s also a historic opportunity for all of us. We know how to address this and it is within our reach, and we can truly be the architects of change and be the first generation in our history to bring education to all children so that no child is left behind.”

Just as the Grammy winner’s Hips Don’t Lie, the campaign is asking countries all over the world to keep their promises regarding education for children. Additionally, with Shakira‘s help, the Global Campaign for Education plans to raise up to $3 billion by 2012 to provide basic education for 77 million disadvantaged children who aren’t currently in school.

Photo courtesy of JustJared.com

Now that she’s done “greening up” her Sydney mansion, and as she gets underway with plans to make the Sydney Theater Company the first theater company in the world to be able to (possibly) perform an entire season relying on it’s own green energy, Cate Blanchett is putting her money into another environmental venture — Sungevity home solar systems.

The actress is the primary investor in the California company, and it looks like she chose a smart place to invest her cash. Sungevity aims to make going solar easy in California by allowing people to learn about and purchase a solar electric system online.

If you live in California, it’s as simple as going to Sungevity’s website and entering your address. From there, satellite-imaging software will look at your home, calculate your roof’s dimensions, select the proper solar arrays, and show you what they would look like installed. Plus, it will compute your return on the investment. Cool, right?

Cate knows a good investment when she sees it. Sungevity’s website lists the different ways in which an investment in solar energy will save you money. Of course, your electric bills will be dramatically reduced, and the value of your investment will increase with the rising cost of electricity. Plus, you might be eligible for cash and tax rebates to offset the cost of implementing your solar system.

Now we can only hope that Sungevity will go nation- and world-wide, so the rest of us can check out our potential solar savings, too!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Happy Earth Day! How are you celebrating? By riding your bike to work? Cooking a dinner made of locally grown, sustainable ingredients? How about by bidding on an eco-centric adventure with one of your favorite stars?

You can bid on things like a day on the set of Damages with Glenn Close, VIP tickets to The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Daily Show, a day of filming on Daryl Hannah’s environmental blog, fly-fishing on Ted Turner’s ranch, and more, all while helping the environment by supporting the Waterkeeper Alliance. The bidding will be open for a week, until April 29.

The Waterkeeper Alliance is “a grassroots advocacy organization with 177 Waterkeepers programs … dedicated to preserving and protecting YOUR WATER from polluters.” They work locally, so each program is specifically tailored to the needs of that waterbody and its community. Every program has a full-time Waterkeeper, who is the public advocate for that body of water.

If you are interested in getting involved with the Waterkeeper Alliance or making a donation, check out their website for more information. And, if you’re interested in bidding on a celebrity experience, check out Charity Buzz — and remember, bidding closes April 29.

Photo courtesy of sustainabledesignupdate.com

Perhaps it’s because she holds so dear a place in so many people’s hearts, or perhaps it’s simply because she’s aware of the seriousness of cardiovascular disease for the female population. Either way, Barbra Streisand has made a generous donation of $5 million to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to create a new women’s heart center.

Cardiovascular disease kills nearly 500,000 women each year in our country alone, and although it’s the nation’s leading killer of women, the majority of heart disease research is focused on men. Therefore, most testing and treatment methods are based on male patterns.

Babs‘ donation will create the Barbra Streisand Women’s Cardiovascular Research and Education program, which she hopes will increase the amount of research done on female heart disease as well as awareness. More research into the role of gender in heart disease will take place.

Streisand said, “Women need to be educated about female cardiovascular disease, and the medical community must be propelled toward change. Just like with breast cancer, the impetus must come from women themselves, striving to become empowered to reduce their risks for heart disease.”

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Earlier this month, radiant mommy-to-be Jessica Alba and her fiance Cash Warren held a baby shower to celebrate their bun in the oven at the Ever After Teahouse in Studio City, California. Close to 30 guests, including Jessica‘s pal Kim Kardashian, were in attendance.

Jessica reportedly registered for eco-friendly and organic items from Bel Bambini, receiving gifts like organic baby clothes and blankets and a sustainably made bassinet.

But Jessica and her bundle of joy aren’t the only ones getting spoiled with gifts of organic goodness. Miss Alba gave organic gift bags to each of her guests from Tastybaby, which does not, of course, serve tasty babies, but rather delicious food made by a company based on the fact that organic foods are the safest foods we can serve our children (and ourselves). Tastybaby has numerous celebrity fans, including Joely Fisher, Jennifer Meyer, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Kate Beckinsale, Cindy Crawford, and Angie Harmon.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Last week, Blythe Danner got trashy, but in a really good way — she was on hand to unveil New York City’s new natural gas powered garbage trucks.

Garbage trucks are major polluters, but there’s no way we can take them off the road. According to Energy Vision, which is the non-profit behind the new trucks, if half the garbage trucks in NYC were switched to natural gas, “more than 16,000 tons of pollutants would be eliminated a year, while reliance on a clean domestic fuel would eliminate the need for 23 million gallons a year of petroleum-based diesel fuel, which is getting more expensive by the day and relies on imported oil.”

So, what does Blythe have to do with this? Well, the stunning actress and mother of Gwyneth Paltrow has long taken an interest in environmental causes, promoting recycling and conservation for the past 30 years. So, while garbage trucks might not be as sexy as, say, designing a reusable water bottle, Blythe knows that her appearance at their unveiling will bring much needed media exposure to the cause.

I know I gave you a bunch of stats about the fuel saved and pollution eliminated by the use of the new trucks, but you might be wondering exactly what that means for New Yorkers. Eliminating (or reducing) the pollution emitted into the air by replacing just 38 garbage trucks with the new natural gas powered trucks will “spare New Yorkers the health risks, involving asthma, other respiratory illnesses and cancers associated with more than 124 tons a year of airborne particulates (soot) and smog-forming nitrogen oxides.” Just 38 natural gas trucks can do that much? Let’s hope that other cities take a cue and get their own natural gas powered garbage trucks.

Photo courtesy of greendaily.com

You might already know that Drew Barrymore is a big proponent of adopting shelter dogs. In fact, she rescued her lab/chow mix, Flossie, from a flea market, and now credits her with saving her life in 2001 when a late night house fire started and Flossie woke up Drew (and her boyfriend at the time, Tom Green) by barking and thumping against the door.

Drew and Flossie have found a way to give back to the rescue community — through art. The duo has created this canvas, which includes Drew‘s handprint and Flossie’s pawprints, along with a few little extras, and it’s being auctioned off to benefit The Rescue Train. The Rescue Train is a no-kill, non-profit animal rescue “dedicated to eliminating animal suffering through hands-on rescue work, spay and neutering, education, and awareness.

Other celebrities on board with this cause are Jessica Alba and her dog Bowie, Courteney Cox and David Arquette along with their daughter Coco and dog Haley, Carmen Electra along with her pups Keiko and Daisey, and more.

If you’re interested in seeing the artwork or placing a bid, check out Charity Folks.

Photo courtesy of wikifido.com

Emmy award-winning scientist, engineer, comedian, author, inventor, and host, Bill Nye The Science Guy is coming back to television to host a new show on Discovery’s Planet Green called Stuff Happens.

Nye‘s new program will focus on showing people “what happens to everyday things before and after we consume them.” This will reveal the generally unknown and unintended consequences of many items we all take for granted, and as Nye investigates the life cycle of these products, he’ll also show us some simple changes we can all make to help reduce these consequences and benefit the environment.

The Science Guy still rides his bike to work and encourages young scientists to always clean up after themselves. His motto is “Leave the world better than you found it. Sometimes you gotta pick up somebody else’s trash.”

It seems to me that this new show is a great way for him to encourage people all over, young and old, to follow his example and work to make the world a better place, one cool science experiment at a time.

Photo courtesy of billnye.com

Supermodel Cindy Crawford is teaming up with PUR to encourage everyone — supermodel and mere mortal alike — to make their water consumption just a little greener.

This May, Cindy and PUR Water Filtration will launch Thirsty for Change, a campaign to encourage Americans to drink filtered tap water rather than the bottled water so many of us rely upon. Every year, more than 38 billion plastic water bottles end up in land fills. The good news is, Americans are drinking lots of water, but the bad news is that it’s causing a huge amount of waste.

The supermodel will do her part by designing a stylish reusable water bottle and donating all proceeds from the sales to Children’s Safe Drinking Water, a program that provides drinking water to needy kids across the globe. She’s also giving out some advice for other ways the average person can live in a more eco-friendly manner, like buying locally and unplugging unused electronic devices.

What’s great about having Cindy as a spokesperson for Thirsty for Change is that she acknowledges that not all changes are easy, but says, “… changes that fit easily into our hectic routine are the ones that are going to stick.” I’m sure we can all agree with that.

To learn more and to read the rest of Cindy‘s green tips, click here.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Since you are reading this, chances are you already know about Noodle and Boo products. There is a lot to like, and I love that their products are wholesome and natural for all skin, not just sensitive skin. They are the best I have ever used personally or have recommended as a pediatrician.

But there is more. This company has been committed to charitable giving since it began, and now the circle has widened. If you haven’t browsed the website in a while, check out the Raise Your Hand Campaign. I always felt good knowing that Noodle and Boo supported a number of children’s charities, but soon their impact will be even greater. In addition to the charities that Noodle and Boo already supports, soon you and I will be sponsoring the health and well being of an entire village in Africa just by buying a bar of soap!

Noodle and Boo’s contribution to our world is up front and personal, because these are products we use every day. And now we will feel just as good inside as we do outside!

Thandie Newton has always been an eco-minded celebrity — she’s a wearer of recycled clothing, she encourages her friends to drive environmentally friendly vehicles, and she’s often on hand to support worthy causes like breast cancer research. It looks like she’s now adding a new cause to her list — clean water in Africa.

The actress is joining a campaign sponsored by Volvic and World Vision which will supply ten liters of clean water for each liter purchased of Volvic Plain or Touch of Fruit. The campaign name is, fittingly, 10L-for-1L, and because of the support it has already received, Ghana, Zambia, Mali, and Malawi have already had wells dug which generated over 1.7 billion liters in their first year. Now that is a successful program!

Thandie decided to get on board with the project after visiting Mali and seeing the difference clean, safe water can make in the lives of children and their families. To see how you can help, check out the website.

Photo courtesy of purseblog.com

There’s no disputing that Oprah has the power to make good things happen, and she works hard to ensure they do. There’s also no doubt that she’s a huge animal lover.

This past Friday, Oprah dedicated that episode of her talk show to her late cocker spaniel, Sophie, who had passed away last month at 13 years of age. And it wasn’t just any old show — this show exposed the evils of puppy mills. It’s a hard show to watch, but I encourage you to do so, or at least learn more about puppy mills. Here are a few key points:

The conditions in which the animals live in these places is deplorable, and though the puppy might be healthy, often the mother is forced to carry litter after litter with no break, and when she’s no longer able to serve her purpose, she’s killed. Dogs in puppy mills live in their own waste without proper medical treatment. The video (shot undercover) showed a dog being euthanized as well as dogs in trashbags being tossed into a dumpster.

Oprah has always gotten her dogs from breeders, but after the emotional show, she said, “I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman after seeing this show.”

Let me encourage you to make sure you know where your pets are from before you buy from a breeder. As a nation, we can say NO to puppy mills and the mistreatment of animals by no longer spending our money with them. Celebrities all over are getting friendly with shelter pets — join them!

Oprah picture courtesy of tv.hollyscoop.com

Oprah and dogs picture courtesy of dreamdogsart.typepad.com

Rhianna is performing a series of concerts to benefit her charity, the Believe Foundation. She has already completed two performances, one in Chicago and another in San Francisco, but she has one more coming up in New York City. The only way to purchase tickets is to make a $100 minimum purchase of Escada’s latest fragrance, Moon Sparkle, at Macy’s Herald Square, Macy’s Staten Island, or Macy’s Brooklyn on this Saturday afternoon.

After each of the concerts, Rhianna makes a point to sign autographs and spend some time with children from various local charities.

Rhianna established the Believe Foundation back in 2006 to “ensure the health and well-being of our future leaders.” Believe works to “assist and inspire children who suffer from life-threatening diseases including cancer, leukemia, and AIDS.” The foundation assists on an individual level as well as on an institutional level, raising money and awareness for medical research. Believe seeks to achieve that which Rhianna has always worked toward in her own career — “to inspire with hope, courage, and love.”

For more information about the event, check out the Highline Ballroom website.

Photo courtesy of defjam.com

Kate Hudson is coming out with an eco-friendly line of hair products, which will donate 10% of the proceeds back to the animal organization WildAid. Actually, it’s not just Kate developing the line — she’s teaming up with L.A. celebrity hairstylist David Babaii, and the haircare line, which will be free of sulfates, parabens, animal products, and not be tested on animals, will be called DAVID BABAII FOR WILDAID.

WildAid works to reverse wildlife devastation all across the earth, seeks to end illegal wildlife trade, and helps communities learn to sustain themselves without causing further damage to the environment.

To show how closely entwined this line is with environmental issues, Kate took a trip to Africa with famous photographer Peter Lindbergh to shoot the ad campaign for the products. Let me tell you right now — I am so jealous. She had the opportunity to get cuddly with cheetahs and lion cubs. However, I can’t get too miffed; listen to how excited she sounds about her new venture:

“I really have a thing about natural product. It’s very difficult to make things that are completely organic and sustainable. David and I got so excited about making something like that. Making something conscious and making it good.”

I know I, for one, will be keeping my eyes open for DAVID BABAII FOR WILDAID. Will you?

Photo courtesy of ecorazzi.com