In this article, we will learn about the 14 stars who participated in charitable organizations and their significance to them in 2023. The stars will explain the reasons that drove them to dedicate themselves to these organizations and how you can help in 2024.
Patrick Dempsey
In this story published in the issue dated January 2, 2023, Patrick Dempsey explains how he became aware of complementary therapies when his mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1997. He describes how the Dempsey Center offers free services such as counseling, emotional support, and integrated therapies for cancer patients and their families. He also explains how he spent time with students from the Environment School in Maine in a nonprofit environmental education program. He highlights the importance of reshaping how we interact with the environment and how prevention relates to our emotional lives and what we consume. He also mentions that volunteering with the Dempsey Center was a true healing experience for his mother and how he believes she would be proud of their growth and impact.
For more information, you can visit dempseycenter.org and theecologyschool.org
Justin H. Min
In this story published in the issue dated February 27, 2023, Justin H. Min explains how he traveled with UNICEF to Lebanon and met with Syrian refugees. He describes how their stories were painful but gave him hope because they are resilient. He also explains how UNICEF partnered with the Turkish government to provide warm clothing, blankets, and hygiene kits to those affected by the earthquake in Turkey. In Syria, they are focused on ensuring access to safe drinking water and sanitation services. He notes that these disasters have impacted many communities and that children are among the most vulnerable. Our donations will help protect them.
For more information about UNICEF’s recent humanitarian relief efforts, you can visit unicefusa.org
Simone Biles
In this story published in the issue dated March 13, 2023, Simone Biles explains how she was a child in foster care, so she knows well how children feel when there is no one to help them. She describes how children in underprivileged communities need someone to believe in and care for them through the Friends of the Children organization. She explains how she helped provide free tickets to a gymnastics show and connect with the people involved in the show. Now, a branch is being established in Houston to provide the necessary support for children in that area.
For more information, you can visit friendsofthechildren.org
Lisa Koshy
In this story published in the issue dated March 27, 2023, Lisa Koshy explains how she volunteered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Zaatari camp in Jordan. She describes how the camp was established after the Syrian crisis began 12 years ago and how her experience with a mother and her six children was remarkable. She notes that she learned a lot from those visits and wants to contribute in her own way to improving the lives of displaced persons and refugees. She emphasizes that awareness and donations can have a significant impact on the lives of those individuals.
For more information, you can visit unhcr.org
Josh Gad
In this story published in the issue dated May 1, 2023, Josh Gad explains how he will never forget the first time he heard about the Holocaust. He recounts how, at the age of six, he was walking with his grandmother when he looked at her fading blue tattoo and asked, “Why do you have this?” The grandmother took a deep breath and said, “When I was not much older than you, I was taken away from my parents and endured terrible, unimaginable things.” He explains how he is now working with a nonprofit called “If You Heard What I Heard,” which shares Holocaust stories from the grandchildren of survivors. He notes that his grandmother was honest about her experiences and spoke urgently. He now feels that it was a warning and that this warning has real weight with the rising tide of global anti-Semitism. He wants to ensure that this will not happen in the age of his children and their children.
For more information, you can visit…
For more information, you can visit the website ifyouheardwhatiheard.com
Jennie Garth
In this story published first in the issue dated May 22, 2023, Jennie Garth explains how her father and sister suffered strokes and how Luke Perry died from a sudden stroke. She describes how she works with the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association to make stroke detection much easier for people. She also explains how partnering with these organizations is an opportunity to honor her loved ones and help prevent the loss of others.
For more information, you can visit the website stroke.org
Helena Christensen
In this story published first in the issue dated July 3, 2023, Helena Christensen explains how she started volunteering with the UN Refugee Agency in 2015 and became an ambassador for them in 2019. She details how she visits camps every year, meets refugees and displaced persons, and shares their stories. She notes that she has learned a lot from those visits and wants to contribute in her own way to improving the lives of these individuals. She points out that awareness and donations can have a significant impact on their lives.
For more information, you can visit the website unrefugees.org
Doug E. Fresh
In this story published first in the issue dated August 14, 2023, Doug E. Fresh explains how Hip Hop Public Health is an organization aimed at building health awareness to achieve health equity. He explains how many individuals in Black and Brown communities suffer from illness and not everyone receives medical check-ups. He describes how they present their message in a fun and relatable way through rap programs, partnerships, and online resources that feature famous artists. He mentions that they worked with Michelle Obama on the Let’s Move! campaign and that they are entering schools. He points out that their efforts in stroke prevention are working and that hip hop is the largest global cultural influence today and is changing lives.
For more information, you can visit the website hhph.org
Debbie Allen
In this story published first in the issue dated September 18, 2023, Debbie Allen explains how The Gr8 Eye Movement campaign is personally significant to her. She shares how she was diagnosed with pre-diabetes years ago and how she realized that no one was talking about the diabetes threat to vision. She describes how diabetes has affected her family and that there is a large community of people over 60 who are vulnerable to retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinal swelling. She explains how they want to raise awareness about the importance of eye health on the eighth day of every month. She shares how she takes her mother to the eye doctor three times a year and how she also checks herself because she knows that this risk runs in her family.
For more information, you can visit the website gr8eyemovement.com
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood
In this story published first in the issue dated October 30, 2023, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood explain how they have collaborated with Habitat for Humanity for 15 years. They describe how Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have inspired them in many aspects like humanity, humility, and ethics. They explain how they built in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and how they saw a change in the faces of homeowners when they returned the following year. They explain how joy and tears fill the place when people enter their homes for the first time. They share how they carry these moments with them everywhere.
For more information, you can visit the website habitat.org
Thomas
Thomas Sadoski
In this story published for the first time in the issue dated November 13, 2023, Thomas Sadoski explains how he works with War Child, an organization that rebuilds communities in Sudan, Uganda, Afghanistan, and more. He describes how the change is tangible with this organization and how they visited a school in Yemen and witnessed the pride of children in their learning and creating a better tomorrow. He feels grateful that he and his wife can do this together and that they can help people regain their dignity, which is one of the first things taken away during war.
For more information, you can visit warchildusa.org
Lindsey Vonn
In this story published for the first time in the issue dated November 27, 2023, Lindsey Vonn explains how in 2014, when she missed the Olympics due to an injury, she tried to find something positive to do instead of being depressed. She reflects on her childhood when she was nine years old and met Picabo Street, the skier who inspired her to pursue her dreams. She decided to launch the Lindsey Vonn Foundation the following year. Through it, they provide scholarships and organize weekend empowerment camps, where they teach young people everything from positive body image to financial independence. So far, they have awarded a million dollars in scholarships, about 50 percent of which goes to sports programs. She believes that sports have a unique way of teaching children about life, specifically failure. We all fail in life sometimes. What matters is how we get back up after a fall.
For more information, you can visit lindseyvonnfoundation.org
Rosario Dawson
In this story published for the first time in the issue dated December 25, 2023, Rosario Dawson explains how she worked with the Girls Club on the Lower East Side of New York City, which connects young girls through creative programs and mentorship. She explains how she has seen it grow and evolve over the years, but the building needed updates for the past 12 years. Samsung equipped the space with screens that can be drawn on, and it’s amazing to see these kids develop their creativity and learn how technology can benefit them. It heals me to see what the club is doing for the community I grew up in. When I feel anxious about what’s happening in the world, I look at those girls and know that there is a way forward.
For more information, you can visit girlsclub.org
Source: https://www.aol.com/season-giving-14-stars-charities-145708810.html
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