Kate Middleton Camps Out with ARK Organization Kids

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Kate Middleton’s love of nature is well known; her and Prince William’s definition of a perfect getaway consists of a romantic lodge with no electricity and lots of campfires and candles.

A source once described their engagement spot as “the safest place in the world for William. It is the one place he can be by himself. And he does not have to be guarded because the wildlife there are his guardians.”

It’s no surprise then, that the Duchess of Cambridge recently joined a group of 28 children in a campout as part of an ARK ‘Expanding Horizons’ primary school camp project that works to connect inner-city kids in an outdoor setting. ARK is one of the charities that Kate is supporting this year.

Kate joined the children in teepee building, a cookout and a bonfire, later sharing about her new life with royalty.

“Well, it’s been very busy and great fun,” she said. “but I am very well looked after. William is very sweet and kind of spoils me.”

No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament for a Great Cause in Vegas

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Things are heating up in Las Vegas at the moment (aren’t they always?) for a good cause. The World Series of Poker taking place right now includes a no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament that will last until Tuesday. The tournament has, to date, raised $5.5 million for One Drop, a Montreal charity that supports clean drinking water.

The tournament requires a $1 million buy-in and grew out of a conversation that Guy Laliberte, the founder of One Drop, and Mitch Garber, the chief executive of Caesars Interactive Entertainment had.

Many heavy-hitters are taking part in the tournament, including hedge fund manager David Einhorn. He has staked $1 million of his own money on the charity tournament, which will be awarding $18.3 million to the winner.

Mr. Einhorn’s goal is to donate any proceeds that he wins towards City Year, a Boston-based organization that works with public schools to prevent dropouts.

Other entrants at the tournament from the investment realm include Daniel Shak of SHK Asset Management and Chamath Palihapitiva, a venture capitalist. Last year, Mr. Einhorn lasted until day two of the tournament; in 2006 he managed to finish in 18th place and to earn $600,000 for a charitable cause. As a spokesman for Mr. Einhorn, Jonathan Doorley, said, “David believes that to solve the education crisis, public schools have to succeed through creative and proven initiatives. City Year is at the forefront of making needed improvements within the education system.”

Fill the World with Books Says James Owens

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Business professor James Owens, founder of the non-profit organization The World is Just a Book Away, is changing lives.  Deciding to share his love of reading with those who are less fortunate, he is helping to build libraries and to encourage reading in Indonesia.

Since 2009, The World is just a Book Away has built dozens of libraries in Indonesia in Padang, Sidoarjo and Bali. As Owens explained his inspiration,

“They go to school, they learn and they are very smart.  They do not have access to books, history and fables and stories and science, that can really spark their imagination and let them dream.”

Fundraising efforts include many approaches for the organization.  Executive Director Robert Lucas helps to connect donors with the various projects that the charity finances.  Some of the libraries have even been named for their donors, including Cher, Liam Neeson, Jane Goodall and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Owens, a professor at the University of Southern California, has created a five-kilometer charity run to raise money for the cause.

Each library costs between $5000 and $10,000, and one charity event can pave the way for a new library.

Headmaster at one school in Padang, Amril Lasmana, explains how important the library can be to students in Padang. Lasmana said, “The enthusiasm, interest, and motivation of our students in learning increased.  The library building has been renewed.  And now, it is in good and clean condition, so it motivates our students to study.”

So far, The World is Just a Book Away has built a total of 49 libraries for children in Indonesia and 26 for their parents.

Penn State Coach’s Family to Donate $1.5 of Pension to Charity

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Joe Paterno coached at Penn State for 61 years, earning a state pension of $13.4 million. His widow, Sue, recently revealed that she will receive a bit more than $10 million, while the rest of the fund will be paid out over the next few years.

Spokesman Dan McGinn also revealed the family’s plans to donate $1.5 million to charities associated with Penn State or State College areas.

Paterno, a Hall of Famer, became Penn State’s top earner when he received a compensation package of $1.02 million from the university last year. The family explained, however, that the formula used to calculate the pension could not account for more than a $240,000 salary.

Though Paterno led Penn State to two national titles, the coach’s compensation was nowhere near as impressive as those of other famous college football coaches. Nick Saban of Alabama makes over $4.6 million a year, for example.

“Financial gain was never Coach Paterno’s top priority,” said McGinn. “He believed he was fortunate to work with great young men at one of the country’s premier academic institutions.”

He added that the Paternos have donated more than $9 million to Penn State, as well as to various non-profits.

“A commitment to give back to the community that had welcomed and supported them so fully was always a priority for Joe and Sue Paterno,” he said.

Charity Wine to Water Making a Difference

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Doc Hendley

Doc Hendley

People’s individual stories can be incredibly inspirational. Doc Hendley was raised by Christian missionaries and soon became a rebel and party-goer.  As he said, “Everything was just about me and what I was doing that night.”

Then, a close friend pushed him to do something meaningful with his life, and he came upon the idea for a charity in 2004.  Wine to Water.org was started in Boone, North Carolina and today has a budget of $500,000 with programs that repair wells and offer water filtration in countries like Uganda, India, Cambodia, Peru and Haiti.

He’s recently published a book called “Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World.”

After visiting the Sudan’s Darfur region and seeing how emaciated the women and children were, Hendley enrolled in a well-repair training program that was run by the United Nations Children’s Fund.

As Hendley explained, “That began the evolution of my nonprofit. I want all the projects I do to have local involvement, to have the local people getting their hands dirty and doing the work. That way, it’s more sustainable.”

While he faces many uphill battles, Hendley feels good about the nonprofit he’s created and the work that he is doing.  As he said, “I kept asking: ‘Is this work worth it? And I said, ‘Yes.’ To see what happens when you give mothers an opportunity to give their children clean water so that they don’t have to bury any more of their babies from diarrheal disease, is so life-changing to me.”

Charlize Theron Donates Gowns to Children Charity

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Celebrities are teaming up once again to support children and the battle against AIDS in Africa.

One of the top participants, Charlize Theron, happens to have founded the benefitting organization, called the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Program, or CTAOP.

Theron will be donating some of her most expensive and sought-after gowns to an auction supporting the cause. The auction will take place via Charity Buzz, and the South African beauty will contribute dresses including the black Versace worn at the Spike Video Game Awards, as well as the purple Lanvin gown Theron wore at the Cannes Film Festival.

Other celebrity items to be included in the auction are a personal tour of Jay Leno’s car collection, as well as four tickets to a live “The Tonight Show” performance. There will be a Sixers jersey signed by Allen Iverson, and a raised organic bed by GreenTree Landscaping.

Since its inception, CTAOP has helped provide more than 50,000 children with education and health support.

 

Celebrities Karaoke for UNICEF’s Schools for Africa

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A recent celebrity karaoke night contributed more than just entertainment by raising funds and promoting awareness for UNICEF and its Schools for Africa project.

Tom Bergeron hosted the event, with the Ricky Minor Band performing backup for stars like Heidi Klum, Molly Sims, Tom Hanks and many others.

Lakers powerhouse Pau Gasol performed an emotional rendition of “How to Save a Life” by The Fray, while James Denton, Kyle Maclachlan and Doug Savant sang “R.O.C.K. in the USA.” Heidi Klum, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson sang “YMCA”, and Molly Sims gave Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach” a whirl. Other performances included “Easy Lover” by Kristen Bell and Don Cheadle, “Regulate” by Seamus Dever and Jon Huertas.

UNICEF’s Schools for Africa is a philanthropic organization working to provide sub-Saharan children with an education despite the lack of schools as well as conflict, discrimination and poverty.

Along with its partners, UNICEF works to “build, rehabilitate and furnish schools; provide access to clean water and separate latrines for boys and girls; train teachers in child-friendly methods to improve education and basic life skill mentoring; supply students with school materials and recreation equipment.”

As of 2011, UNICEF is one of the most successful humanitarian foundations when it comes to saving the lives of children in more than 150 countries.

The Barefoot Foundation Founder Shakira Nominated for Charity Award

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Shakira, the Colombian singer and dancer beloved by nations worldwide, was recently nominated for a charity award in Spain.

The Prince of Asturias Concord award is presented to individuals “whose work has significantly contributed to fostering peace, the defense of human rights, freedom, solidarity, the safeguarding of heritage, or, in general, the progress of humanity.”

Previous recipients include Stephen Hawking, the renowned scientist, and J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series.

Shakira is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, as well as the founder of the Barefoot Foundation, having created its partner, the Pies Descalzos Foundation, when she was only 18 years old. This past year, the organization raised funds to build schools in Colombia and Haiti.

The Barefoot Foundation works to provide education to children across the globe. It supports practical and innovative education programs while promoting the importance of childhood education.

The organization believes that “Education is the key to a better world for everyone, not just underprivileged children. Education is not just books and facts; it is also social and emotional growth.”

The Barefoot Foundation “helps children exercise their basic right to an education, paving the way for their growth in society.”

According to their website, the foundation works “with boys and girls whose lives have been disrupted by violence and poverty hoping that someday we will no longer lose young human potential to poverty, malnutrition and violence.” They add that “Simply providing teachers and schools is not enough when children are faced with extreme poverty, so we work to ensure that they do not learn with empty stomachs and broken homes.”

Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation Is Born

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Born This Way Foundation

picture from advocate.com

Lady Gaga just unveiled her latest venture – and it had nothing to do with a wacky outfit or outlandish head dress.  She is rolling out a new youth foundation with her mother, Cynthia Germanotta. Called the Born This Way Foundation, she launched her plan on February 29th, 2012 at the Harvard University Sanders Theatre.  The Harvard University Berkman Center for Internet and Society and the Graduate School of Education are teaming with Lady Gaga in this new venture.

The Born This Way Foundation is a nonprofit charity that plans to “foster a more accepting society, where differences are embraced and individuality is celebrated.’’ It has three pillars which include Safety, Skills and Opportunity.

The charity roll-out at Harvard was no small affair. Gaga was joined by Oprah Winfrey, spiritual leader Deepak Chopra and the US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at the launch.

She explained that

“The goal of the Born This Way Foundation is to challenge meanness and cruelty by inspiring young people to create a support system in their respective communities,’’ she said. “This is about changing . . . the school environment, and not putting the power in the hands of the teachers or the government.’’

She emphasized that it is not, exclusively, an anti-bullying charity, but much of the talk at the launch did focus on cyber bullying and other issues.

Oprah Winfrey explained her excitement about the new foundation. As she said,

“What is exciting to me is that thought leaders have gathered together as one force to ask why does bullying and violence and hatred against young people continue in our society and what we can do about it.’’

Time will tell how the foundation fulfills its mission. At the moment, it’s certainly a breath of fresh air and a venture that has promise, from one of America’s most popular and powerful superstars.

The Good Teenagers

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Supporting Educational Programs for Kids

It seems that sometimes, teenagers just get a bad rap.  But truthfully, those are just the stories we hear about.  There are countless other tales of teens doing good things – really good things – out of the goodness of their hearts.  And that is exactly what has been happening in Norwalk when two volunteer teens used their love of math to support educational programs in the area.

Two students and St. Luke’s School –15 year-old Khushwant Dhaliwal and 16 year-old Sheetal Akole – rather than spending their Saturday afternoons engaging in some mindless activity, instead can be found at the Fairfield Math Club where they coach fifth to eighth graders for national math contests.  With the donations they receive from the students they are assisting, they choose a charity to help out.  For example, Dhaliwal just raised $300 and Akole, $800 for the Family & Children’s Agency.  Akole asked it to be used for the charity’s After School Program that gives academic support to 50 students in Norwalk public middle school.

Math Club Mission

As Akole pointed out, the math club’s mission is to provide a community service by helping prepare students for math contests and, simultaneously, help charities through such activities.  Naturally, the charity was thrilled to accept these donations.  It’s the second consecutive year Akole has chosen this charity and a first time for Dhailwal.  It shows that these teens have a very strong value of the importance of education in the community and wish to ensure others have as many educational opportunities as possible.