Edward Norton Raises Money with “Words with Friends”

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: , , , , ,

If you love playing “Words with Friends” then you just might enjoy doing so for charity. Today, you’ll find celebrities like Edward Norton, Jonah Hill and Snoop Dogg enjoying Zynga’s word-building game online.

As Travis Boatman, senior vice president of mobile at Zynga Inc. explained, “We had the idea to do a celebrity tournament some time ago when it became apparent that the game was a hit among celebrities. It seems like everyone from Katie Couric to Snoop Lion is into the game. It’s really inspirational for the team to see how ‘Words With Friends’ has become part of the cultural mainstream, and I think it has struck a chord because it’s not just a game, it’s a way for people to connect and keep in touch with each other.”

Norton will be playing for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Fund and will be competing against such celebrities as Eva Longoria, Kristen Bell and John Legend. They are each going to be aiming for the $500,000 in prize money given by American Express.

Regular people can join in the fun with the celebrities, playing with their favorite star’s team during the competition called the “Words With Friends Celebrity Challenge.”

Taylor Swift Performs New Single at Stand Up to Cancer Telecast

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Friday night saw the 2012 Stand Up To Cancer telecast take place at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. This star-studded event included Sofia Vergara, Chelsea Handler, Eric Stonestreet, Ty Burrell and many others.

One of the most moving tributes given during the event was Taylor Swift’s performance of her new song, Ronan. The song was inspired after Swift read a blog last year about four year old Ronan who was battled cancer, and who died. As the lyrics said, “You were my best four years. I remember your bare feet down the hallway, I love you to the move and back.”

The ultimate goal of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is to “bring together the best and the brightest in the cancer community, encouraging collaboration instead of competition.” They encourage collaboration, offering financing to multi-disciplinary research teams across the country.

They explain on their website that, “’Dream Teams’ of cancer researchers are already hard at work because of Stand Up To Cancer’s support. A portion of our funds also go to innovative, high-risk, high-reward cancer research being done by individual investigators and their lab teams. This work, which is often not supported by conventional funding sources, has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of cancer patients.”

Charity Auction to Sell James Bond Memorabilia

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According to Christie’s auctioneers, the most coveted attraction at an upcoming charity auction is the Aston Martin V12 DBS coupe used in the ‘Quantum of Solace’ James Bond film.

The invite-only auction, which will take place on October 5th, will benefit a British children’s charity called Barnardo’s amongst others. The 2008 Aston Martin is expected to sell for at least $160,000. Several other ‘Quantum of Solace’ items will also be available, including a pair of sunglasses worn by Daniel Craig in the movie, special editions of the Bond books by Ian Fleming, an Omega ‘Planet Ocean’ watch from ‘Skyfall’ and a blue swimsuit worn by Craig in ‘Casino Royale.’

Numerous items were donated by EON Productions, as well as Timothy Dalton, Aston Martin and Ian Fleming’s family. Another auction will be held online from September 28th through October 8th, according to Christie’s. Proceeds will support UNICEF.

Additional items from the online auction include a silk dress worn by Halle Berry in ‘Die Another Die’, a clapperboard and director’s chair from ‘Golden Eye’, a belt worn by Christopher Lee in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun,’ and many others.

giveSPORTS Equipment Drive Honors Aurora Victim

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Jessica Redfield Ghawi, a victim of the Aurora shooting, is being commemorated with a charity sports equipment drive this weekend. The event, called the Jessica Redfield Ghawi giveSPORTS Equipment Drive, will be launched by the Colorado Avalanche through Kroenke Sports Charity.

The idea for the charity came from Jessica herself, following some brutal wildfires in Colorado. The teen aimed to help affected families by replacing lost sports equipment. Now, the charity has expanded to support local Denver children with A Precious Child, another non-profit organization.

Jay Meloff, Jessica’s old boyfriend, explains her mission on the event’s website, saying:

“Jessi realized that it’s the little things that make a big difference. She had such a passion for sports and she knew what an important role sports played in communities. She knew that sports are something that can really help kids bounce back, give them something to look forward to even in the worst of circumstances. Jessi was the most incredible giver I’ve ever met, and she was always looking to help others even when it wasn’t in her best interest to help. Her main focus was making sure that all these families that lost everything had the little things.”

James Lawrence | Tri to Give a Dam | Breaks Record & Raises Money

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Little did James Lawrence know what a blessing it would turn out to be when his mortgage business collapsed under the weight of the current economy. When they lost their mortgage business in late 2008, Lawrence decided that it was time to take a risk.  He started a personal health and wellness company, and has now broken two world records – one for the number of half Ironman distance triathlons he had completed by 2010 and one, this weekend, for the number of full Ironman distance triathlons completed in one year.

His story of completing 20 Ironman Triathlons in one year began with a gentle nag from his wife. As he explained,

“I started out just doing fun runs with my wife. And I guess I was just pathetic enough that she signed me up for a marathon without telling me. I started with the Salt Lake Marathon. That’s where my endurance career started.”

While the first marathon wasn’t a great success, Lawrence and his wife, Sunny Jo Mama, started to compete in sprint triathlons.  They accomplished 14 of them.

Now, he trains others to find their healthy passions and he just reached his goal of breaking the world record for the number of Ironmans completed in a year. Now, he plans to finish 30 races by the end of the year to raise money for quietway.org. This non-profit develops clean water for Kenyans. He writes about his fundraising efforts, that he’s called Tri and Give a Dam!, on his blog and other locations.

Lawrence explained,

“I got involved with In Our Own Quiet Way in 2009. They build dams and they have women’s groups and feeding centers in Africa. I help with the dams. I race to raise money to donate to the charity, which deals with water issues and problems over there.”

Learn more about James Lawrence and his amazing efforts here:

Stars Take Off Their Shoes for Soles4Souls

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Shoes appear to be the hot charity item at the moment. Certainly, if you’re going to give to charity, you might as well end up looking your best as you do so.  That’s the idea behind Soles4Souls, the international shoe charity that has just announced an exciting new line-up of amazing celebrities who are taking off their shoes for charity.

Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Ryan Seacrest, Jimmy Fallon, Chase Crawford and others are offering their shoes for auction. Soles4Souls, a Nashville-based charity, collects shoes from all over the world and distributes them free of charge to people in need.  Since 2005, they have given away over 11 million pairs of new and gently used shoes in over 125 countries.

With their latest auction, they will be auctioning off the shoes of famous people and also auctioning four destination trips. The auction will be hosted at CharityBuzz.com.

As Kevin Goughary, CEO of Soles4Souls, said “For most celebrities, the shoes they wear are an important reflection of their personality and fashion taste. But for millions of adults and children around the world, their shoes are a necessity to protect them from life-threatening diseases like hook worm. This auction is a perfect example of one person’s shoes being able to make a real world difference is someone else’s life.”

This auction is a brilliant way for celebrities to get involved in a great cause – and for the charity to assist those who need the most basic of necessities – like shoes.

NeNe Leakes Combines Fashion with Charity

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There’s nothing better than an opportunity to look your best – while also helping out a charity. That’s what NeNe Leakes has in mind with the new shoe design that she has recently created. The “Nethia” design is a black boot that is ankle-length and has platform heels and a zipper.  Posting a photo of her hot new design on Twitter, NeNe said, “I love this ‘Nethia’ shoe! I’m very proud of it & created it myself 4 a great charity.”

The shoes can be found on ShoeDazzle’s website, a brilliant creation from Kim Kardashian where style-minded women can get fashionable shoes, handbags, accessories and more each month made by leading designers and celebrities. While ShoeDazzle.com used to be a subscription mail-order service only, they’ve recently started offering all times for $39.95 with free shipping!

And, the best part of purchasing NeNe’s latest design is that all profits from the shoe will go towards Saving Our Daughters. This is a nonprofit that works to help teen girls with issues of bullying, date abuse, hate crimes, school violence, violence against women and other self-esteem issues. They are making important strides to boost the self esteem of girls everywhere.

Shoes…fashion…charity…self esteem….it’s a combination that can’t be beat.

Real Housewives of New Jersey Star Hosting Autism Evening

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Jacqueline Laurita is finally coming clean to explain why the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” producers have kept Nicholas off of the cameras up until now. Laurita explained that Nocholas was only recently diagnosed during the taping of Season 4 and that his symptoms started to appear around 18 months.

Revealing that he has autism, Laurita is using the revelation as a chance to benefit an autism charity.

Now, she is hosting a charity event for Autism at the Brownstone called the Sparkle Event.  It will include a three course dinner, an open bar and entertainment during the evening. The event will take place at The Brownstone from 7-11 pm on Thursday, September 20th.

The event will benefit Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization founded in 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright.

 

CollegeHumor Launches ‘Malarious’ to Support Malaria No More

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Digital comedy site CollegeHumor is thrilling fans with its newest project- a charity initiative called Malarious. In partnership with Malaria No More, the effort will raise money for the battle against the disease.

Malarious’s Cirque du Malaria is a series of vaudevillian comedy clips, featured at collegehumor.com/malarious. The videos include bits from famous celebrities, including David Arquette, Allison Williams and Tony Hale. CollegeHumor fans can flip through the selection for a minimum donation of $1.

Arquette, who is seen wearing a tux-style speedo, shared his appreciation for the Internet and the artistic freedom it provides.

“You don’t have to deal with the executive aspects of it, approvals and content restrictions. It allows for creativity, and it also allows you to do something in a shorter format that you can serialize,” Arquette said. It’s “kind of like a vaudeville model for the new age, where it’s two-minute pieces of content that essentially are people’s sweet spot for their attention span.”

Allison Williams also gushed about the project.

“The fan base that CollegeHumor has, and a lot of these actors have, lends itself to younger fans. When you’re young, other than volunteering, there are very few opportunities to reach out and be charitable, so when an organization says ‘You can literally give us a dollar, and you’ll be helping’ it’s a really user-friendly way to do something charitable,” she said.

President of original content at CollegeHumor Media Sam Reich agreed, saying: “This is a whole new model for the way that online charity campaigns can work.”

 

Sean Penn’s J/P HRO Offers to Oversee National Palace Demolition in Haiti

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The Haitian government recently revealed that J/P Haitian Relief Organization, or HRO, a nonprofit aid group founded by actor Sean Penn, has offered to oversee the demolition of the National Palace. The building was damaged in the 2010 earthquake, and has been slowly collapsing ever since. Government officials have been working from a small police station as well as a few impromptu buildings on the Palace grounds.

Lucien Jura, a government spokesman, explained that the project would begin in ten days’ time. J/P HRO has not asked for any payment, despite the fact that the demolition will take at least two months.

“Amb. Penn mentioned that his organization could provide the engineers and equipment to do the demolition at no cost to the government,” Jura said.

Penn’s foundation believes that the project symbolizes a turning point for Haiti and its nation. The demolition team will work alongside the government as well as a department responsible for preserving historical monuments, aiming to combine construction machines and hands-on work to preserve and restore certain parts of the complex.

“It’s an important project, an important step for the government, for Haiti, for the people of Haiti to move on,” said Ron Baldwin, executive director of J/P HRO.