John has much experience working in the philanthropic world, and takes great interest in charitable goings on today.

Bill Gates Lets His Hair Down

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In a recent interview on ABC’s Q&A program, Bill Gates gave viewers a glimpse of what makes him tick. He said that his main mission is to rid the world of polio and he believes he has only three countries to go. While in Australia recently for 14 hours, he managed to convince Prime Minister Julia Gillard to spend another $80 million on his polio crusade.

When asked about how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invests in companies like oil companies, Gates said, “I don’t endorse every action of those we have invested in – we are not the court of justice.” But he did mention that the Foundation doesn’t invest in tobacco or weapons companies.

For anyone who was wondering, Bill Gates doesn’t plan to clone himself or use cryogenics. As he said, “Life is great but you have to make room for people who come after you.”

He explained that the next major focus for the Foundation will be the cervical cancer vaccine that has been pioneered by Australian scientist Ian Frazer.

Halle Berry Hosts 2013 EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity

revlon-runwalk-logo-nyc-2013dA charity walk in Los Angeles took place on May 11, 2013 and was hosted by expectant actress Halle Berry. She helped to launch the 2013 EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women. This is an annual fundraiser that raises money for cancer research, treatment and counseling. The challenge was a 3.5 mile walk/run.

Joining in the fun was actress Julie Bowen from Modern Family. She tweeted, after the run, “Huge thanks to all the volunteers at Revlon Run today. ESPECIALLY the Air Force in boiling hot uniforms. (And gloriously huge Navy guy.)”

This was the 20th annual Revlon Run/Walk for Women. Halle Berry was there while taking a break from filming her upcoming movie, X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Teri Hatcher’s Celebrity Yard Sale

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity, ChildFund InternationalTagged: , ,

Teri HatcherIt’s a clever idea and one that is certain to please many. Teri Hatcher requested new and used celebrity items from her friends, including Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Al Pacino, and others for a Celebrity Yard Sale. She displayed these finds on The Green of the Americana at Brand in Glendale to benefit the Juvenile Arthritis Association.

For $25, visitors enjoyed entrance to the event, food, drinks, kids’ activities and live music. Musical guests included Carly Ritter, American Bloomers, Pete and D. Henry Fenton. There was also a silent auction as well with one-of-a-kind items.

The event took place on April 27th from 11-4.

 

Kimbra’s Guitar Being Auctioned at Banquet

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Kimbra-and-Gotye-at-2013-Grammys-GettyIf you love Kimbra and want a piece of her personal history, then watch for the Hospice Waikato’s Montana Catering Bucket List Banquet coming next month. Grammy award winner and Hamilton-born Kimbra has donated the guitar that helped her get to where she is today.

The Fender electric guitar was purchased in 2002, but Kimbra’s parents, and it was her first serious guitar. It cost $900 at the time of purchase.

Now, it’s going to be auctioned off at the fundraising dinner that Waikato Hospice is having next month. As their chief executive, Craig Tamblyn, said, the guitar should bring in big money. Someone has already placed a bid for $500 when they heard that it had belonged to Kimbra.

Ben Affleck Giving Up Starbucks For Charity

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affleckBen Affleck has agreed to forgo his beloved Starbucks coffee for five days to bring awareness to the global problem of poverty. He has committed to living on $1.50 a day for five days to bring awareness to global hunger and poverty. He is teaming up with the “Live Below the Line” charity team.

On Monday, April 22 Ben tweeted, “1.4 billion people live on less than $1.50/day. I’m joining Live #BelowTheLine on behalf of @easterncongo. Will you?”

Stars joining Ben’s efforts include Sophia Bush and Josh Groban. The campaign begins on April 29th and will run through May 3. So don’t expect any of those constant pictures of Ben on his way into and out of Starbucks on those days.

Prizeo: A New Way to Raise Money for Charities

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logo-symbolPrizeo is making waves in the celebrity charity world. They are a start-up that is working with celebrities to create what they call “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences for the average person, while helping to raise money.

As founder Bryan Baum explained, “The raffle structure is the best way to fundraise and collect consumer data. Auctions only get money from highest bidder, but raffles open this up to masses and get money from everyone.”

The way that their model works is as follows. People enter a Prizeo raffle by making a small donation to a celebrity’s designated charity. A winner is then chosen from the people who made a donation to receive the designated adventure. The adventure might be an afternoon of tea with your favorite band or a chance to meet a great performer. Runners up will also get prizes.

In order to make this model work, Prizeo obviously needs a pool of celebrities who are willing to be part of the program. The start-up has teamed with talent agency WME to make this portion of the plan work.

Celebrity Fight Night XIX

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muhamThe recent Celebrity Fight Night raised over $7 million in the support of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute and other locations. Many of Hollywood’s most famous converged on the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa on March 23 for Muhammad Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night XIX.

The black-tie event featured a live auction, a silent auction and a night of mingling and enjoying. The hottest tickets on the auction block included dinner with Reba McEntire at her home in Beverly Hills. This went for $800, 000. There were also two tickets for Tom Hanks’ Broadway show “Lucky Guy,” a VIP performance by Andrea Bocelli with a  private dinner and more.

In the 19 years that it has been taking place, it has raised $87 million dollars for Parkinson’s research and other causes.

Jennie Garth Joins Auction for Autism Speaks

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Jennie GarthJennie Garth just joined the long line up of famous people helping out with Lindt’s fourth GOLD BUNNY Celebrity Auction. 97 celebrities in total from Celine Dion to Blake Lively will be helping to raise money for autism causes. Fans can big on the celebrity-signed porcelain Lindt GOLD BUNNY figures by going to LindtGOLDBUNNYAuction.com until March 15th.

100% of the proceeds from the auction help Autism Speaks.

As Garth said about her participation, “I’m truly excited to help kick off the Lindt GOLD BUNNY Celebrity Auction to raise funds for a cause that affects so many children. As a mother of three daughters, I look forward to special moments in life, and combining our Easter traditions with giving back is the perfect way to celebrate this spring.”

As Thomas Linemayr, president and CEO of Lindt USA said, “Lindt is thrilled to have raised raise more than $600,000 for the autism cause over the course of our five year partnership with Autism Speaks. We are thankful for strong celebrity community support, which has helped make the auction an overwhelming success. We are especially excited to have Jennie Garth join us this year to launch the Auction and raise even more funds for the cause.”

One Billion Rising Rises on Valentine’s Day

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obr-homeValentine’s Day ended up being a day to take a stand, rather than just a day to show love. Activist Eve Ensler launched One Billion Rising a year ago, with the plan to get a billion people around the world to take action to end violence against women. She was hoping to create a specific dance that would be performed globally on February 14, 2013.

As she explained to The Guardian, “Think of how, when I have spoken out about the women and girls who have been raped in Congo’s 13-year war for minerals to parliaments around the world, I have often been cautioned that my language is inflammatory or extreme, when in fact I have not come close to finding the words with which to express the horrors I have heard and witnessed.”

There were thousands of events in over 200 countries on the 14th which included flash mobs, parties and more. The event was endorsed by the UN, prime ministers and celebrities. As Robert Redford explained, “One billion women and young girls will be raped or beaten in their lifetime. I am one of the billion rising to help stop violence against women. Statistics tell us that one in three women will become victims to violence, but it is not a women’s issue. It’s a global crisis. One billion rising is the movement that seeks to put an end to violence against women.”
Similarly, actor and activist Jane Fonda showed her support. She said, “I’m rising because my mother was sexually abused when she was eight years old and it damaged her life forever. She was never able to really love or to not feel guilty. She killed herself when she was 42 and those two things are related. I’m rising because I work with young girls, most of whom are poor, most of whom have been victims of sexual abuse, and I’m rising because I’m over it. We have to stop violence against women. And when that happens, everything in the world will change.”

Bruce Willis Helps the Boot Campaign

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motorcycleBruce Willis is helping out the charity Boot Campaign in a rather unusual and creative way. Two months ago, he donated a 2005 Ducati 1000DS motorcycle which sold for $6250. Now, he’s offered up a 1988 Yamaha TW that is valued at $1400. The bidding had reached $1450 on February 8th with just three bidders fighting it out for the bike.

Boot Campaign released this statement from Bruce Willis, “I wanted to use my bikes in a way that would benefit our military service members, and I am thankful to have found the Boot Campaign as the catalyst for using my bikes in a way that will give back to our country’s true heroes.” He continued, “These bikes have been a lot of fun to ride, and my hope is they can do a lot of good for our veterans.”

Boot Campaign will be auctioning off his five bikes in two month intervals. The next bikes up will be the 1962 Cushman Eagle and then the 1991 Yamaha XT. The last auction will be in August with his 1972 H-D Ironhead Sportster XLH.