Look to the Stars - celebrity charity information

Providing operating funds and technology enhancement services for 39 member historically black colleges and universities, scholarships and internships for students at about 900 institutions and faculty and administrative professional training.

Over 63 years, the United Negro College Fund has raised more than $2 billion to help a total of more than 350,000 students attend college and has distributed more funds to help minorities attend school than any entity outside of the government.

Read more about United Negro College Fund's work and celebrity supporters.

Whitney Houston shot to fame in the 1980s when she became one of the first African-American female artists to receive regular rotation on MTV – a feat that successfully opened doors for other women to find success in music and movies. Best known for her work with Kevin Costner in “The Bodyguard”, Houston has led a life of service to others when not on screen or behind a microphone.

The 44-year-old first showed her socially-conscious side when still a model, before her fame rocketed her to stardom. Back then she refused to work for agencies that did business with South Africa, due to the country’s regime of apartheid. It was an issue that she later brought to the attention of the world when she performed at Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Concert in London, an event that brought pressure on the Government to ease its restrictions and eventually release the future president of South Africa.

Read more about Whitney Houston's charity work and events.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow will travel to Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a 10-day trip starting Sunday to support a global push to make polio a part of the past.

The visit comes at a pivotal time in the global fight against polio. In January, it was announced that India for the first time reported no new cases of the crippling disease for a full year. Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan are among the last four polio endemic countries, down from 125 in 1988.

Read more

Just days after speaking out against The Price Is Right’s recent promotion of the Calgary Stampede and Rodeo, iconic television host Bob Barker has fired off another letter on PETA’s behalf to the event’s main sponsors—including Bell Canada, General Motors of Canada Limited, Anheuser-Busch International, and TransAlta Corporation—to urge them to turn their backs on the notoriously violent and deadly rodeo.

In the letter, Barker points out that horses routinely die in the stampede—one had to be euthanized on the first day of last year’s spectacle, and six horses died in 2010’s event alone. Many more sustain painful injuries.

“The Calgary Stampede has long been synonymous with animal abuse,” writes Barker. “I hope you will agree that no animal deserves to suffer like this in the name of a tradition that should have died out with the covered wagon’s last ride. My friends at PETA and I hope to hear that you will no longer sponsor this event.”

Read more

French actor Gilles Marini is well known to international audiences, with roles in Sex and the City: The Movie, Brothers & Sisters and for coming second in Season 8 of Dancing With The Stars. LookToTheStars.org recently talked with Gilles about charity and the causes he supports.

What is the criteria for choosing the charities that you so strongly support?

Read more

Jenny Craig, one of the world’s leading authorities on weight management, has announced its support of the American Heart Association’s My Heart. My Life. healthy living initiative by launching a multi-faceted program entitled My Heart. My Life. My Jenny with global superstar Mariah Carey, best-selling female artist of all time, in the month of February during American Heart Month.

Most people don’t realize that weight impacts their heart health and maintaining a healthy weight can positively impact risk factors including, blood pressure and cholesterol management, blood sugar levels, and BMI. Current research shows that less than 1 percent of Americans are in “ideal heart health.” Jenny is supporting the American Heart Association’s mission to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent by 2020.

Therefore, in collaboration with the American Heart Association, Jenny’s My Heart. My Life. My Jenny initiative is focused on educating the public regarding the significant health risks associated with weight-related diseases, including heart disease and stroke. Through marketing campaigns, PSAs, community programs, education and online activations, the brand will encourage the public to eat better, move more and live a healthier life.

Read more

UK TV and radio personality Dermot O’Leary has given his backing to a campaign launched by Mary’s Meals aimed at providing more of the world’s hungriest children with life-changing meals.

The ‘Big Blue Mug’ campaign invites people to get their hands on a bright blue mug – similar to those used to provide Mary’s Meals to children in Malawi, where the organization feeds over 500,000 children every school day.

Read more

Jenna Elfman will host a special night of comedy for charity in March.

The Laugh For Sight LA Comedy Benefit will feature Kevin Nealon, Greg Fitzsimmons, Bill Burr, Pablo Francisco, Daryl Wright, Christopher Titus and many more at Improv, 8162 Melrose Av, LA on March 6. The event will benefit the Scheie Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.

Laugh For Sight is a non-profit organization located in New York City, whose goals are to raise funds and public awareness for retinal degenerative eye diseases – specifically retinitis pigmentosa, stargardt’s disease, and macular degeneration. The proceeds from the regular comedy events held by the organization benefit the Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and Guiding Eyes for the Blind – one of the top guide dog schools in the world.

Read more

Celebrity magician Dynamo, who first used magic as a way to deal with his own experience of bullying, has joined the world’s first global virtual march to protect children’s rights and supporting BeatBullying’s The Big March 2012 in an effort to unite the world against bullying.

Dynamo has been busy creating his avatar, joining the likes of celebrities such as Pixie Lott, Aston Merrygold and Jedward as well the avatars of an anticipated two million members of the public, that will march with signs and placards across global websites next year to deliver a petition to a virtual United Nations (UN) building in New York asking that the UN make it a child’s right to live a life free from bullying.

The Big March 2012 will be the world’s first global virtual march connecting communities from all corners of the globe in the fight against bullying and, if successful in its aim, it will mean that schools, Governments and families the world over will have more power to stop bullying from happening.

Read more

The World Food Programme has been hosting rap music star 50 Cent during his trip this week to Somalia and Kenya this week, where he was able to see at first hand the fight against hunger in the Horn of Africa.

The rapper flew to Dolow in Somalia’s southern border region on Wednesday. Dolow is where thousands of women and children fleeing from drought and conflict have taken refuge. While at the Kabasa camp for displaced people, he saw women and children being screened for malnutrition, and visited a nearby school.

Read more

The stars are tweeting for charity – and they need your help.

Celebrities such as Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Peter Facinelli, Kelly Osbourne and Eric Stonestreet are taking part in the Twitter For The Critters Celebrity Challenge to benefit the Onyx and Breezy Foundation, an animal charity formed in 2004 by Mark and Wanda Shefts to honor the memory of their two labrador retrievers.

Read more

The cast of entertainers and sports icons slated to appear at Keep Memory Alive’s 16th annual Power of Love Gala on Saturday, Feb. 18, in Las Vegas keeps getting bigger every day, though only a limited number of tickets remain for the celebrity-filled fundraiser.

Fans wishing to see what’s happening inside this one-of-a-kind 70th birthday celebration for Muhammad Ali — which will raise funds in support of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Muhammad Ali Center — will also be able to tune in to “Ali 70th From Las Vegas” on ABC on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 4 p.m. ET and 2 p.m. PT. It will re-air on ESPN2 later that same night at 10 p.m. ET.

The lineup for the night includes performances and heartfelt tributes from some of the world’s hottest entertainers and sports icons. The list of performers and celebrity supporters slated to appear at the celebration includes Stevie Wonder, Samuel L. Jackson, David Beckham, Larry King, Ken Jeong, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Common, Lenny Kravitz, Sean Combs, Anthony Hopkins, John Legend, Chris Cornell, Cee Lo Green, Joe Perry, Slash, Terrence Howard, David Copperfield, Siegfried & Roy, Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf, Jim Brown, Randy Couture, Brad Garrett, Kelly Rowland, Dave Koz, Robin Leach, James Gandolfini, Steve Schirripa, Chazz Palminteri and Sammy Hagar. Boxing icons scheduled to attend the celebration include Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Tommy “Hitman” Hearns. Even more big names from the entertainment and sports worlds will be added to the lineup as the event nears.

Read more

In celebration of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, the Grammy Charity Online Auctions are open now through Feb. 23.

Presented in partnership with Kompolt, the auctions provide bidders an opportunity to bid on approximately 100 exclusive items, including once-in-a-lifetime VIP experiences, memorabilia from world-renowned celebrities, and official Grammy merchandise autographed by artists during Grammy Week.

Featured items will be available for bid in two cycles, including a 2012 Vans Warped Tour three-day/three-city VIP experience, including the chance to ride on the official tour bus; private guitar lessons with Phil Collen of Def Leppard and Manraze, and Diamond Rio’s Jimmy Olander; and official Grammy merchandise autographed backstage at the 54th Grammy Awards rehearsals and telecast by celebrity participants. This year’s performers include Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Bruce Springsteen, and Taylor Swift, among others.

Read more

The Duchess of Cornwall saw how a charity is working to cure type one diabetes this week during a visit to Cambridge.

Her Royal Highness visited the Cambridge Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility at Addenbrooke’s Hospital to learn more about the work of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

During the tour of the facility, Her Royal Highness met Jeremy Irvine, star of Stephen Spielberg’s War Horse, who has type one diabetes. Irvine attended the event in a show of support. He was involved with trials of an artificial pancreas, which the charity is working on, in 2005 and 2007. He explained how technology helps him manage his type one diabetes while pursuing a hectic film career.

Read more

Supermodel Bar Refaeli and tennis legend Boris Becker chose the heart of London on the eve of the Laureus World Sports Awards to unveil a new polo shirt designed by fashion house Shanghai Tang in support for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation’s mission to use sport as a tool for social change and to help improve the lives of children around the world.

The elegant polo shirt, in dark blue or orange, carrying the Laureus name and the bold number ‘1’, was worn by members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a unique collection of 47 of the greatest sportsmen and women in the world. Chinese characters on the back of the shirt spell ‘Laureus’ in Chinese.

Read more

Ten Prince’s Trust 2012 Games Young Ambassadors met the British Prime Minister David Cameron at a reception held at 10 Downing Street recently.

The Prince’s Trust 2012 Games Young Ambassadors were invited to the Downing Street reception, which was held ahead of the Laureus World Sports Awards in London.

Also at the reception were some of the world’s most prestigious sporting figures, including world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic, boxing legend Lennox Lewis, 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, Formula 1 driver David Coulthard and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Read more

Annie Lennox recently blogged for Eco-Age.com about a certain “F word”.

“The term “feminism” has been twisted, smeared, and degraded over the years," she wrote. "While my generation of Western women have received the benefits of feminism, many of us recoil from the word, as if it was something to be ashamed of. The irony leaves me incredulous, especially when there is still so much more to be done in terms of women’s rights on a global scale. In my view, the F word urgently needs to be reviewed, revamped, reconsidered and revalued.

“When I encounter women born into and living in chronic and endemic poverty, in (so called) developing countries, who have no access to education because people cannot afford to send their girls to school, and education for girls is not looked upon as a priority, I envisage myself in their situation, and wonder how I could cope with the unimaginable challenges they face on a daily basis.

Read more

On the night of February 12th there will be many honors and awards given out. But there is one honor above all that matters to Angelwish Founder Shimmy Mehta. That is the “Humanitarian of the Year” award that will be presented to Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion during the evening on February 12th.

Access to this event featuring the ceremony to honor Hefner is very exclusive, but there are still limited admissions and seating available. You can procure admission by clicking here or ordering by phone (888)984-4263.

In regards to his charity’s involvement in the event, Mehta had this to say, “All of us at Angelwish.org are thrilled to be the beneficiary of this amazing event thrown by iDonate Charity. Tens of thousands of children living with chronic illnesses will benefit from the funds raised on February 12th. We are especially excited that we will get to honor Mr. Hefner with our ‘Humanitarian of the Year’ award for all his charitable efforts over the years and for allowing us to include him in this celebration.” Shimmy Mehta spends 7 days per week and most of his time rallying his team and board members to get donations, meeting with potential sponsors, and creating awareness about his cause to help children with chronic illnesses.

Read more

eBay, the world’s largest online marketplace, is teaming up with Brad Pitt’s Make It Right to take charitable fundraising to a whole new level with a physical space and interactive bidding.

Fans are invited to walk through a gallery featuring one-of-a-kind celebrity experiences and mementos to be auctioned off for charity on eBay Celebrity. Smartphones add a hands-on element to visually innovative displays, enabling attendees to participate in an interactive bidding process via dimensional QR codes by utilizing the eBay mobile app to bid in real time as well as track auction progress.

The elite exhibition brings celebrity charity auction items to life in New York’s famed Chelsea Market, with 100% of proceeds going to Make It Right, a non-profit foundation building sustainable, affordable homes in disadvantaged communities. Launched in November, eBay Celebrity is a unique shopping destination that combines celebrity experiences, memorabilia and merchandise with philanthropic causes.

Read more

The Minnesota Twins today announced that bidding has started on a one-of-a-kind auction to raise funds for the Minnesota Twins Community Fund at www.twinsbaseball.com. Fans can now bid on an official Major League baseball autographed by both reality TV star Kim Kardashian and soon-to-be former husband and Minneapolis, Minnesota native Kris Humphries.

Read more