Some Celebs Gone Good
Cause: Mental health, Child soldiers
Description: In the past, Pete has worked on issues like suicide prevention. This year he took it to an international level, fighting for child soldiers in Uganda by teaming up with Invisible Children and their "Rescue" campaign.
Cause: Breast Cancer
Description: Applegate serves as ambassador for Lee National Denim Day which benefits the Women’s Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Next, she plans to launch Right Action for Women, a foundation to provide aid to individuals who are at increased risk for breast cancer and do not have insurance or the financial flexibility to cover the high costs of breast screenings.
Cause: Cancer research
Description: Armstrong is a long time advocate for Cancer Research. Recently he launched the World Cancer Declaration – a major global push to pressure the world’s leaders to act now on cancer.
Cause: Hunger
Description: Arquette is the main celeb spokesperson for Feeding America, helping to kick off their campaigns and travel the country to garner more support for their work. He's a regular at their events, and frequently volunteers at California food pantries.
Cause: Self-esteem
Description: Banks' TZONE Foundation is designed to build a sisterhood movement among women and girls by raising funds and making grants to community-based not-for-profits that serve low-income and disadvantaged girls.
Cause: Africa, Animal Welfare
Description: Barrymore currently serves as ambassador for the World Food Program's Against Hunger initiative and has donated $1 million to the cause. She is also a strong supporter of the ASPCA.
Cause: Hunger
Description: Beyonce has teamed up with the Show Your Helping Hand hunger relief initiative and General Mills Hamburger Helper to raise awareness about hunger issues. She attend events, and asks fans to bring non-perishables to her U.S. tour stops to donate to food pantries.
Cause: AIDS, Hunger
Description: Bono continues his involvement with his RED campaign to fight AIDS in Africa through fundraisers and appearances. This year he also continued his work with the ONE campaign to end global hunger and poverty.
Cause: Darfur
Description: Cheadle co-founded Not On Our Watch with his Ocean’s Thirteen castmates. This year, he also organized the Ante Up for Africa poker charity event which has raised $2,000,000 for Darfur.
Cause: Darfur
Description: Clooney is a member of the Board of Trustees of United Way. He also serves as a UN Messenger of Peace and is co-founder of Not On Our Watch, and dedicates much of his time to ending the genocide in Darfur.
Cause: Youth Homeless
Description: Crawford led DoSomething.org's 2009 Teens for Jeans campaign to collect jeans for homeless teens. The initiative collected 200,000 pairs of jeans for homeless teens in under 3 weeks.
Cause: Cancer
Description: Crow recently participated in the Rock a Little, Feed a Lot concert, to help raise awareness and funds for the 35 million people who are at risk of hunger in America. This year she took a big role in EIF's Stand Up to Cancer, and Revlon's Run/Walk.
Cause: Cancer, Environment, Hunger
Description: Cyrus celebrated her 16th birthday with a charity fundraiser at Disneyland for Youth Service America, a youth volunteering organization. She also supports the City of Hope (cancer center), Just Stand Up, Feeding America and Disney's Friends for Change. She also donated 100% of the proceeds from "Send it On" to environmental charities through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.
Cause: Africa
Description:Damon is one of the main Ambassadors for ONEXONE, which focuses on children around the world. He is also one of the founders of Not On Our Watch. Serves as a board member of GreenDimes.com, a company that works to staunch the flow of junk mail and save trees that would otherwise be destroyed. This year he co-founded water.org, to help raise awareness of the water crisis in Africa and around the world.
Cause: Animal welfare, gay rights
Description: This year, DeGeneres continued to be involved with animal rights and protection. She also became an advocate for gay marriage, and publicly fought against Prop 8 in California.
Cause: Environment
Description: Diaz works with Al Gore to promote clean energy goals to be achieved in the next ten years. She spreads the message about living green and made documentary about climate change in the U.S. She is also an advisory board member of Pangea Day, an organization dedicated to creating a worldwide network of concerned citizens who are making a difference through film.
Cause: Environment
Description: Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is actively fostering awareness of environmental issues through participation with organizations such as Natural Resources Defense Council, Global Green USA, the International Fund For Animal Welfare, and National Geographic Kids.
Cause: Disadvantaged youth
Description: Diddy raised more than $2 million for New York schools and children suffering from HIV and AIDS in the 2003 New York Marathon. In 2009, he promoted activism as a board member for the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.
Cause: Children's rights
Description: After working on several campaigns, Selena has just been named UNICEF's youngest global ambassador, and just went on her first trip to Ghana in her role as ambassador.
Cause: Cancer, Troops / Mental Health
Description: Hill, along with husband Tim McGraw founded the Tug McGraw Foundation in 2003 to enhance the quality of life of children and adults with brain tumors, and in 2009 expanded programs to include Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Cause: Poverty
Description: Jackman has lent his narrative to the film, Global Poverty Project to create new momentum in the fight against extreme poverty. He also donated $100K to charity in a contest he held on Twitter.
Cause: Disadvantaged youth
Description: Jackson is an Ambassador to US Programs for Save the Children, and a outspoken supporter of the Save the Music campaign.
Cause: Cancer, LGBT, Education
Description: Neil Patrick Harris helped raise funds for cancer research after his partner’s mother died of leukemia. He was an outspoken activist against Prop 8 in California. In Fall '09, Harris has set to work on the Get Schooled campaign to keep kids in school.
Cause: Cancer, domestic abuse, youth
Description: Witherspoon fights domestic abuse and promotes cancer research in her position as Avon's first ever Global Ambassador. She's also a long-time supporter of Save the Children.
Cause: Disadvantaged children, violence against women
Description: The Salma Hayek Foundation, which previously supported organizations giving aid to and raising awareness for battered women, has now branched out to work with disadvantaged children on the streets of Mexico, helping them to overcome problems such as drugs, violence or lack of education. In '09, she teamed up with UNICEF and Pampers to launch a campaign to help women and children in need.
Cause: Disaster relief
Description: Jay-Z recently held the hugely successful 'Answer the Call' 9/11 concert and donated all proceeds to the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund.
Cause: Disadvantaged children in Haiti
Description: Wyclef founded the Yéle Haiti Foundation and and promotes development in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
Cause: Poverty, Africa, AIDS
Description: Scarlett skipped the Oscars in order to tour India and Sri Lanka as part of Oxfam projects. And she is dedicated to increasing awareness of AIDS sufferers in African countries.
Cause: Refugee, humanitarian crises
Description: Jolie is the Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR. She also serves on the board of advisors for the Yéle Haiti Foundation, travels to refugee camps around the world, and this year made several trips to different Middle Eastern countries as ambassador.
Cause: Diabetes, Youth Activism, Special Olympics
Description: Together with his brothers Kevin and Joe, Nick founded the Jonas Brothers’ Change for the Children Foundation. Nick's cause is diabetes, raising money and awareness for various diabetes programs. Joe works with the Special Olympics to raise awareness and funds for the disabled. And Kevin supports general volunteerism for young people to take action around any cause.
Cause: AIDS, disadvantaged youth
Description: Keys is the co-founder and global ambassador for Keep A Child Alive, and has travelled to countries such as Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa. She is also a spokesperson for Frum Tha Ground Up, a charity dedicated to inspiring and motivating American youths to achieve success on all levels.
Cause: Cancer, Disabilities
Description: Longoria hosts and is involved with several cancer-related charities and runs her own foundation, Eva's Heroes, which helps raise money to support the developmentally disabled.
Cause: bullying
Description: Lovato created a PSA in support of Love Our Children USA’s Stomp Out Bullying campaign and launched an anti-bullying campaign in Fall '09.
Cause: Disadvantaged families
Description: Madden, with girlfriend Nicole Richie created the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation in support of disadvantaged young mothers and children. Madden was named a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 2008.
Cause: Poverty, AIDS
Description: Madonna founded Raising Malawi, and helps with the organization’s mission to help orphans in Malawi by providing water, food, medical care and schooling. In 2009, she released her documentary, "I Am Because We Are," to raise awareness about the AIDS/HIV crisis in Malawi.
Cause: Multiple
Description: Oprah continued to work with her Angel Network Foundation to enrich people's lives around the world. In 2009 much of the Network's efforts were focused on literacy and starting book clubs for young people, as well as development in Uganda.
Cause: Marine animals
Description: Panettierre works with Save the Whales and the Whaleman Foundation to help save whales and stop dolphin fishing
Cause: Disadvantaged youth, hunger, AIDS
Description: Parker is a UNICEF Ambassador. She is also dedicated to combating hunger issues and participated in a PSA for the Food Bank for New York City.
Cause: Animal Welfare
Description: Pink agreed to become the face of Australia’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) campaign to encourage teenagers to be kinder to animals. She also works with PETA.
Cause: Animal, environment, poverty
Description: Portman helped launch FINCA’s Village Banking Campaign to mobilize the people and resources needed to bring financial services to one million of the world’s lowest-income families through 100,000 Village Banks annually by 2010. She is also a vegan and an outspoken advocate for animal rights
Cause: Parkinson's research
Description: Reynolds works with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to raise money for Parkinson's Research, and ran the NYC marathon on Team Fox.
Cause: Disadvantaged youth
Description: Rock is an Ambassador for UNICEF and had previously helped launch the (RED) campaign. He has recently participated in a charity auction for Journey for Change, a charity set up by Malaak Compton-Rock to empower young people through global service.
Cause: Disadvantaged youth
Description: Shakira founded Pies Descalzos, also known as the Barefoot Foundation. The foundation has donated 10,000 pairs of tennis shoes to impoverished children in her hometown of Barranquilla. She has also been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for over six years and in 2009 was awarded the UNICEF Honorary Award for Children's Rights.
Cause: Youth
Description: Simmons is Co-Chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and also co-founded the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation. This year he's made several trips to Africa as a board member of the Diamond Empowerment Fund.
Cause: Youth
Description: Sparks teamed up with former US Open champion Andy Roddick for the 14th annual Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. She has also partnered with National Milk Mustache “Got Milk?” Campaign to launch the ‘Drink Milk for a Change’ program.
Cause: Troops, Animal Welfare
Description: Underwood has traveled to the Middle East to show her support of the troops and the USO. She also founded C.A.T.S. – the Checotah Animal, Town and School Foundation that will help with general causes, needs and services in her hometown Checotah, OK, with a focus on music programs in the schools.
