Getting ready for the prom can be one of the most exciting times for a girl, but what if you can't afford the glitzy gown? DonateMyDress.org is a national network that encourages girls to donate their prom and special occasion dresses to others who need them.

DonateMyDress.org gives girls what they need to attend the big night without having to empty their bank accounts. And a few CGGs are helping too. Brittany Snow (below left) donated her homecoming dress on The Rachael Ray show last week to CosmoGIRL! reader Samantha Danico (below right).

Taylor Swift, Rachel Bilson, and Nikki Blonsky have also been involved in donating.

DonateMyDress.org has twenty-five different dress-donation organizations across the country, along with personal stories from real girls who have benefited from being part of an experience like this.

Now that winter is FINALLY breaking, some celebs are saying that we can hang-dry our clothes to save cash and energy. One of our fave CGG, Rachel Bilson, is putting her clothes on the line by joining the campaign, headed by Hills, an Australian brand of clothing. Other celebrities lending their support include Matt Rhys, Olivia Newton-John, Kimberly Joseph, Dannii Minogue, Amanda Detmer, Radha Mitchell, and Melissa George.

According to the press release, the use of clothes lines and drying racks in the U.S. has been on the decline since the 1950s as the use of appliances went mainstream. This has led to the drier becoming the the largest energy sucker in American home next to the refrigerator. source

The campaign doesn't officially kick off until next week, but that's no reason to not start hang drying today! Find out more about recycling and energy saving techniques here!

Vegetarians will applaud Rachel Bilson for listing pigs as one of her eight obsessions in the March issue of Seventeen magazine. “I want one! They’re my favorite animals,” Bilson says.. “I don’t eat them because I love them.”  The Jumper actress doesn't seem to be a strict vegetarian, though.  Hey . . . pigs are a start!

If you do eat meat, you should consider the source – literally -- says chef Claudine Myer of the acclaimed Olive’s Bistro in the snowboarding and skiing town of Stowe,
Vermont. Twice voted one of the best chefs in
New England, Myer, who is not a vegetarian, does not support Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) – or farms that force their livestock to endure concentration camp-like conditions. (And that’s good news, following the shocking video released this week of mistreated cattle in a
California slaughterhouse.)  If you go to Stowe, why not stop by Olive’s – if you’re lucky, she might even take you to meet her “piggies”; she even has names for them, like Porkchop and Tenderloin!

Teens for Jeans is going strong.  Clean out your closet today and get those used jeans over to Aeropostale stores!!!  We'll make sure they get donated to a homeless shelter for teens.  Wanna show your support by bidding on a killer auction item instead?  Look what these stars have signed off on to help support the cause . . .

Auction ends tomorrow.  Hop to it.

Scrubs' Zach Braff joined our favorite cutie of the week, Rachel Bilson, for a night celebrating the healing power of the arts.

Art of Elysium is a non-profit that "encourages working actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions."  Their annual fundraising gala brought out Braff and Bilson alongside actors Amy Smart, Ali Larter, Rebecca Gayheart, and Jason Bateman.

According to the organization's website, "elysium" means "a place or condition of ideal happiness".  I'd say it means "sassy"!  Right, Kate Walsh?

UPDATE:  Seems that the Art of Elysium event stole the Golden Globes' thunder since the awards show was cancelled due to the current writers' strike.  It looks like all of the gowns that TV stars had been saving for their red carpet walk made their debut at the charity event instead!  Kudos to The Art of Elysium for making the best of a bummer situation by wrangling in hot publicity for a great cause!  Check out some of the pics here . . .

Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen showed up to shoot the PSA for Teens for Jeans, our nation-wide jeans drive kicking off now!  Superstar director Doug Liman made the magic happen! They were all sincerely enthusiastic about doing their part to raise awareness about homelessness. Did you realize that a third of the homeless in the United States are under the age of 18?  No joke.  Pretty startling.  Start collecting your old jeans that you never wear anymore.  Donate them to this massive drive and give back to teenagers who might not be as fortunate as you are.

Here's the PSA for details:

The shoot was awesome.  Hayden showed up first looking ADORABLE!  Rachel followed, looking fresh-faced despite the fact that she hadn't slept a wink and had just gotten off of a red-eye from L.A.  We let her know that hair and makeup was ready for her . . . she passed and went au natural.  If only we all looked this good au natural!!!

She seems to be shouting out a big fat "Oh no you didn't!" in this pic.  Maybe those weren't here words exactly, but she definitely had to put up with some horsing around from everyone else on set.

They were sort of adorable, giggling and experimenting with eachother's lines.  If you check out "Behind the Jeans" on the official Teens for Jeans website, you can see some hysterical outtakes.

Here's a pic of Doug talking Hollywood-talk on his cell during downtime. You know his films . . . ever heard of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity, and the upcoming Jumper? Yes. That Doug Liman.  The room was overflowing with talent. He kept threatening to donate his jeans on the spot.  We managed to convince him to wait until January 22 like the rest of us. :)

Hayden was super patient and quite funny.  Rachel kept giggling during the shoot, but to her credit, so did we.  He was a charmer!  Love this pic we snapped . . .

I am not kidding: this were just about the most easygoing and down-to-earth group we have worked with to date.  No pretension, no attitude.  They seemed genuinely interested in and concerned about the cause.  As for whether or not Rachel and Hayden seemed couple-ish, my lips are sealed.  If I were you, I'd keep checking in for more details . . .

People.com is reporting on a fundraising event last weekend that put Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo on cupcake duty, as well as the following sightings:

Rachel Bilson, at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Celebrity Carnival in Los Angeles, helping children at the Disney Princess castle make wands decorated with beads and ribbons. Also feeling artistic: Carmen Electra decorated shirts – and even fielded a kiss on the cheek from her rocker ex Dave Navarro. The pair hugged and joked, and Electra instructed funnyman Chris Kattan to pull on Navarro's beard. (She says that's how they say "hello!") Meanwhile, The Hills' Heidi Montag (there with her fiancé Spencer Pratt had plenty of affection for Lance Bass, nabbing a hug from the singer, who was on hand to judge a dance contest. (source)

Jamie Lynn Spears

A whole slew of stars turned out. I haven't seen the total numbers, but past years' events have raised upward of $1.4 million toward the Pediatric AIDS Foundation's programs and research.

Related Cause:        HIV/AIDS