Posts

, ,

10 Inspiring Celebrity Quotes About Charity

Celebrity_Quotes
Many celebrities have participated in charities for all sorts of causes. Here are ten celebrity quotes that will inspire you to give back, too.

“The truth of the matter is: you can create a great legacy, and inspire others, by giving to philanthropic organizations.”
– Michael Bloomberg, entrepreneur, politician and philanthropist

“I choose to rise up out of that storm and see that in moments of desperation, fear and helplessness, each of us can be a rainbow of hope, doing what we can to extend ourselves in kindness and grace to one another. And I know for sure that there is no them – there’s only us.”
– Oprah Winfrey, talk show host, actress and founder of Oprah’s Angel Network

“If you think of life as like a big pie, you can try to hold the whole pie and kill yourself trying to keep it, or you can slice it up and give some to the people around you, and you still have plenty left for yourself.”
– Jay Leno, television host and humanitarian

“No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.”
– Taylor Swift, professional singer and the 2014 Most Charitable Celebrity

“With a generation of younger folks who have thrived on the success of their companies, there is a big opportunity for many of us to give back earlier in our lifetime and see the impact of our philanthropic efforts.”
– Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder, investor and patron

“One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”
– Malala Yousafzai, women’s rights activist and 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

“Is the rich world aware of how four billion of the six billion live? If we were aware, we would want to help out, we’d want to get involved.”
– Bill Gates, business magnate, computer programmer and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

“It’s about giving the gift of life to a stranger.”
– Leighton Meester, actress, professional singer and philanthropist

“If you’re in the luckiest one percent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 percent.”
– Warren Buffet, investor, businessman and member of The Giving Pledge

“We’re all in this together. Each and every one of us can make a difference by giving back.”
– Beyoncé, professional singer, musician and founder of BeyGood

– Fallon Lineberger

Sources: Cause Cast, Daily Mail, Ecorazzi, Giving What We Can, Inspire More, Michael Bloomberg, National Philanthropic Trust, Oprah.com, The Giving Pledge, The Quotations Page, Twitter
Photo: Flickr

Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls

Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
Oprah Winfrey opened a school in South Africa for girls. The school is called the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. The school’s mission is to provide a nurturing educational background for academically gifted girls who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The school is for girls in Grades 8-12. The school strives to give their girls the skills to assume positions of leadership in South Africa, as well as internationally. The school would like to see their graduates lead the transformation of their communities and country.

The school is centered on the Ubunti and Botho belief system. They teach the ideals of humanity, compassion, and service to others. Additionally, the school’s core values include respect, honor, service, and compassion.

The school was born in 2000 when Oprah visited Nelson Mandela where she promised to build a world-class school for girls. The school was later opened in 2007 with 7th and 8th-grade girls. Ms. Winfrey donated more than $40 million toward the academy’s creation.

The leadership academy integrates academic, leadership, and pedagogy curriculums. The academic curriculum includes courses in languages, mathematics, science, arts, physical education, and individuals and societies.

As a part of the school’s philosophy, each student also has an individual advisor. The advisor is responsible for monitoring the girl’s growth and progress in all aspects of school life. Each advisor has three main roles including knowing and being personally available to the student, sharing in her problems and successes, keeping in touch with the student’s teachers and residential staff, and finally acting as a contact and resource person for parents, guardians, or caregivers.

The leadership academy is a competitive entrance school. Ms. Winfrey believes that education is the right of every girl but her academy is to be seen as a privilege. Students are invited to attend the academy, and these girls have proven that they have the ability to excel and move beyond challenging circumstances. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls has provided and will continue to provide many African Women an incredible opportunity to succeed.

– Caitlin Zusy
Source Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy
Photo Oprah

,

The Anonymous Extraordinaries

At the age of 18, Natalie Warne became a symbol for young activists everywhere. Inspired by Invisible Children, the documentary about Joseph Kony and how he forced children to become soldiers for the Lord’s Resistance Army, Warne interned with the Invisible Children movement and eventually showed how being young is no obstacle to changing the world.

Warne, along with other interns with Invisible Children, was working to bring awareness to a bill that would make it American policy to go after Kony and the LRA. Her efforts brought her to the Oprah studio where the Invisible Children movement advocated for the bill. Ten days later, the bill was introduced into Congress. And a year later, the bill was signed into law.

People will remember most that moment she got to appear on Oprah. However, she points out that what made their movement a success was not what was shown on television but what happened behind the cameras. She talks about the people who showed up to support the cause of Invisible Children even when it rained, the other interns that planned other events, and even a family that bought a hundred boxes of pizza for the supporters. These are people that didn’t do it for the glory but for the goal. “The moment isn’t a movement,” she said. “What fuels a movement is the anonymous extraordinaries behind it.”

She leaves us with the message to chase after our dreams and not let youth stop us. “In the small anonymous monotonous every single day acts, I have to remind myself to be extraordinary.” she said.

“It is the acts that make us extraordinary. Not the Oprah moments.”

– Rafael Panlilio
Source:  TED