Charity duty: Celeb humanitarians

Celebs earn a lot of money and they spend a lot, on charity as well. They become UN Ambassadors of Goodwill and UN Special Ambassadors. They seem to want to help people who are not as blessed as they are. Good job, guys! Lots of celebrities are involved with charity, though sometimes seems many do it just for publicity. Nevertheless, here are some celebs Hollywood can really be proud of.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are reigning Queen and King of Charity. According to the first federal filing, the Jolie Pitt Foundation has donated more than $8 million dollars to charity in 2006. Brad Pitt put $4,402,317 in the fund and Jolie’s share was $4,123,613. In 2007 Brad Pitt has reportedly spent some more $5 on charity, but there’s yet no official information about it.

Meantime, Friends star Courtney Cox and her husband David Arquette have given themselves two weeks to raise $1 million for people with an incurable skin condition. Jennifer Aniston and Orlando Bloom will help the couple to raise the money for the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation. “Now is such an important time to put the spotlight on EB and ensure that research can continue at a fast pace,” Cox Arquette said.

Earlier this month, Hollywood heartbreaker George Clooney donated $500,000 to a U.N. food agency to help it continue flights going in and out of Sudan’s Darfur region. “This is a critical time for the program. Without immediate additional funding, humanitarian aid in the region will be crippled,” said Mr. Clooney.

One of the most well knows humanitarians in show biz is U2 Bono, of course. He’s UN Goodwill Ambassador, he fights with poverty, AIDS, fights for debt relief in Africa, he takes part in fund raising concerts, he also donates to One in Four Ireland, thus, helping survivors of sexual abuse.

Lots of celebs have their own foundations to support and help people. Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation focuses on education and inner-city family welfare. Madonna is a member of Raising Malawi’s Advisory Committee, and in charge of The Raising Malawi Consol Homes Orphan Care Center.

Even such trouble stars like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton also go into charity sometimes. Britney Spears Foundation’s work is focused on the power entertainment to heal and fulfill. The Foundation also supports The Britney Spears Camp for the Performing Arts. In 2006 the Foundation gave $585,000 to charity, including a huge donation to Hurricane Katrina relief programs. The Foundation also gave money to a cancer appeal, a summer camp and an offshoot of Hollywood’s Kabbalah Centre. Impressing, right?

Everyone does charity now. Is it a new fancy or a real desire to help? It’s hard to say. I bet a lot of celebs don’t even know what their foundations are about. Publicity spoils people a lot. High rating isn’t everything important in this life. Charity foundations must work, otherwise, what are they actually for? You know, it’s always nice to watch when Brad Pitt rebuilds New Orleans, or Angelina Jolie, or Bono visits Africa and Baghdad. There are some celebs doing the same things too. No publicity, just a great desire to help. These stars do deserve reverence for what they do, as they do it from the bottom of their hearts.

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