Celebrity Charity Foundation News
It is now rare to find a new perfume, clothing line or gadget that isn’t advertised with the use of a famous face. But what about when celebrities decide to put their names to a better cause? This article examines some of the most well known celebrity endorsed charity foundations, how they work and the impact they are able to have.
The Katie Piper Foundation – Katie Piper
Katie Piper was relatively unheard of to most people until March 2008, when the aspiring model’s life was turned upset down. Following a short but turbulent relationship, Katie’s jilted ex boyfriend arranged for a cup of sulphur acid to be thrown in face, blinding her in one eye and causing severe burns across her face and neck.
After enduring 40 operations to treat her horrific injuries, Katie decided to come public with her story, and raise awareness for burn victims. She took part in the Channel 4 documentary ‘My Beautiful Face’ and made multiple public appearances to discuss her experiences. Her story is now extremely well known, and has made significant steps
To further extend her work, in 2009 ‘The Katie Piper Foundation’ was set up, which helps people live with burn injuries. The charity operates through a series of workshops and programs to help improve all areas of a person’s life that can be impacted by burns and scars. This includes treatment for the physical damage, such as cosmetic tattooing and hair treatments, medical attention such as KDF workshops and laser treatment, as well as looking at the emotional scars such injuries can inflict. Simon Cowell and Katie’s surgeon Dr. Mohammad Ali Jawad are both patrons of the charity.
As Katie herself says, she is ‘proof that disfigurement doesn’t have to destroy lives’, and the charity is making huge steps to prove this to victims all over the world.
Born This Way Foundation – Lady Gaga
As somebody who is constantly pushing boundaries and daring to always be herself, it makes sense that Lady Gaga would set up a charity which seeks to establish a more accepting word. The mission of this charity is to create a safe, connected community that embraces individuality and encourages young people to be themselves, and be different.
To do this, the foundation has created three key pillars which establish this plan to create a better, braver world.
1. Safety: providing a safe environment for young people to explore themselves and celebrate their own individuality.
2. Skills: the charity teaches these young people how exactly they can make a change in their own lives. It also provides them with the tools and resources to do so, with mentoring and career development classes.
3. Opportunity: allowing supporters of the charity to bring back the work to local communities.
Born This Way encourages people to review this plan and share the work being done by the charity, and well as encouraging individual’s to share their stories.
Born This Way was founded in 2012, and it’s name come from the hit single sung by Lady Gaga herself. The initial funding for the charity came from Lady Gaga ($1.2 million), the MacArthur Foundation ($500,000) and Barneys New York ($850,000).
Elton John AIDS Foundation
After the deaths of his two friends Freddie Mercury and Ryan White to AIDS, Elton John has longed been associated with related fundraising work. He founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, which works tirelessly to educate on prevention on the disease, as well as fighting prejudice and discrimination against those that are affected.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation operates through a series of fundamental principles which establish it’s path and it’s vision. These include the concept that everybody is entitled to live with dignity and respect and have access to the best medicine, information and opportunity. Furthermore, the charity believes that ‘those most directly affected by the epidemic are central to finding effective solutions’. The foundation works on an international scale, providing grants for smaller non-profit organisations and hosting numerous events to raise money and awareness of the disease.
To do this, Elton John is able to use his fame in a positive way. For example, he hosts an annual charity event which attracts many famous celebrities and costs Ј1,000 per ticket. The event includes a three course meal, charity auctions and live performances from Elton John and his celebrity friends, including Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey. In 2006, this event raised Ј4.6 million for the AIDS foundation.
These foundations are just 3 key examples in a wide array of celebrity endorsed charities. Outside of initial funding, celebrities are able to use their own fame to access more people and spread the word further. They can gain more media attention, collaborate with other celebrities for events and fundraising activities, auction off their own memorabilia
Although the majority of the hard graft is done by huge numbers of dedicated workers within the organisations, celebrity endorsed charities are able to help us take huge steps forward in improving the lives of thousands of individuals across the world.
A big thanks goes out to Cancer Research UK for their help with this article. There are many opportunities to make a difference in life, why not check out the charity vacancies at Cancer Research and see what is available today!
