Okay, it is news of yesteryear by now (quite literally), but still I am positive that it is worth a mention what Dubliners may have witnessed this Christmas Eve if they happened to walk the shopping streets of their city.
U2's Bono turns street musicion for charity on Christmas Eve in Dublin
U2 frontman Bono teamed up with Swell Season’s Glen Hansard to become street musicians and play for charity. Bono and Glen were also joined by highly popular Irish songwriters Damien Rice and Mundy in the fundraising action, that aimed to help Irish charity Simon Community, that supports homeless people in various communities throughout Ireland.
The busking-turned -superstar-jam-session took place on Dublin’s well known Grafton street, that, interestingly, was also a most important location of hit cult movie Once, in which Glen Hansard’s character was a busker playing on the very same spot.
“That was incredible,” Hot Press quoted an astonished onlooker. “I was out innocently doing my shopping when I saw a crowd gathered. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I had a closer look – you might expect to see someone like Mundy doing something like this for charity, but there were three huge stars there, giving it loads. It really added to the Christmas eve atmosphere. The only problem is I had one more present to get but the shop is closed now!”
Although there is no word on how much the bunch of superstar buskers managed to raise for the good cause, but they were reported to play for over an hour. The “show” included U2’sOne, Bob Dylan’sKnockin’ On Heaven’s Door and You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, Ben King’sStand By Me and a version of Mic Christopher’sHeyday, performed by Mic’s best friend, Glen Hansard. Obviously all of these songs were joined by the numerous audience singing along with the artists.
While Bono has been well known for his charity work (well, for other things, too), Glen Hansard is no different. A few days before Christmas, on Dec 21, 2009. Hansard was the special guest for the Dublin Simon Community’s ‘The Longest Night’ fundraising concert. The concert arranged on the longest night of the year (which is the worst night for the homelesses) aimed to raise EUR 100,000 ($144,000) to support homeless Dubliners. On the video above you can see a part of his show given at Dublin’s Button Factory.
The Dublin branch of Simon Community aids some 2,000 homeless people on a daily bases.
A blood-curdling dip in Lake Ontario raises a heartwarming $230,000 for charity, breaking all previous records in Oakville’s Coronation Park.
Some 600 people gathered in Coronation Park, Oakville, Canada at 2pm sharp, 01. 01. 10. to kick off the new year with a refreshing and memorable dip in Lake Ontario’s freezing water. The Polar Bear Dip boasts itself as Canada’s Largest Charitable Polar Bear Festival, and the 600 participants aside it drew in several thousand visitors, who watched the brave volunteers holding their breaths.
Some used their inner strengths, others screamed or prayed, and yet others jumped straight into the water leaving themselves no option to avoid getting all cold and wet to serve a noble purpose. The water for water Polar Bear Charity Dip has been organized since 1995 raising fund to third-world water projects. Over the years, the charity dip has raised over $410,000 for various projects. This year’s grantee was a Kahi Water Project in Rwanda and a second project in Tanzania. This year’s amount was not only a new record: the increase in both the amount of participants and the amount raised was more than significant. Compared to last year’s 60 dippers and $55,000, this year the event saw over 600 participants, who managed to raise almost five times as much: $230,000.
“It was very refreshing,” Hamilton resident Michelle Pollington, 39, was quoted as saying. “I’ve been doing it since 1990 because my dad and I have been doing it since then. It’s all about mind over matter.”
“I’m so happy, I could almost cry right now,” Polar Bear Dip co-founder Trent Courage said.
“After visiting Rwanda this past summer and observing the tremendous need for clean water, and then seeing the difference in communities where donations to World Vision are at work, I am beyond ecstatic at what $230,000 will do for our brothers, sisters and friends in Africa.”
Polar Bear Dip in Oakville, Canada
The Kahi Water Project aims to help provide a dependable source of clean water for the people of Kahi in the Umutara region of Rwanda. By drilling new wells and building reservoirs, the Kahi Water Project will bring safe water close to the people who live in the community. The new water system will reduce the suffering caused by drinking dirty water and save children hours of wasted time, which can now be spent at school. According to Courage Brothers (the founders and organizers of the Polar Bear Dip), the benefiting project will help 22,00 people get fresh water — that will help prevent disease, keep children in school longer and provide families a better life.
While Angelina Jolie kept the flocks of journalists busy by sharing her thoughts about the relations between marriage and fidelity (I’m not going to elaborate, just Google it, if you’re interested), she and her remarkably bearded husband Brad Pitt decided to cheer a few children up at this Christmas by donating $100,000 to Florida and Illinois locations of SOS Children’s Villages.
“We have seen first-hand the remarkable job SOS does to raise orphaned and abandoned children and keep families together,” said Angelina Jolie, in a statement. “The poor outcomes for foster children indicate that we must do a much better job of supporting them,” Brad Pitt added.
SOS Children’s Villages is an organization providing orphaned children an alternative to foster care. The sixty-year-old non-profit network currently has some 500 villages in 132 countries, helping approximately 80,000 children transition into adulthood.
From the two fortunate locations that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie chose to support with their generous donation the Florida village provides a home for 75 children, with services that include tutoring, therapy, life skills and family reunification, when possible. Illinois’ two villages care for nearly 200 children and youths and a social center provides day care and support services.
Angelina and Brad themselves are parents of six children, three of whom are adopted. Angelina Jolie is a Goodwill Ambassador of UNHCR since early 2001, while the couple has established the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation in 2006 to fight extreme rural povertyto protect natural resources and for wildlife conservation projects.
The footage above shows Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and various other celebrities at a UNICEF charity party in Los Angeles on Dec 11, 2009.
Some 1,000,000 volunteers will be granted free entry tickets to Disney theme parks for offering a day of volunteer work in the frameworks of Disney’s recently announced promotion. The campaign will run throughout next year, and free day’s admission tickets will be given to guests who offer a day of volunteer work for an eligible volunteer project approved by the company.
Disney offers free tickets to 1,000,000 volunteers
The campaign titled “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” is a joint action of Disney and the HandsOn Network. Disney launched the volunteer promotion last Tuesday (Dec 22.) by sending 1,000 volunteers, including employees from Disney and Southwest Airlines, to work on projects around the country, from a Habitat for Humanity site in Los Angeles to the Bethune School of Excellence in Chicago.
Although the promotion was announced last week, but it will be live only on January 1, 2010. Once the campaign will be on its way, volunteers will be able to register at www.DisneyParks.com and search for approved volunteer projects to participate in. According to Disney company, several locations will be available, such as various US sites, Canada or Puerto Rico. After completing the volunteer work, participants will receive an email from Disney containing a link to print out a voucher to redeem at a theme park for a free one-day, one-park admission. Of course not everyone is interested in spending a day in a Disney theme park, so the company’s website wisely suggests: “…and if you’re unable to use the ticket, it can be donated to a charity designated by Disney.”
Although the whole family can be (and is encouraged to be) involved in the volunteer projects, official (ie. registered) volunteers have to be at least six years old. The number of free entry tickets offered by Disney is limited to 1,000,000 (quite a lot, we have to admit).
“We are trying to inspire 1 million people to volunteer in their communities and we’re inspiring them to do that by giving them a free day at a Disney park,” chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Jay Rasulo told the Associated Press in an interview. He called the promotion “very timely,” citing the increased needs of nonprofits in the weak economy, as well as President Obama’s national volunteering initiative. “The spirit of our country is very much behind that, whether it’s the first family or whether it’s the average family,” Jay Rasulo added.
HandsOn Network, that Disney chose as its partner for the current promotion has 70,000 affiliated agencies, from Habitat for Humanity to local food banks, churches, health care centers, and educational programs. It will be the HandsOn network that will professionally verify volunteer jobs before Disney will grant free tickets to participants. Examples of volunteer opportunities currently listed on HandsOn’s Web site range from drivers and bingo callers to a book drive organizer at a senior center in Scranton, Pa., to a docent at the Oregon Maritime Museum in Portland.
Women focused US television channel WE.tv joined up with the guys at Goodwill, to announce the launch of their joint “Pledge 24 in 2010” campaign yesterday. The campaign aimed at women tries to encourage women to offer at least 24 hours from their time for volunteer work in the upcoming year.
Participants can enter their pledges through WE.tv-s online form that will be available through January 31, 2010.
Although users have to give their (valid) email addresses during the registration, and have to opt-in for at least one of WE.tv’s thematic newsletters, SVP of marketing for We TV, Kenetta Bailey, emphasized that building the network’s e-mail database is not a primary goal of the campaign. “But if people are interested in more information on We TV, we want to give it to them,” she was quoted as saying by DM News.
As a part of their campaign, WE.tv was also reported to reach out for over 150 charity organizations, to urge their volunteers to register for 24 in 2010.
According to WE, the organization that receives the most pledges during the registration period, will receive a PSA package from We TV, including 60 PSA spots to run on sister network Wedding Central during April 2010, national volunteer month. The winning nonprofit will get a one-month spotlight as “Charity of the Month” on WEVolunteer.tv with a banner that links to a full-page profile.
Actress Cynthia Nixon of Sex and the City is also rumored to appear in a series of We TV PSAs in 2010 encouraging consumers to volunteer with the tagline “What a difference a day makes.”
Hip hop superstar Kanye West’s last year may not become memorable due to its heart warming moments, but (possibly as a penitence for his sometimes outrageous behaviour) this time Kanye tries his utmost to gain some limelight in a truly positive way.
On the second day of Christmas (dec 26), Kanye West and his girlfriend Amber Rose offered their time to volunteer to the Los Angeles Mission, a non profit organization that has been providing food and shelter to homeless in the city’s “Skid Row” for over seventy years. The organization also offers employment, transitional services and rehabilitation to those struggling with substance abuse.
According to Boom Box music blog, West showed really enthusiastic, headed straight for the kitchen and started to serve meals wearing an apron.
“It’s just important, when you’re very blessed,” Kanye West was quoted as saying. He added: “it’s nice to spread your blessings and take time out, especially during the holidays, to appreciate people who never get that appreciation. It makes me feel really good to come out here, with my family, and I just thank y’all for allowing us to be apart of this.”
Although Kanye West has previously shown signs of being mostly insensitive (calling himself the “Louis Vuitton Don”, among others), this is not the first act of generosity on behalf of the superstar.
