Celebrities with a cause: it's not just publicity

By Jan
Mar. 2003

Coldplay�s Chris Martin, U2�s Bono, Backstreet Boys Kevin Richardson and Howie Dorough, Michael J. Fox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Jewel all have something in common. Yes, they�re celebrities, but look beyond that. They still have something in common. Here�s the list again:

Chris Martin went to Haiti to learn about Oxfam�s Make Trade Fair Campaign. Bono raises awareness and money for AIDS sufferers in Africa. Kevin Richardson started Just Within Reach: An Earth Foundation to help raise environmental awareness. Howie Dorough started the Dorough Lupus Foundation after losing his sister to the disease in 1998. Michael J. Fox started his Foundation for Parkinson�s Research in 2000 after he revealed in 1998 that he suffers from the disease. Sarah Michelle Gellar went to the Dominican Republic in 1999 to build houses with Habitat for Humanity. Jewel started her foundation Higher Ground for Humanity with her mother, after experiencing poverty herself before her career took off. This is what all these people have in common: They support causes, and they care about them. It�s not just a publicity stunt.

Often, celebrities are just passed off when they support a cause, because the public thinks that the celebrity doesn�t know anything about what they�re supporting; that they�re just supporting the cause for the publicity.

This can be exampled in U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, who boycotted a Senate hearing where Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson was speaking about the environmental issue of mountaintop coal mining in his home state of Kentucky. At the time, Voinovich said in a written statement that, "It's just a joke to think that this witness can provide members of the United States Senate with information on important geological and water quality issues. We're either serious about the issues or we're running a sideshow. Someone needs to make up their mind."

What Voinovich failed to understand is that Richardson is serious about the issue. He grew up in the mountains of Kentucky, and in 2000 founded Just Within Reach: An Earth Foundation. He was invited by Sen. Joe Lieberman to speak at the Senate hearing.

�I am not a scientist,� said Richardson at the hearing, �but I do know what I�ve seen on flights over the coalfields�The first time I flew over the area at 5,000 feet, I thought I would see a few scarred peaks. Instead, I saw the entire horizon filled with mountains with their tops blown off, huge lakes of toxic sludge and piles of waste filling every valley around the mines.�

Richardson is a bona-fide celebrity, and he wants to put it to good use. Richardson says in an article from fan-site www.backstreet.net, �I don't want to be one of those people who says he's going to do something and then doesn't do it. And I don't want to throw money at the problems to cover them up like a Band-Aid. I want to really do something to make the world better.�

Celebrities have the power to make a difference in our world. If they use their fame to do something positive, they should be commended for being concerned and active citizens of the earth. Celebrities can bring much needed attention to important issues. Whether it�s making the planet a healthier place, or raising money to support medical research, they�re doing it because they care. People want to help issues that are close to their heart. This is exactly what these celebrities are doing.

For a look at more celebrities that support causes close to their hearts, visit http://www.brainevent.com/be/PopCulture/celebs/index_html.