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Michael J. Fox
Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Michael J. Fox Foundation
Fox now continues tofocus on the non-profithe co-founded in 2000 to help find a cure for Parkinson’s disease,The Michael J. Fox Foundation. “We created what has become this giant network of patients, scientists and institutions,” he toldAARP The Magazinefor their December 2021/January 2022 issue.
“Patients are the key. Now they guide our agenda and have been critical, for example, to our promising work in trying to find biomarkers for Parkinson’s, which would allow us to identify the disease in people before symptoms are evident, and to treat it pro-actively and get rid of it,” Fox continued. “And we’ve got a lot of treatments that have gone through the FDA, and we’ve developed a great relationship with pharma researchers on Parkinson’s drug development.”
02of 11Cyndi LauperTIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/GettyImagesCyndi Lauperco-founded True Colors United (formerly the True Colors Fund) in 2008. The foundation works to implement “innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ young people,” according to theirwebsite.As part of their work, the group offers “free training and resources on how to meet the needs of LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness,” as well as “advocate in government and media to help ensure critical funding and services for all youth, and create opportunities for youth who have experienced homelessness to be key leaders in the effort to end the problem.“This month, Lauper doubled down and launched theGirls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fundin response to theSupreme Court’s decision to overturnRoe v. Wadeearlier this year. The fund will support organizations fighting for the right to abortion and reproductive healthcare, PEOPLE exclusively revealed on October 11.Created in partnership with theTides Foundation, Lauper’s new organization builds on the poignant slogan — which is printed ona t-shirt released for the fund’s launch— that first appeared on protest signs at the inaugural Women’s March in Washington, D.C.
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Cyndi Lauper
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/GettyImages
Cyndi Lauperco-founded True Colors United (formerly the True Colors Fund) in 2008. The foundation works to implement “innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ young people,” according to theirwebsite.
As part of their work, the group offers “free training and resources on how to meet the needs of LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness,” as well as “advocate in government and media to help ensure critical funding and services for all youth, and create opportunities for youth who have experienced homelessness to be key leaders in the effort to end the problem.”
This month, Lauper doubled down and launched theGirls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fundin response to theSupreme Court’s decision to overturnRoe v. Wadeearlier this year. The fund will support organizations fighting for the right to abortion and reproductive healthcare, PEOPLE exclusively revealed on October 11.
Created in partnership with theTides Foundation, Lauper’s new organization builds on the poignant slogan — which is printed ona t-shirt released for the fund’s launch— that first appeared on protest signs at the inaugural Women’s March in Washington, D.C.
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Alicia Keys
Courtesy Keep A Child Alive
Alicia Keyssinger co-founded Keep a Child Alive in 2003 after a trip to South Africa where she saw the impact of HIV/AIDS first hand.
The website explained that the organizationalso worksto educate about sexual and reproductive health and rights, support maternal and child health, provide leadership skills to women and young people and combat sexual exploitation and abuse.
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Dolly Parton
Shannon Finney/Getty Images
Dolly Partonlaunchd theDollywood Foundation’s Imagination Libraryin 1995 which helps young children around the world learn to read.
“That always made me feel bad about my dad, so I started it based on that, just for our county,” Parton told PEOPLE ahead of theCarnegie Medal of Philanthropy, where she was honored, in October. “Governor Phil Bredesen thought it was a great idea, so they took it statewide. It’s just grown in leaps and bounds ever since then, but it came from a place in my heart to try to help children in their young years, their most impressionable years, to learn how to read and write.”
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Kobe Bryant
Vanessa and Kobe Bryant in 2019.Stefanie Keenan/Getty
Kobe Bryantfounded the Mamba Sports Foundation to provide underserved communities with sports programs that enrich their “socio-emotional and physical development,” according to itswebsite.
The foundation also provides funding for athletes to join school or league teams, as well as sports programs that offer equal opportunities for young women.
On October 2 and 3 the foundation hosted an inaugural basketball camp called the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation Skills Academy at the Ladera Sports Center in Orange County, Calif. They partnered with the Boys and Girls Club to invite 11–13-year-old young boys and girls of all skill levels, according totheir website.
06of 11Lady GagaCynthia Germanotta and Lady Gaga.Lady Gagaco-founded theBorn this Way Foundationalongside her mother Cynthia Germanotta who now serves as the president of the organization. Born this Waysupports the mental health of young peopleand fosters inclusivity through high-impact programming, youth-led conversations, and strategic partnerships. This year, they celebrated the organization’s 10 year anniversary since its founding in 2012.”… the Foundation aims to make kindness cool, validate the emotions of young people, and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health,” according to their website.
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Lady Gaga
Cynthia Germanotta and Lady Gaga.
Lady Gagaco-founded theBorn this Way Foundationalongside her mother Cynthia Germanotta who now serves as the president of the organization. Born this Waysupports the mental health of young peopleand fosters inclusivity through high-impact programming, youth-led conversations, and strategic partnerships. This year, they celebrated the organization’s 10 year anniversary since its founding in 2012.
“… the Foundation aims to make kindness cool, validate the emotions of young people, and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health,” according to their website.
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Matt Damon
Matt Damon.Michael Loccisano/WireImage
“Today more than 50 million people around the world can turn on a tap and safely use a toilet because small, affordable loans empowered them to get access to safe water and sanitation at home,” the website says about the organization’s work, which has touched millions of lives across 11 countries.
Earlier this year, the tworeleased a book about their work, calledThe Worth of Water: Our Story of Chasing Solutions to the World’s Greatest Challenge.
Damon has said he was inspired to focus on water access after a visit to Zambia in 2006 wherehe joined a girl on a water collectionwho he said “opened my eyes.”
“She was talking about her future, and what she was going to do, and I really connected because I remember being a teenager and the way Ben [Affleck] and I talked about how we were going to move to New York or L.A. to become actors and that real excitement of that age,” he told TIME earlier this year. “And it wasn’t until I left that I realized that had it not been for the foresight of someone to drill a well a mile from her home, she wouldn’t have been in school, and she wouldn’t have had dreams of moving to the big city someday and becoming a nurse.”
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Rachael Ray
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
A chef’s toque is justoneof the many hatsRachael Raywears!
The foundation supports causes close to Ray’s heart, which include helping animals in need.
“RRF funds organizations across the country who work to improve the lives of shelter animals and other animals in need,” the website explains. “In addition, the Foundation makes funds available for emergency situations and disaster relief efforts where help for animals is urgently needed.”
TheRachael Ray Showhost also has a 501c3 non-profit calledYum-O!which works with RRF and “empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking through three main initiatives: Cook, Feed, and Fund.”
In May, Ray’s philanthropic work brought her to Ukraine where she visited with children and brought “a box truck packed with first-aid kits to go directly to the front lines,” shewrote for PEOPLE.
09of 11Prince Harry & Meghan MarkleMeghan Markle and Prince Harry.Chris Jackson/GettyHarryandMeghanannounced the name of their charity back in April 2020, days afterstepping down as senior royals on March 31,and six months later wouldlaunch its website. Now, two years later, Archewell encompasses three branches: The Archewell Foundation — a non-profit whose “core purpose is to uplift and unite communities — local and global, online and offline — one act of compassion at a time,” Archewell Audio, their audio-first production company behind Meghan’s podcastArchetypes, and Archewell Productions which has so-far announced their docu-seriesHeart of Invictusin partnership with Netflix.The foundation has partnered with numerous organizations in their efforts such as the Aspen Institute, Center for Humane Technology, Global Citizen, UCLA Center for Critical Internet Theory and World Central Kitchen.
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Prince Harry & Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.Chris Jackson/Getty
HarryandMeghanannounced the name of their charity back in April 2020, days afterstepping down as senior royals on March 31,and six months later wouldlaunch its website. Now, two years later, Archewell encompasses three branches: The Archewell Foundation — a non-profit whose “core purpose is to uplift and unite communities — local and global, online and offline — one act of compassion at a time,” Archewell Audio, their audio-first production company behind Meghan’s podcastArchetypes, and Archewell Productions which has so-far announced their docu-seriesHeart of Invictusin partnership with Netflix.
The foundation has partnered with numerous organizations in their efforts such as the Aspen Institute, Center for Humane Technology, Global Citizen, UCLA Center for Critical Internet Theory and World Central Kitchen.
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Chance the Rapper
SocialWorks Instagram
Chance the RapperfoundedSocialWorksout of his hometown, Chicago, to “empower the youth through the arts, education, and civic engagement.”
Since 2016 the organization has funded five different initiatives: OpenMike, Warmest Winter, Kids of the Kingdom, The New Chance: Arts & Literature Fund, and My State of Mind.
OpenMike is a monthly event produced in partnership with the Chicago Public Library that provides high school students the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Kids of the Kingdom dates back to 1978 and is a faith-based summer day camp with a focus on performing and literary arts.
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Miley Cyrus
Happy Hippie Foundation Instagram
Miley Cyrusfounded the Happy Hippie Foundation to fight injustices facing homeless and LGBTQ youth as well as other vulnerable populations.
The organization works with these populations to provide support services, education as well as employment opportunities.
Miley was inspired to launch her organization in part after thepassing of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn, whose death was a big wake-up call for those who were unaware or unfamiliar with the hardships transgender youth experience daily. Cyrus' foundation is privately funded so 100 percent of all donations directly benefit those in need.
“Young people should be able to enjoy their youth without worrying where their next meal is coming from,“she later Tweeted, defending Helt against reports of his criminal past. “Instead of rushing to judgment, we need to look deeper.”
Alexandra Schonfeld
source: people.com
