It
is not uncommon for a celebrity to become philanthropic and donate to a
charity. Many charities and non- profit organizations gain tremendous amounts
of their revenue from the assistance of celebrities as well as in the form of
holding fundraisers to raise money. However, it has become a trend where
celebrities join forces, using their talents, and put on an event using the
proceeds from the event as a donation to a specific cause or charity.
On February 9th, 2013 New York
City will welcome a fashion show event called, “ The Realtiy of Fashion, The
Reality of Aids,” that will bring together 20-30 American reality TV stars set
to take the catwalk. As a noble philanthropic event, this fashion show will be
featuring couture pieces from New-York Based designer Dominique Auxilly. After the show, the couture pieces will be
auctioned offline and donated to the 2013 Aids Charity of Choice. Another
philanthropic event schedule to be held in the upcoming weeks is UNCF An
Evening of Stars.
The UNCF event will premiere nationwide
on Sunday January 26th, 2013 on BET. This event will feature Grammy
award winner Usher, Steve Harvey, Kevin Hart, Chaka Khan, and many others who
will present scholarships to deserving college and college-bound students. UNCF
is an organization focusing on a crisis facing African American’s, which is Education.
As a result, they award up to 15,000 of the 60,000 students who apply for
financial aid every year. Since it’s inception in 1979, UNCF An Evening with Stars
has been able to raise over $200 million dollars, which has helped hundreds of
thousands of college and graduate college students. However, the most popular
and current event showcasing the unity of celebrities for a cause was the
Hurricane Sandy Relief concert.
On December 12, 2012 an all-star line up
of music legends joined together to rather funds for the victims of the storm
Sandy. This nationally broadcasted event showcased stars in particularly black
or grey clothing (representing a somber tone), that continually encouraged
viewers to donate. This event raised over $35 million dollars in ticket sales
alone, according to USA today.
It
is then evident that events such as these have become a main element in the
financial life of charities with the help of celebrities.