He may be third in line for the British throne, but Prince William is not afraid to get down and dirty – as long as it’s for a good cause. Tuesday night, Prince William slept on the streets of London despite the weather conditions. The temperatures that night went down to as low as negative four degrees Celsius and yet the Prince took it all in good stride – he used cardboard boxes as bedding.

So why did he do this? The Prince slept on the street as part of promoting awareness of homeless people. He supports charitable group Centrepoint, which focuses on those who do not have homes. Seyi Obakin, the chief executive of the organization tells of Prince William’s experience:

“There was no shielding from the bitter cold or the hard concrete floor or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a good kicking. One of the hairiest moments occurred when we were almost run over by a road sweeper which simply didn’t see our small group huddled together, which just goes to show how vulnerable rough sleepers are.”

Obakin spent the night with Prince William and also shared just how determined he was to get an understanding of what homeless people go through. After that night, the Prince probably has a whole new perspective.

What does this mean for the charity? They just might get financial support from the Royal Family. At the very least, more people will pay attention to their cause.

Categories: Charities, Inspiration, News | Tags: charity organizations, homeless, Prince William

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They were the best of friends in the long running TV show Friends, and they are really close friends in real life as well. I am sure you know the people I am talking about – Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox. These girls have taken their friendship to great lengths, and now, they are getting together to extend a helping hand to some women who need it the most.

The friends are currently busy with a project which is aimed at empowering women in Congo. More than giving their verbal and public support, Aniston and Cox are actually spending time to help the cause out. One activity they engaged in was to take part in a dinner which helped raised awareness for their charity. They were joined by Sheryl Crow. The friends are now working on catching the attention of Senator Hilary Clinton.

The organization is called OmiPeace, which is actually a humanitarian fashion brand, and is run by Mary Fanaro, another friend (not a TV “Friend,” as I am sure you know). Courtney Cox is really passionate about what they’re doing. It was quite touching to read what she said: “OmniPeace was created to give back. I can’t think of a better way to support my best friend and all the work that she and OmniPeace do to donate to causes supporting peace, education, human rights and the end of extreme poverty by 2025. Mary’s passion is so contagious and wonderful. It has taught me that anything is possible with enough perseverance and tenacity.”

To find out more about OmniPeace and how you can help, visit www.omnipeace.com/.

Categories: Campaigns, Charities, News, Organizations, Websites, Women | Tags: celebrity charities, Charities, Congo, Courtney Cox, Friends, Jennifer Aniston, OmniPeace, women's charities

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Remember what happened to Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina hit several years ago? The hurricane dumped more than an inch of rainfall for three hours, and then it dumped 0.5 inches of rain for the next 5 hours or so. We all know what happened.

Now think of a tropical storm dumping an average of 2.24 inches of rain per hour for six hours straight. Think of a metropolis crammed with millions and millions of people – many of them living near swollen rivers in makeshift shanties. You can just imagine the disaster!

This is exactly what happened to Metro Manila and outlying areas on Saturday, September 26. The center of the nation was left helpless under the wrath of nature. Even the business district was flooded, with cars being swept away by the flood waters.

Ordinary people were left stranded in the middle of the highways. Others were stuck on the roofs of their houses. The less fortunate ones were carried away by the raging waters.

One thing is clear: these people need help.

You will be amazed at how quickly the Filipino people are banding together to offer their help. Numerous institutions have opened their arms as hosts to those who have been displaced. Churches, schools, and community centers have risen to the occasion. Others have volunteered to pack relief goods. People have also been using technology non-stop to do their part – spreading information, asking for rescue, even sending donations to the Philippine Red Cross through their mobile phones. Nothing is too small, and nothing too big – the Filipino nation is showing their “bayanihan” spirit and is proud of it.

For those who want to donate or help in whatever way you can, here’s the relevant information.

• Red Cross donation via SMS: text REDAMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart)
• Relief goods can be sent to Caritas Manila Office at Jesus St., Pandaca Manila near Nagtahan Bridge (tel.no. 5639298/5639308). Relief goods can also be brought Radio Veritas at Veritas Tower West Ave. Corner EDSA (tel no. 9257931-40).
• TeamManila stores in Trinoma, Mall of Asia, Jupiter Bel-Air and Rockwell shall be accepting relief goods (Canned Goods, Ready-to-drink Milk, Bottled Water and Clothes) for distribution by Veritas to displaced countrymen due to Typhoon Ondoy.
• Generous souls in the US who wish to help in the rescue and relief operations, you may donate through the American Red Cross. Call 1-800-435-7669.

Categories: Campaigns, Charities, Disaster Relief, News | Tags: donations, natural-disasters, philippines, red-cross, relief good, rescue operations, tropical storm, typhoon, typhoon ondoy

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While charity is certainly not only for the rich and famous, they do tend to focus on charitable activities, especially later on in life, don’t they? Take Bob Dylan, for example. He is an icon in the music world and despite the fact that his career has not been that productive in the recent years, he is still widely regarded as one of the best musicians in the world. And of course, his acts of charity are not to be disregarded as well.

His most recently publicized “do good” campaign is the Christmas album that he will be releasing, well, in the Christmas season. Some may scoff at this – we all know how Christmas albums tend to be so so. Then again, this is Bob Dylan we are talking about. More than that, this is the first ever Christmas album for the legendary songwriter.

The album is titled “Christmas in Your Heart,” and according to reports, it will include Christmas classics such as Here Comes Santa Claus, Winter Wonderland, and Little Drummer Boy. To make things a little more interesting, rumors have been going around that there might be a couple of original Christmas songs written by Dylan himself in the album.

All the sales from Christmas in Your Heart will go to charity. Proceeds from the US version of the album will all go to Feeding America. For the international version, Dylan is still holding talks with a charitable organization that also feeds the needy in the UK and another group that operates in developing countries.

So let’s buy a new Christmas album?

Categories: Charities, Holidays, News

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The hunk’s mom, Sonia Copeland Bloom, is moving house, and she wants to clear out her son’s room before she does it. What do moms normally do when this happens? My own parents jammed my stuff into boxes and left them in storage. Some of the stuff, I decided to get and use in my own place. But then again, I am NOT Orlando Bloom. I do not have tons of stuff that I can sell for a hefty price to the countless collectors out there.

This is what the star’s mom is planning on doing. She has already spoken to her son, who has given her permission to do so, with one stipulation: the proceeds of the sale would go to charity. So what can you get your hands on? The Guardian lists some of the items that will be on sale:

Among the items up for grabs are a bodyline wetsuit used by Bloom, 32, when he filmed a scene with Elijah Wood in The Return of the King and a poster signed by the entire cast.

A pair of Moroccan slippers and boots he wore in The Kingdom of Heaven could also entice film buffs.

But fans of Bloom – who now lives in west London – can also get their hands on more personal items such as the badminton and tennis racquets he used as a boy.

Gucci shoes, Puma trainers, polo shirts and a hooded waterproof Gap jacket belonging to the star will also be auctioned.

It will be interesting to see how much this auction will make. The charities that will benefit are Unesco, the New Marlow Theatre, cancer charity Odyssey and the UKC Music Scholarships.

Categories: Charities, Events, Families, Men, News

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