Tickets are now on sale for Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out!, the first of a monthly benefit concert series with Broadway, TV, film and recording stars that will debut at The Town Hall on Friday, January 20, 2017, at 3:00pm.
The concert will feature performances by Betty Buckley, Sharon Gless, Andrea Martin, Jessie Mueller, Bebe Neuwirth, Rosie O’Donnell, Rosie Perez, Billy Porter, Chita Rivera, Brian Stokes Mitchell and more.
“By bringing together this spectacular group of artists to celebrate the diversity and hope that makes America its best, we hope this concert will lift spirits and remind people across the country that we are stronger united and our voices will be heard over the next four years,” Rudetsky and Wesley said.
Proceeds will benefit several national organizations working to protect human rights, including Planned Parenthood, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Immigration Law Center and the Sierra Club.
Tickets range from $25 to $50 and are available at TicketMaster.com and at The Town Hall box office (123 W 43rd St.). Participating performers are subject to change.
For those unable to attend, the concert will be broadcast on Facebook Live at 3:00pm EST on January 20th, directed by Emmy Award winner Debbie Miller.
Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out! is created and organized by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley in association with Your Kids, Our Kids and the support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
For more information or to make a donation, visit www.concert4america2017.org and follow @Concerts4USA on Twitter.
Jan 09, 2017 11:30 am
Bitten star Laura Vandervoort has teamed up with PETA for a new video that calls attention to the plight of “backyard dogs” who are chained up outside to shiver all winter long, sometimes year after year for their entire lives.
Wearing just a few layers of clothing, Vandervoort huddles and shivers for warmth in a massive industrial freezer.
“I’m really trying to last a while because I know dogs don’t have a choice,” she says. “But it’s cold. People wouldn’t leave their kids out in the cold like this. Yet some people think it’s OK to do it to a dog. It’s not fair.”
After 20 minutes, she escapes from the freezer and urges viewers to take action, saying, “If you see animals being mistreated, talk to the owners, call the police. We need to be a voice for them.”
Every year, PETA — whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” — receives thousands of complaints about people who leave dogs and cats outside in the cold, where they can suffer from frostbite and exposure and become dehydrated when water sources freeze. Some animals are even found frozen to death. Vandervoort and PETA urge families to keep dogs indoors with the family, during the winter and all year long.
UNICEF UK has announced that Soccer Aid 2016, broadcast exclusively on ITV, has raised a record-breaking £6.6 million for its life-saving work for children.
Thanks to the generous support of the UK public and ITV viewers, and the UK Government matching all public donations pound for pound, this figure has smashed previous records set by the biennial event.
A crowd of almost 70,000 turned out at Old Trafford to witness England defeat Rest of the World 3-2 in another pulsating encounter between the two sides. Unicef UK Ambassadors Robbie Williams and Michael Sheen once again went head to head under the management of Jose Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri, and were joined by star players including Olly Murs, Jack Whitehall, Man of the Match Mark Wright, Louis Tomlinson, Gareth Thomas, Matthew Morrison, Sir AP McCoy, Iwan Rheon and Niall Horan.
Throughout the match short films were broadcast presented by Unicef Ambassadors and supporters, Eddie Izzard, Nicole Scherzinger, Tinie Tempah, Olivia Colman and Keeley Hawes showing Unicef’s work to protect children in danger around the world.
Robbie Williams, Unicef UK Ambassador and co-founder of Soccer Aid said: “We said we wanted to smash our fundraising record for Unicef and we did it! Thank you so much to everyone who came to the match or donated on the night; you helped make it the biggest and best Soccer Aid so far. In the ten years since Soccer Aid began we’ve raised £24 million for Unicef so they can help keep even more children safe. That’s incredible and something we could only dream of when Soccer Aid began all those years ago.”
Michael Sheen, Unicef UK Ambassador and Rest of the World captain added: “What a match! I admit I was disappointed England snatched the trophy back from Rest of the World this year, but Soccer Aid is about so much more than football. Thanks to the generosity of the public and the UK government matching donations pound for pound, this year’s event raised more than ever and really will help Unicef make a difference to children’s lives.”
The money raised through Soccer Aid 2016 will help Unicef to improve health and nutrition for over 1.2 million women and children in Zimbabwe, Myanmar and Ethiopia, as well as providing children all over the world with life-saving food, vaccines and clean water, and protecting them from violence, exploitation and abuse.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel said: “I am enormously proud that the British public responded with characteristic generosity to this year’s Soccer Aid appeal. By matching all public donations pound for pound, the UK has helped Unicef break all their previous records and raise £6.6 million. This will help protect more than one million women and children in Zimbabwe, Myanmar and Ethiopia from severe malnutrition and life-threatening diseases and help show extreme poverty the red card.”
Soccer Aid was produced by Initial, part of Endemol Shine Group and was broadcast live on ITV on Sunday 5th June 2016. Over the last ten years the six Soccer Aid events have raised over £24 million for Unicef’s work for children.
Africa contains 16% of the world’s population, and has over 30% of the world’s remaining natural resources, yet it is also the poorest and most underdeveloped continent.
The concern now needs to be on helping Africa build stronger communities and provide better access basic resources, so the aid can continue to grow and develop into self-sustaining societies.
A new Mediaplanet campaign will educate and inspire action ranging from making donations to volunteering to supporting the organizations that are out there fighting to help the people of Africa make their communities more resilient. Mediaplanet has come together with an exciting roster of leaders in the industry to share inspiring stories about the people of Africa, the progress that has been made and what still needs to happen.
Alicia Keys discusses her organization Keep A Child Alive, and the work that they’ve done over the past 10+ years to help eradicate the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. “I was so frustrated by this injustice. It was painful to think that just because you were born into a certain economic circumstance you weren’t valuable enough to deserve to live,” said Keys. “Now there are 18.2 million people on treatment, and I’m proud to say my organization Keep a Child Alive has been a part of this movement.”
The print component of “Empowering Africa” was distributed within a recent edition of USA Today, with a circulation of approximately 250,000 copies and an estimated readership of 750,000. The digital component is distributed nationally, through a vast social media strategy, and across a network of top news sites and partner outlets. To explore the digital version of the campaign, click here.
Actor Robert Patrick of the CBS show “Scorpion” and some 125 fellow riders from the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club Chapter 101 and other local motorcycle clubs took part in a toy run for Hillsides, a foster care charity, prior to Christmas.
The riders rode from Canyon Country, California to Hillsides main campus in Pasadena, California with a truck load of holiday gifts. Actors Mike Beach and Emilio Rivera from the FX show “Sons of Anarchy” were also among the riders. The toys were collected at the “Scorpion” set and through the Boozefighters motorcycle club.
“This is the second year that Robert and his fellow riders have come onto campus bearing gifts, and it is a tremendous sight to see,” said Hillsides Chief Executive Officer Joseph M. Costa. “Not only did they collect hundreds of toys, the children who live at Hillsides get a huge kick out of talking to the riders and sitting on their motorcycles. This is a true highlight of the holidays for everyone.”
Patrick, first made famous for his role as T-1000 in the 1991 movie “Terminator 2,” said that he feels compelled to give back because as a child, he was surrounded by a loving family who supported his dreams. “I love that Hillsides is giving kids a chance for opportunity and to change their lives,” he said. “I know from personal experience how important it is to have someone believe in you.”
Patrick learned about Hillsides through his local Episcopal church, St. Thomas the Apostle in Hollywood. Hillsides has its roots in the Episcopal Church, having been founded in 1913 by an Episcopal deaconess, Evelyn Wile. Besides helping Hillsides, Patrick is a devoted advocate for veterans and has traveled around the world with the United Service Organization (USO) visiting troops.
The Boozefighters Motorcycle Club is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for veterans and has participated in several toy runs over the years.
The gifts collected through the toy run will be distributed to some of the 13,000 children and families Hillsides serves throughout Los Angeles County.
Due to the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity and food insecurity, America may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than its parents.
The harsh reality is that these problems start at home. It’s vital that families are educated on the affordable and effective ways they can expose their children to healthy lifestyle choices. With 2017 here right now, Mediaplanet’s cross-platform edition of “Childhood Wellness” will educate readers on how essential it is for families, parents and educators to do their part in improving the health of our younger generations.
Professional chef Rachael Ray graces the cover of the print publication. In an exclusive interview with Mediaplanet, she discusses her mission to cook, feed and fund through her nonprofit organization that empowers families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. “Like every charity, our goal is to not have to exist anymore,” explains Ray. “If every child and their family knew how to cook for themselves; if there were not over 13 million children living in food insecure households; if every high school student had the ability to go to school to learn a trade they loved — there wouldn’t have to be a Yum-o!” Rachael has used her celebrity status to speak out about her passion. She strives to inspire families to work with their communities to move the needle and make a difference within this huge problem.
The print component of “Childhood Wellness” was distributed within a recent edition of USA Today, with a circulation of approximately 250,000 copies and an estimated readership of 750,000. The digital component is distributed nationally, through a vast social media strategy, and across a network of top news sites and partner outlets. To explore the digital version of the campaign, click here.
This edition of “Childhood Wellness” was made possible with the support of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Partnership for a Healthier America, Action for Healthy Kids, No Kid Hungry, Feeding America, End 68 Hours of Hunger, Food & Research Action Center, Racheal Ray, Ann Cooper, Shannon Miller, Jim Plunket-Cole, Dairy Management Inc., Sugar 2.0, Livliga, Peach Dish, Froozer, Huami USA, Tyson Foods, GoGo SqueeZ, AmpleHarvest.org, Red Sun Farms and many more.
Jan 09, 2017 05:00 am
The J/P Haitian Relief Organization (JP HERO) was set up by Sean Penn to save lives and bring relief to the Haitian people quickly and effectively.
The organization was built to support the needs of hospitals, government, religious and community organizations, and works in tandem with U.S. government organizations, (including the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne and the U.S. State Department ), other charitable and non-governmental organizations and receives international support. Because J/P HRO operates with virtually no administrative overhead and has an army of volunteers, nearly all contributions go directly to the people who need it. In addition, J/P HRO currently employs nearly 100 Haitians including translators, security, drivers, doctors, nurses.
