Month: March 2020

As many of us know her as the light-hearted, spunky singer in Disney channel’s Camp Rock, Demi Lovato has many sides to her. She has also starred in the second Camp Rock movie, Princess Protection Program, Sonny with a Chance, and even made a guest appearance on ABC’s beloved Greys Anatomy. It hasn’t been until recent years that the truth of Lovato’s struggles have come into light.

Lovato got her big break in 2007 when she was asked by Disney channel to play a side part at the age of 15. Being a part of the public eye for so long would get into the head of anyone, and it did for this star. In 2011, Lovato was diagnosed with bipolar depression, along with an eating disorder and a cutting habit. She has experienced extreme mood swings and even a suspected overdose in 2015. This is experience was both traumatic and shocking as the star had been being treated for her disorders and seemed to be doing significantly better. The drug that Lovato overdosed on was not revealed.

 

As this experience could be seen as negative, Lovato took this as a wake-up call. After this event, Lovato has put her health to the forefront. Along with putting her health first, she has also put her efforts into helping fans with disabilities caused by their mental disorders. Through speaking on her experiences with bipolar depression, Lovato received the Artistic Award of Courage. She advises all future politicians to provide proper mental health facilities and care for those struggling with a mental illness. Lovato says that she is a walking example that you can deal with your mental illness and still live a full life.

One thing that Lovato says crushes her about today’s society is that the word bipolar is loosely thrown around as if it is an adjective meant for anyone. With this in mind, Lovato has become a co-owner of Comprehensive Assistance Support Treatment, or CAST for short. This is a center for wellness and recovery and the star actually was a patient here during her darkest time. The owners of this center are proud to see Lovato go from a patient, to an advocate, to now an owner.

Not only has Lovato become involved with a treatment center close to her own heart, she is a public figure that speaks on mental illness and is not shy about it, which I think is so rare. It is so common for celebrities to hide their imperfections, but I think it is very courageous of Lovato to put herself out there in hopes to help a single suffering person.

As of the morning of March 17th, 2020, Tom Brady, the beloved quarterback of the New England Patriots announced that he will not be signing with New England for the upcoming season. Playing with the Patriots for nearly 20 seasons, Brady was awarded the record winner for most Superbowl wins by a single player. As Patriot fan’s hearts are breaking, Brady leaves us with his last remark of “I don’t know what my football future holds, but it is time for me to open a new stage for my life and my career”. Being a Patriots fan myself (while having to be undercover while in Steeler country), I am not looking forward to the upcoming season as it is uncertain how the team will bounce back after losing several valuable players over the past few years.  

Now is as good a time as any to reflect on the non-sport related accomplishments Brady has given to his community through his years living in Brookline, Massachusetts. Most football fans know, even if you are not a pats fan, that Brady’s number is 12. With that, he created his own non-profit organization called the TB12 Foundation. The mission of his foundation is to provide young athletes with recovery from injuries and provide wellness resources for preparation, performance and health innovation. Something that is special about this foundation is that it targets those at risk athletes who can not afford high-quality rehabilitation from injury or correct training. With Brady’s efforts to help young athletes like he once was, thousands of athletes have been able to bounce back from their injuries and overall improve their performance. Without the TB12 Foundation, those who could not afford high-quality training would never have gotten their break to be a star athlete.

Not only did Brady involve himself with young athletes, but he was also an honorary co-chair of Best Buddies, a program for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Brady started getting involved with this program in 2003, and has helped the organization raise over $20 million. Annually, Brady would host a Tom Brady Football Challenge for all participants, bringing the Patriots and this organization together. Being able to hang out with a famous athlete and his team was something that brightened the spirits of all those in the Best Buddies programs.

In the past year, Brady has stepped down as a co-chair to a global ambassador. Who knows if this was due to his decision to become a free agent, and we may never know. Even with stepping down, Brady has proven his advocacy and commitment to the best buddies programs and has helped shaped the lives of those with disabilities.

Although his departure from New England is heartbreaking, I can honestly thank Brady for his contributions to Boston and the Patriots on and off the field. As Brady always says, he will always be a patriot.

As many of us know, Texas was one of the many states to be hit with multiple hurricanes over the past decade, an estimate about two per year. Along with rebuilding major cities from hurricane damage, state capitals and other major cities have an influx of homeless people as their homes were stripped away by water. Houston, ranked the fourth largest city in the United States, in particular, had a huge homeless people problem being a downtown, high population city. Luckily, having a superstar that calls Houston home can drastically help address problems within the city. Beyoncé is a former Houston resident and has been a huge help to the city as she gave $7 million towards a low incoming housing complex, as well as donating money to her local church. 

Growing up in the church, Beyoncé learned what community meant and what it really means to support one another. It was no surprise that she lent a hand with her “BEYgood ” campaign in Houston. It is not very shocking that a celebrity has named their own foundation after, well, themselves.  Through this campaign, volunteers handed out blankets, baby products, wheelchairs, food, water, and other daily necessities to the homeless and those affected by the hurricane. The BEYgood campaign combined with the Bread of Life and the Greater Houston Community Foundation in order to help the residents of this devested area. Without Beyoncé’s help, Houston would not be as near to its recovery as it is today.

Beyoncé has shown much interest in hurricane damage as she has assisted her parents in starting The Survivor Foundation. This foundation started in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina in Houston by providing transitional housing for hurricane evacuees. While houses were being rebuilt, families could stay in these transitional houses, free of charge. With the help of the whole Beyoncé family, $400,000 has been secured in funds for this project. The amount of money the family has raised for Houston has helped thousands of families recover after the hurricane.

Along with helping recovering cities, Beyoncé has previously partnered with Goodwill to help conquer the unemployment crisis in the United States. By providing job training, the partnership helps struggling citizens to get back on their feet as well as learn the tasks of a simple business.

Most of Beyoncé’s charitable acts have unfortunately gone unnoticed. As she may not be as big of a superstar as she once was, her acts of kindness continue to impact citizens all of the country. Houston residents especially owe Beyoncé a thank you as she helped to rebuild the city and their homes.