Category: Uncategorized

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.

As a previous first lady, Michelle Obama has used her post-fame platform to continue her journey to change the lives of many young women. Even though her title of the first lady came to a close in 2017 when Barack Obama was out of office, she still continues to make a difference in the lives of many in a global way. Starting the Let Girls Learn organization, Obama has provided equal education for young girls in developing countries all around the world to help them create a successful career, and a warm home in their near future. 

Coming from a home where her father expected great things, Obama expected the same right to education as any man would have no problem achieving. Becoming a successful intelligent woman is something she thanks her years of education for as she hopes to give this to young girls in developing countries around the world. At a press conference in Japan, Obama delivers a methodical speech about how educating young around the world would help to ensure that the 61 million girls can make a home and possibly contribute to the global economy in the workforce.

There are many critics, including our current president, that do not see the value in educating women in third world countries. With the help of Obama, the light has been shed on the value of educating these women. Since the start of this nonprofit organization, Let Girls Learn has helped Ethiopia achieved a 95% enrollment in primary school over the past 15 years, has trained over 300,000 teachers worldwide, and invested $1 billion annually to education programs. 

Other benefits of educating women, in general, are that women with schooling are more likely to resist violence, infant mortality can decrease, and increase future earnings by about 20%. Not only did Obama start a revolution for education, but also a revolution for survival. With schooling, women can know what they deserve, what to look out for when having children, and make a better life for themselves when they are adults.

Michelle Obama has also contributed to our country by helping school districts revise school lunches for healthier options to reduce the obesity epidemic, promoted physical activity, helped veterans with jobs and homes, and advocated for equal opportunities for all people.

In my opinion, Michelle Obama was and still is the most active first lady in regards to the public, even out of office. She helped so many women across the world gain their right to an education that they never would have seen otherwise.

Kobe Bryant. After twenty seasons of his professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant retired from basketball in 2016. As any sports fan knows, Kobe Bryant was a legend. Leading his team to victory after victory, he was a role model to many.

On January 26th, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and several others on board suffered a terrifying helicopter crash. Reporters have noted that the helicopter cleared a ravine it was flying over, then plummeted over 2,000 feet per second into the hillside. The cause of the crash seems to be the foggy air, making flying difficult, especially in a helicopter. The pilot was very experienced, as sources say, and had flown to the same destination the day before. The foggy conditions were said to be the reason the helicopter lost control, as well as taking a new, unfamiliar route over the ravine.

All the lives we lost that day will never be forgotten, and along with all the other victims, Bryant will always be known as a legend. His basketball achievements will always be in the minds of fans, but Bryant’s legacy extends far beyond the court.

The Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation was an organization made by the married couple in 2007 to give scholarships and teach young soccer players how to think independently and become leaders on and off the field. Homeless children also get to experience the kindness of the Bryant family and his wife, Vanessa, visits their shelters frequently. With the help of this foundation, children from any background can learn how to play soccer, become independent, and become a leader.

Along with supporting athletes, Bryant also lent a hand to those children in need. Over the last two decades, he has granted over 250 wishes to children with pediatric cancer through the Make A Wish Foundation. Through this foundation, Bryant has helped to raise $81 million for cancer research. On one specific visit, 8-year-old Jeffery Mckenzie was visited by Bryant as he was being treated for sickle cell anemia. His mother reported that he hadn’t seen Jeffery smile since this hospital visit, and Bryant was the only one to bring it out of him.

Almost every girl on this campus knows what ABC‘s The Bachelor is. Every Monday night, I can almost guarantee the lobby and basement of your building will have all the female residents huddled around the flat screen tv with their pajamas on. Three seasons ago, Colton Underwood became the bachelor at 26 years old. After playing tight end at Illinois State, he was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2014. In hopes to find love, Underwood hoped that his virginity would not get in his way when trying to find a wife.

Underwood was the only virgin bachelor to ever be on the show, making him an attractive option for many attention derived, simple girls. Not only did he make the season unforgettable, but Underwood was able to find love, even if it did not end up in a proposal.

You may be asking why I gave you so much information about a show you may have never watched, but football and the bachelor is not all there is to Colton Underwood. 

The Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that supports people living with cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a disease the affects the lungs and respiratory system by causing a build-up of mucus that clogs the lungs. He started this foundation with his platform in regards to his younger cousin, Harper, who was born with cystic fibrosis. With funds from Underwood’s foundation, people with this disease are given vests that basically shake the mucus off the lungs. These vests can be life-saving as patients may have to use them several times a day and even in the middle of the night.

In 2018, 16-year-old patient Ali traveled to Children’s Hospital Colorado thinking they were helping Underwood choose the next recipient of the AffloVest.

Little did she or her parents know, she was the recipient. Underwood had chosen Ali to receive the vest because of her passion to dance at the Denver School of the Arts. Her positive attitude is what stood out to Underwood as he happily granted her the life-changing vest.

Colton Underwood is more than just a past bachelor. He is more than just an ex-pro football player. He is more than his fame and Instagram posts. Underwood started this nonfit himself with no clear goal of how huge the foundation would become and how many lives it would save. As he has touched many lives with his love story, he has touched so many more through his nonprofit foundation. Underwood is truly making a difference across the United States, doing something that is so good and could only have been made possible with his social platform.

According to News 18, Selena Gomez is becoming very popular in Australia, not just because of her latest album release, but because of her generous donation to help combat the deadly wildfires. 

As many of us know from watching the news, Australia’s citizens and wildlife have been taken over by wildfires that have devastated the entire country. More than 3,000 homes have been burnt to pieces and about 30 lives have been lost in this tragedy. As the cause of most wildfires are mostly naturally based, several citizens have admitted to starting brush fires that have gotten way out of hand as sources have discovered. Of course, as the world that these people know is literally fading away, same goes for all the wildlife that have always called Australia home. About one-third of koalas in the most targeted area have been killed by the fires that took about one-third of their home away. The koala population has been decreasing over the last hundred years and the species is approaching endangerment status after the Australia fires.  Military assistance has been provided in an effort to restore homes, save wildlife, and help with damaged property.

Just because Australia is across the world, celebrities here in the United States still decided to take action. Being a fan of old school Disney channel growing up, Selena Gomez was someone I had watched a lot and now follow on various social media platforms. When the news about Australia got to the states, it seemed that Gomez did not hesitate to lend a hand. The star donated $500,000 in efforts to rebuild and control the wildfires.

Not only has the celebrity donated a chunk of change to the cause, she has posted many times about how she is praying for all the families, friends, and first responders risking their lives in Australia.

Donating to this cause did not seem like a great expense to Gomez as at the time she had been working on releasing her new album titled “Rare”. Gomez was quoted to state that as a frequent visitor of Australia, this place holds a place in her heart. She has encouraged fans to donate like she has through her social media posts.

Even amidst a busy time for the pop star, she put her album on hold in order to help a country in need. Gomez is the perfect example that celebrities aren’t cold and empty when it comes to helping people other than themselves. Her actions are purely an act of service. After Gomez’s donation, many other celebrities followed in her lead, causing a chain reaction to help Australia recover from the devastation they have survived.

Australia thanks you, Selena.

Celebrities. Society holds these people to such a high standard based on a single word; celebrity. As a society, we look up to these people because we believe that they are famous because they are better, prettier, more athletic. While this may be true in some cases, it is not the whole truth. Those celebrities may just have a knack for acting, sports, or singing and that is how they got their fame. We expect these people to do things out of the ordinary, shine on the silver screen, and attend every red carpet event so we can bask in the glory of watching them receive a golden globe.

But who are these people? To you and me, they are strangers. Strangers that have more money than they know what to do with and have to live in the public eye. Celebrity can be defined as famous person whom may be celebrated. In other words, people that are important to society. Although these celebrities seem invincible, they are real people too, just a little more out of the ordinary than you and me.

The focus of this blog is to uncover the little details that make these celebrities unique. Do they have a quirk, hobby, or special talent? Do these quirks stem from somewhere deeper or closer to home than just being famous? I believe that celebrities are known for things that may not make them who they are. Think about all the service work an athlete may contribute to but goes unnoticed due to the sports highlights of their latest victory. These celebrities are not just for our entertainment, they are people with a goal, people with a mission. Celebrities’ random acts of kindness tend to get swept under the carpet before critics can notice and take away the opportunity to have a change in opinion. For example, think of Taylor Swift. She donated Christmas gifts to fans and even so much as $50,000 to a girl who had to miss her concert for a leukemia treatment. That isn’t just a celebrity ready to make a couple of dollars by performing at a concert. That is a person who believes some acts of kindness are greater than oneself.

Celebrities do this type of thing every day but somehow, it rarely reaches the attention to reach the big screen. These are the moments some celebrities live for. The chance to use their fame to help those in need. Some look forward to the next opportunity to give back, not when the next airing is of their tv show. With this blog, I hope to educate my readers about those exact moments. Moments that unfortunately go so monumentally unnoticed.