[Earth Day Edition] iHeart Celebrity Causes Highlights Jennifer Lopez's Lopez Family Foundation

As a society we like our celebrities and tend to support the causes they endorse with this status. Our celebrities are those that entertain and inspire us such as those that act in the movies, on television and the stage, our favorite musicians, athletes from our favorite teams or provide national pride representing at the Olympics, the authors of our favorite literary works and those that provide contributions in the world of art. Each month in this population-we™ (pop-we) series, I Heart Celebrity Causes, a celebrity will be chosen and the cause that they promote will be looked at.

I Heart Celebrity Causes!

This month in the 10th installment of I Heart Celebrity Causes the focus is on Jennifer Lopez and the Lopez Family Foundation. Lopez is a multi-media star who has excelled as an actress, author, dancer, producer, singer and song writer. She has eight studio albums which passed the 60 million sold mark, been in 26 movies which have grossed over $2 billion and can currently be seen as a judge on American Idol.

The Lopez Family Foundation was founded by Jennifer Lopez and her sister Lynda in 2009 with the goal to greatly increase the availability of quality healthcare and health education for women and children no matter their financial situation and ability to pay. The goals are to provide maximum impact in the areas of telemedicine and raising healthy children. The initial reach of the Foundation has been results in Bronx, NY, Puerto Rico and Panama.

The Foundation partnered with the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles in September 2010 to launch the Lopez Family Foundation International Telemedicine Program. The program provides specialized  healthcare services through innovative teleconferencing to address the needs of children globally. The inital focus is on Latin America as a presence has been established in Puerto Rico and Panama. Working relationships are in place with two hospitals in Puerto Rico where tele-genetics and tele-radiology programs have been developed. The telemedicine program launch in Panama works with three major pediatric centers, one rural hospital and three rural clinics with the goals of improving access and enhancing the quality of health care for children.

An effort closer to home for the Lopez sisters took place in June 2014 when they joined the Montefiore Health System to launch the Center for a Healthy Childhood in Bronx, NY. The Lopez Family Foundation made a $250,000 donation to Montefiore to help promote healthy living through community health programming, positive messages to raise children's self image and a healthy environment to assit every woman, child and family acheive their full potential. Jennifer Lopez said the Center will make her vision a reality by making her hometown a healthier place.

If you wish to contact the foundation it can be done through the Lopez Family Foundation website.

Most importantly, Bravo to pop-we I Heart Celebrity Causes--Jennifer Lopez--for her Take Action Hollywood! efforts.


Editor's Note: In celebration of the 45th anniversary of Earth Day population-we™ staffers will celebrate our love for planet earth with green posts the entire month of April! For this post we celebrate two Earth Mothers who are the founders of The Lopez Foundation. Thanks for reading our second Earth Day post. 

-population-we™ blog post by John Bohan 

© 2015 population-we, LLC

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to leave a comment, 'Pin' or 'Like' it.

Pin It

I Heart Celebrity Causes Highlights Maria Menounos' Take Action Hollywood!

As a society we like our celebrities and tend to support the causes they endorse with this status. Our celebrities are those that entertain and inspire us such as those that act in the movies, on television and the stage, our favorite musicians, athletes from our favorite teams or provide national pride representing at the Olympics, the authors of our favorite literary works and those that provide contributions in the world of art. Each month in this population-we™ (pop-we) series, I Heart Celebrity Causes, a celebrity will be chosen and the cause that they promote will be looked at.

I Heart Celebrity Causes!

This month in the ninth installment of I Heart Celebrity Causes the focus is on Maria Menounos and Take Action Hollywood!  Menounos has been in the public eye for years as correspondent and host on Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Extra and E! News. She has also written a series of books to help empower people to a healthy lifestyle. For a few years she also made the jump from lifelong fan to participant as she wrestled in the WWE.

Menounos founded Take Action Hollywood! in 2002 after a trip to South Africa where she witnessed the devastation of AIDS on the people there. The mission is to raise awareness about social issues by utilizing the entertainment industry. Menounos and co-founder Keven Undergaro self initiated many of the programs they are involved in. Among the issues they are helping promote are HIV\AIDS healthcare, diabetes, autism, public school diversity, pet neutering and childhood obesity. Currently Menounos is the ambassador for the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Diabetes Aware campaign.

Take Action One Cup was launched in 2007 to call upon students around the country to identify problems in their communities and come up with creative and impactful solutions. It is an annual competition designed to empower both students and their communities. Teams made of students from middle and high schools around the country compete by identifying a problem and exhibiting a solution that has the greatest amount of creativity, dedication and impact. They are judged by both their peers through online voting and campaigning and by a panel of academics, pro-social activists and celebrities. The first Cup was done with Cosmogirl magazine but now its done with Channel One News.

One charity event Menounos finds most gratifying is the Annual Day of Beauty at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Menounos along with a team of make-up artists and hair designers along with other celebrities go to the Teen Lounge to give makeovers to participating patients and their families.  Ranked as one of the top five children's hospitals in the nation it treats the gambit of health issues including the rarest and most complex in pediatrics. Many of the participating patients are terminally ill. All also receive amazing gift bags containing a wide assortment of products and Menounos often leaves the lounge to take bags to patients in rooms who couldn't make it down.The 8th Annual Day of Beauty took place on November 7, 2014.

Information on how to give to this charity can be found on the Take Action Hollywood! donation page.

Most importantly, Bravo to pop-we I Heart Celebrity Causes--Maria Menounos--for her Take Action Hollywood! efforts.

-population-we™ blog post by John Bohan

© 2015 population-we, LLC 
If you enjoyed this post, make sure to leave a comment, 'Pin' or 'Like' it.

Pin It

I Heart Celebrity Causes Highlights Steve King's Heifer International

As a society we like our celebrities and tend to support the causes they endorse with this status. Our celebrities are those that entertain and inspire us such as those that act in the movies, on television and the stage, our favorite musicians, athletes from our favorite teams or provide national pride representing at the Olympics, the authors of our favorite literary works and those that provide contributions in the world of art. Each month in this population-we™ (pop-we) series, I Heart Celebrity Causes, a celebrity will be chosen and the cause that they promote will be looked at.

I Heart Celebrity Causes!

This February is the eighth installment of I Heart Celebrity Causes the focus is on author Stephen King and Heifer International. King is best known for his work in the horror genre but he has also written fantasy, science fiction and suspense. He has 54 novels to his credit including seven he wrote under the pen name Richard Bachman. Starting with his first book "Carrie" more than 350 million copies have been sold. Many have also been adapted into movies and the author admits his favorite three are "Stand by Me," "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Mist." "The Running Man," was one of his Richard Bachman books, which made it to the big screen.

Heifer International is one of the primary charities that King has lent his celebrity to. Founded nearly 70 years ago by American farmer and aid worker Dan West, the main goal of the organization is to end world hunger and poverty. Working to help refugees of the Spanish Civil War; West quickly realized more help could be provided by giving an actual cow rather than just a ration of milk.

Now Heifer International empowers families and helps communities by providing animals which provide both food and income. Areas that had a long history of poverty are able to sustain agriculture and commerce as products like: milk, eggs, honey and wool can be traded or sold. That income gives the communities the financial base to fund small businesses and build schools.

Animals provide the foundation and those that receive animals agree to pass along the offspring to others in need. On average nine generations of animals can be found; while in some areas 22 generations of animals provided by Heifer International can be traced. This cycle of positive change is paid forward through out the community.

Every Heifer project starts by laying 12 cornerstones or solid principles that lay the framework for change and sustainable development. Those 12 are:

• Passing on the Gift,
• Accountability,
• Sharing and Giving,
• Sustainability and Self-Reliance,
• Improved Animal Management,
• Nutrition and Income,
• Gender and Family Focus,
• Genuine Need and Justice,
• Improving the Environment,
• Full Participation,
• Training and Education, and
• Spirituality.

This helps provide lasting change as more than 22.6 million families in over 30 countries word-wide have been lifted out of hunger and poverty.

The organization has a gift catalog which gives people the option to purchase a share of animal or to donate the full price of a goat, heifer, sheep, water buffalo or other. There are also other options to donate toward assistance to promote women's empowerment, support sustainable farming and provide basic needs. If interested, the gift catalog can be found online at Heifer International.

Most importantly, Bravo to pop-we I Heart Celebrity Causes--Stephen King--for his Heifer International efforts!

-population-we™ blog post by John Bohan

© 2015 population-we, LLC 
If you enjoyed this post, make sure to leave a comment, 'Pin' or 'Like' it.

Pin It