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 
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Marchi Gras 7 to Benefit Sunshine Kids March 13 & 14

Who is behind that mask? It could be you jamming to the music at the Marchi Gras 7 on March 13th and 14th at Bushwackers Saloon in Ralston, NE. This year’s theme is (you guessed it) a masquerade party. Come on Friday for Rock N’ Roll or Saturday for Country Night or double your fun and come both nights. It is only $15 per person per night or both nights for $30 per person. Cory Fuller, a Real Estate professional with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate in Omaha, NE., founded and hosts Marchi Gras as a fundraiser for the Sunshine Kids. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is one of the largest backers nationally of the Sunshine Kids, an organization dedicated to providing recreational outings for children with cancer and their families.

I interviewed Brandon Deyo, PR and Media Relations for Marchi Gras 7, about the upcoming fundraiser. He starts brainstorming for the event in advance and keeps a keen focus on this year’s event while already looking ahead to the next one. He really believes that people come together when tragedy strikes.

There is a deep line up of talented artists and bands for the event including Nashville recording artist Jeremy McComb, Sinners and Saints, The John Doe Band, Recaptured (A Tribute to Journey) and the Jason Earl Band. McKenzie Steiner will also be performing. Deyo is thrilled that this 13 year-old-talent, who handpicked her own band, Mckenzie JaLynn & The Renegades, will perform because she wants to help children with cancer.

Sunshine Kids is a national organization. Youth are chosen to participate in national events. The fundraiser will also support local activities for children and their families in the greater Omaha Metro area. Deyo said that a child with cancer impacts the whole family. The activities are geared to the whole family too so that the family can forget about the cancer while they participate in the sponsored activities. He is also aware that even with the best insurance policies that there is a heavy financial burden on the families. For children with chronic or even acute illnesses, community support for the families is so vital.

Vince Leisey is the owner and managing broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate in Omaha. Besides offering his company's support, Leisey allows the Sunshine Kids' families and close friends of children with cancer to use his suites to attend events at such places as Creighton Basketball and Cox Classic; both in the surrounding Omaha areas.

Deyo has done individual activities with a Sunshine Kid and her family including attending the Omaha Lancer’s Hockey where the child had access to the locker room and received an autographed T-shirt.

Deyo also aka Brother B has a big heart. He pours his whole heart and soul into Marchi Gras. Pictures of Sunshine Kids that are forever in his heart are saved on his phone--so he sees them when he checks his messages. They remind him to do everything that he needs to do that day. I know Deyo’s grandparents, who were my childhood neighbors would be so pleased that he is doing such important work. Read more about living next door to Brandon's grandma, Goldie.

There will be a silent auction. Donations will be accepted for the auction until a week prior to the event to give them time to prepare the items for auction.

You may purchase tickets in advance at the following businesses around the Omaha and Ralston area: Bushwackers, Fuseweekly.com, VooDoo Taco and Bershire Hathaway HomeServices! Tickets will also be available for purchase on the night of the event at Bushwackers.

Some of the population-we LLC staff plan to attend Marchi Gras this year. They are looking forward to an evening of fun for a good cause. Deyo said it will be “an outright good time!”

-population-we™ blog post by Barb Bohan

© 2015 population-we, LLC 
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