September 17, 2013
As method as this A-/B+ list Academy Award winner/nominee mostly movie actress is about her roles is nothing compared to what she has done the past several months.The actress was at a party about six months ago. It was a bunch of rich people and our actress said she was bored out of her mind and started drinking. One thing led to another and she started doing shots with a guy. They didn't speak the same first language but the guy got the point across that he was going to Africa a few days after the party because he was installing some mini-water purification plants and also stoves that could be used for cooking and just a whole other laundry list of stuff. Our actress got his card and went home.
That night she pulled up the website of the NGO the guy worked for and saw the NGO had to cut back to one trip a year to supply communities because their funding had dried up because of sexier other causes. The NGO used to make six trips a year to six different communities. The one trip had been decided by lottery by pulling a community name literally out of a hat.
Our actress, who has taken some rightful flak in the past for her choices made sure she looked into this thoroughly and two days later was on a plane to Africa with the guy she had met at the party. A week later she was back at her second home and writing out a big check which paid for two more trips of supplies this past summer with our actress spending three weeks in Africa with no bathroom or showers or internet or phone service. She says she went six days on one of the trips before she even saw someone who had a cell phone and it was a satellite phone.
Our actress says she gave $100K which isn't much to her and that she plans on giving $1M to the NGO which would allow them to make one trip a month next year.
Hilary Swank
that is awesome
ReplyDeleteYay Hillary get drunk more often. And then there is a college basketball coach at Georgia State University doing the same type of idea except it is to supply shoes.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome, I love kindness reveals!
ReplyDeleteWhat "righful flak" did Hilary get? For be so nervous as to forget her husband's name in her Oscar speech?
ReplyDeleteAh, well, still - what an interesting and thoughtful kindness.
Something good came out of doing shots at a party...knew I liked Hilary....she grew up extermly poor in a trailor park....that stays with you no matter how much money or success you have latter
ReplyDeleteGood for her, and even nicer of her to keep it on the down low and not use it to excuse that dictators birthday party she went to.
ReplyDelete7 of 11, I think Hilary attended a birthday party for some dictator (for money).
ReplyDeleteThe rightful flak was about her going to a dictator's birthday party.
ReplyDeleteWow, I didn't know about that - thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou have to wonder about the staff of celebs sometimes - some of them seem like they don't even try to vet their appearances. What kind of party did she think she was attending?
Didn't several different celebs go to that party?
ReplyDeleteYes Reno, quite a few. I think she got the most sh*t for it because her pr person didn't do damage control quickly enough.
ReplyDeleteStill sad about her and Chad Lowe breaking up, I thought they were a great couple.
Very cool of her to do this
Good…
ReplyDeleteThat was nice of her. She hasn't been in much lately, has she?
ReplyDeleteVery cool of her and I hope the money goes to helping the people in the country and not all to salaries for the NGO. This happens so much it's almost hard to even give.
ReplyDeleteAnyone see that documentary on Haiti where all the people are pissed still living in tent towns, important people coming for photo ops and no one delivering on any promises. Sorry to be a downer. It's the truth too often though. Maybe it was a Frontline show.
Hilary rules the internets today!! Sherry, u r so very right about Haiti. i"d love to tag a dollar bill and see exactly where it ends up, because the people sure arent getting it. That is why I dont donate to any relief funds- it almost always turns out the money doesnt go where it should. Like Hurricane Sandy fund. Haiti has alot of envoirmental problems- it is ecologically dead, so no growing can be done. I really dont know what the answer is for that country, except to slowly depopulate it or instigate some sort of manufacuring industry.
ReplyDeleteAunt Licky, I get what you're saying. I feel bad about it but I would much rather give the $$ to the family on the street that asks for help at the Safeway. OR go there and give them food myself. I just see so much graft in NGO's and even more in GO's!
ReplyDeleteShe did a wonderful TV movie with Brenda Blethyn about two mothers who lose their sons to malaria whilst visiting Africa and the mothers get together to campaign for more aid sent to Africa and send over nets and meds to prevent malaria. Looked like it was filmed in Africa.
ReplyDeleteHey people and property in New Orleans STILL have not been set right all these years after Katrina so we can be too smug either.
There are a lot of small NGOs working in Africa who are about helping I believe. That is why you gotta do your research and Swank actually got to see it for herself. I've always liked her.
I see more graft in the United Nations so called relief efforts - don't get me started there.
Very nice, Hillary - love to hear these kinds of stories. MORE KINDNESS REVEALS PLEASE!!!
ReplyDeleteOh for fuck's sake. There are tons of NGOs doing fantastic work and their staff barely take enough salary to keep themselves together. Anyone who wants to find a good NGO can find one in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteThe UN is also doing wonderful work all over the world. Looking at most of the organizations who are badmouthing them - if their mouths are moving, they're lying to you.
It's worth noting that in many of these countries the NGOs and the UN have to play the graft game with the locals to get anything done. I don't slam them for it.
I hate Hilary Swank's work but this is a very good thing she's doing. Kudos.
Do not agree nina. But there are orgs i donate to, i dont dustrust them all. But most. Inc red cross.
DeleteSo sweet! If all the stahs worked for dictators, took the money to do good work - dictators could be overthrown! Just a thought.
ReplyDelete"It's worth noting that in many of these countries the NGOs and the UN have to play the graft game with the locals to get anything done. I don't slam them for it."
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. There are really no third world countries not overrun with corruption.
If you want to vet an NGO before giving check Charity Navigator.
And kudos to Hilary.
I didn't say it happened in all of them just that I hoped the money went to the cause more than the people.
ReplyDeleteThere will always be "ways of doing business" in every country that's part of the culture. My point is when American organizations steal it before it even makes it there. There's zero excuse for that.
And thank you Scallywag for the reminder of the Charity link that can help make sense of them all.