Celebrity Philanthropy Quotes

I don't see any negativity with what Brad Pitt is doing with his Make It Right Foundation, or what Sean Penn is trying to do in Haiti.

It's always disappointing to come across phony do-gooders. And it's easy to scoff at celebrities working in war zones.

I founded 'Point Hope' so that I could accomplish some things I wanted to do for children who had no one to advocate for them, children who had no voice. Since I have been blessed with a voice on the radio each night, I thought I would use my celebrity position and my financial resources to help these kids.

[On charity] I try to pick subjects that I can learn about and then focus on and then do as much as I can. If you have a tremendous amount of heat from the spotlight, then you're able to shine a little bit more of your light in a different direction. It's just deflecting. My dad calls it a celebrity credit card that you can cash in. I think if you're in this position you should do it.

My dad told me at the very beginning of my career, basically, "If you're gonna have a megaphone, you're gonna need to use it to do some kind of good." He has always been aggravated by any kind of celebrities that don't have any charities or love or passion or something they're trying to help.

What is the use in being a celebrity if you can't use the platform to help?

I support a lot of causes, but I do it privately. My profession shouldn't be a platform.

Bob Geldof is a nauseating character. Band Aid was the most self-righteous platform ever in the history of popular music.

I'm as skeptical as anyone would be about celebrities and causes - and I will dare to say to you that I don't think of myself as a celebrity per se.

I don't think we should judge celebrities for doing charity work. Period. Whatever their reasons for doing it, they are shedding light on issues that would otherwise go unnoticed.

It's unfortunate that some people do not see what entertainers do in the background, but many of us do so much work with causes. You know some people have chewed me out, saying things like, "Oh why could you post pictures in your dresses and meanwhile they killing black men on the street?" I'm thinking, excuse me do you know what I did today? Do you know what I'm doing right now while I'm reading this post? So I think a lot of celebrities get a bad rap because people see the surface.

Why do Angelina Jolie and Bono receive overwhelming attention for their work in Africa while Nwankwo Kanu or Dikembe Mutombo, Africans both, are hardly ever mentioned?

In retrospect, I think maybe Audrey Hepburn was going to talk to me about doing something for UNICEF. I was so overwhelmed to just even be in her presence and I was very young, but it was really special and unforgettable.

If celebs try to do something good, people think it is a publicity stunt and if they do without showing it, they don't get credit.

I wanna feed 5,000 like Jesus, I wanna build a community center where the homeless and less fortunate can come take a shower, get a hot meal and a change of clothes. Maybe not new clothes but some clean clothes. Those are my goals, my raps and goals haven't changed. I'm about helping somebody, I use my celebrity status for the good of mankind. That's what I do, so for all the Hip-Hop people, if they just pull from me the gold, they're missing so much.

Celebrities who lend their names to causes to raise lot of money for important issues should be admired and not marginalized and made fun of.

I have always loved kids. They are little adults with so much personality, and it is fun to work with that. Whether that means donating school supplies or medication, or [using my celebrity] to get them a bone marrow transplant, I want to help.

Singing at the Opening Ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics in 2000 was amazing and, probably the highlight of this decade is the opening of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia.

Celebrity and charity have been bedfellows for many years. The key is to try and choose practical, sound and effective ones. There is no shortage of solicitation for endorsement, so you have to really know what you're getting behind and be passionate about it. In this case, aside from just being a spokesperson, they're benefiting a form of expression that is dear to me, painting.

Ask a celebrity what social cause he or she wants to take up, and many would say utopic things. For me, however, the decision is very clear... I want to do something for children, a category of people I am genuinely fond of.

The celebrity's desire to shape the next generation of young minds by opening a school is by no means unique to Diddy.

I wish that more of the celebrities, who are multi-millionaires, probably, are able to say to themselves, 'Wow, my communities are under attack, and I need to give back to my community.'

Earlier in this century, philanthropy often flowed from the wills of dead industrialists. In recent decades, it's as likely to have come from a very alive business leader, entertainer, artist or sports star. The most effective of these patrons begin the process of giving by asking what they care about passionately.

The good part about being famous is being able to help people. The hard part is every day you have to be in a good mood, because that is what people expect. You learn to get good at it.

If Flavor Flav was any smaller and darker, Brad and Angelina would try to adopt him.