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Tag: Fundraiser

  • Heidi Klum Convinces Boy Toy To Buy Her A $22,000 Garden Accessory

    Instead of the typical luxury jewelry, Heidi Klum sweet-talked current squeeze Vito Schnabel into buying her a giant plastic snail, which cost him $22,000.

    Klum headed the 7th annual Milan amfAR auction last Saturday night, and coaxed Schnabel in the middle of the bidding. “Vito, I thought you were going to buy me the snail!” Klum appealed while on stage. Klum’s boytoy did not fail her; he won the 3-meter (11-foot) blue snail sculpture by the Europe-based Cracking Art Group for 20,000 Euro ($22,000). When asked what she planned to do with her newly-acquired art piece, Klum said she’s thinking of putting the giant snail in her garden.

    Klum and Schnabel share their love for art; in fact Schnabel is a young art dealer based in New York City’s West Village who opened his first art gallery at just 16 years old.

    They have been dating for almost a year now, but Klum’s boyfriend was reported to have previously dated 50-year-old Demi Moore and was linked to 44-year-old supermodel/actress Elle Macpherson.

    Schnabel is known to have an eye for older women. He is 29 and Klum is still looking gorgeous and stunning at the age of 42.

    The Milan amfAR charity organization holds fundraising events such as this auction to raise money for AIDS research. Schnabel’s $22,000 is part of the $1.6 million total that was collected that night, which is expected to fund further scientific and medical advancements in the treatment of AIDS. The charity has a goal of finding a cure by the year 2020.

    Heidi Klum was joined by other famous stars including actress Dakota Johnson, R&B singer Ciara, and Blondie singer Debbie Harry, whose 1970 photograph by rock photographer Mick Rock was one of the items put up for auction at the event. Former gas and oil tycoon turned fashion entrepreneur Goga Ashkenazi won the bid for almost $25,000.

  • Jennifer Hudson Will Perform At Tom Joyner’s Cruise Ship Fundraiser

    Grammy Award winner and powerhouse celeb Jennifer Hudson is scheduled to perform for the Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage 2015.

    Hudson, an American Idol finalist from the 2004 season, recently graced another benefit event, helping raise a record total of $8.2 million for the David Foster Foundation Miracle Gala and Concert on September 27 in Calgary.

    Slated to join Hudson at radio-host Tom Joyner’s 2015 charity cruise are Earth, Wind & Fire, TLC, LL Cool J, and R. Kelly among others.

    The annual fundraiser for Historical Black Colleges and Universities will set sail to the Caribbean on-board Carnival’s newest ship, the Carnival Breeze. This will be the third year that the Joyner Foundation has partnered with Carnival Cruise Lines for the cause.

    Dubbed as the Original Party with a Purpose, the Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage is considered the longest running music and empowerment themed cruise event sailing out of the US.

    The 2015 cruise will be the Foundation’s 16th annual voyage with the primary intent of raising money to help keep students in school at Historically Black Colleges & Universities. It will sail from the shores of Miami on April 11, 2015 for eight days of purposeful partying which will include calls at Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands; Montego Bay, Jamaica and Mahogany, Isla Roatan.

    The Tom Joyner Foundation is the first organization to charter an entire cruise ship to raise money for HBCUs. The annual charity cruise has sold out every year since it started in 1999. Booking early is recommended.

    Arnold Donald, CEO for Carnival Cruise, said: “This is an opportunity to have an amazing experience on a magnificent Carnival Cruise Lines ship while enjoying a wide variety of special activities, theme events, and top music talent, all for a good cause.”

    “This is one of those special experiences that will stay with you forever,” added Tom Joyner.

    Visit blackamericaweb.com for more information on the Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Jack Nicholson Attends Theater Fundraiser With Look-Alike Son Ray

    Star of The Shining and countless other award-winning films Jack Nicholson attended an Apollo Theater benefit in East Hampton on Saturday with his youngest son, Ray Nicholson. Nicholson is 77 while his son is 22, which is the same age Nicholson was when he got his break in the 1959 film The Cry Baby Killer, and onlookers couldn’t help noticing how the son was the spitting image of his famous father, down to the pointed eyebrows and devilish grin.

    Ray is Nicholson’s son with Rebecca Broussard, 51, with whom he had two children. Nicholson and Broussard were in a relationship from 1989 to 1994. Their son has not only inherited his father’s good looks but his love for film as well. Ray had previously appeared in The Benchwarmers in 2006 but has since moved behind the scenes, unlike his celebrity father. Ray to date has two assistant director credits to his name, for Boots (2013) and A Reunion (2014).

    Last weekend, the Nicholsons stayed with Jack’s friends, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels and Tommy Barratta, owner of Marylou’s on West Ninth Street in New York. He attended the benefit with celebrities such as Paul McCartney, Senator John McCain, Sting and Bon Jovi. Page Six reported that Nicholson looked “fit and feisty” at the event, countering recent tabloid rumors that he has health problems.

    Besides his children with Broussard, Lorraine and Ray, Nicholson has two other children. He has daughter Jennifer Nicholson, 50, with his ex-wife Sandra Knight, and Honey Hollman, 33, whom he had with Danish model Winnie Hollman. He has spoken about his role as a father, revealing, “I didn’t see enough of my eldest daughter because I was trying to make a career. I have a daughter, Lorraine, and a son, Raymond, with whom I was able to spend much more time.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Shanesha Taylor, Homeless Mom Who Left Kids in Car, Gains Support

    A homeless mother from Arizona pleaded not guilty Monday to child abuse after leaving her two children in a hot car. Supporters have now come forward to help the mother.

    Shanesha Taylor, 35, was arrested March 20 for leaving her 6-month-old baby and 2-year-old son in her vehicle while she went to a job interview at an insurance company.

    Scottsdale Firefighters responded to a 911 call and found the children in the steaming car with the windows rolled down about an inch. The keys were left in the ignition, but the air condition was not running.

    Taylor arrived at her car a little over an hour and explained to authorities that she didn’t have a babysitter to watch over her children while she went to her interview.

    However, police officers arrested the single mother for child abuse.

    On March 31, Taylor was released from jail on a $9,000 bond provided by a local church.

    A tearful mug shot showing Taylor in distraught caught the attention of one New Jersey woman who decided to create a fundraiser page for the mother. 

    “There are some of us that feel that Shanesha was in an unfortunate situation that, sadly, an economy like ours is putting many single mothers in a position to make terrible mistakes like this,” said 24-year-old Amanda Bishop, the founder of the fundraiser.

    Taylor’s story has definitely become a human-interest story that has grabbed the attention of dozens on the Internet.

    The page has now raised over $91,000 in donations.

    Although the fundraiser is a pretty commendable act from concerned followers, prosecutors say that it will not change the fact that Taylor placed her children in a fatal situation.

    Taylor may lose custody of her children if found guilty. Additionally, she faces up to seven years in prison.

    Her next court hearing is scheduled for May 22.

    Images via YouTube

  • Katherine Heigl Raising Funds for ‘Jenny’s Wedding’

    Katherine Heigl was noticeably absent from the Hollywood scene for a time, as reported in the video clip above, because no one wants to work with her. It seems the actress, along with her manager–mom Nancy Heigl–is known for making life hell on everyone near the film set. That was just a few months ago, and now the actress is working hard to raise money needed to complete a new film. As of this past September no one had seen the former Grey’s Anatomy star in anything but a NyQuil commercial. Does she still have enough Hollywood clout to raise money for a film in which she and Alexis Bledel play a lesbian couple who wish to marry, despite one of their family’s conservative beliefs? Will her “hard to work with” reputation make raising this money impossible?

    Jenny’s Wedding is the name of the film for which Heigl is hoping fundraising will bring in $150,000 by late March so it can complete its post-production work. An Indiegogo fundraising campaign is in full swing, with donations coming in from individuals–mostly those outside of the Hollywood loop, however.

    Fans who donate will receive bonuses, like signed screenplays, admission to advanced screenings with cast and filmmakers, retweets from Heigl, and clips of behind-the-scenes footage. Heigl would no doubt love to see some Hollywood bigwigs kick in, too. Has she wrecked her chances by being such a diva?

    Heigl tweeted her excitement about the film.

    She later tweeted about the fundraising efforts that will hopefully send Jenny’s Wedding to post-production.

    Do you think someone who has strangely enough been out of the Hollywood spotlight for so long–and has left such a bad taste in producer’s mouths–will have the pull to raise the funds needed for this film to see the big screen?

    Image via Twitter

  • Chris Christie Heads Florida Fundraisers After Traffic Fiasco

    This weekend, Chris Christie heads south – and hopes that his political future doesn’t.

    As he travels to Florida, the New Jersey governor will be making be his first out of state trip following his lane closure scandal last year. During the event, also known as “Bridgegate”, a traffic holdup on the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee resulted in closed lanes and gridlock. It was surmised that perhaps Christie’s aides may have been involved as a recently released email from former deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly said, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee”. Subsequently, it was believed this move may have been at Christie’s direction – the motive conceivably having been to penalize the town’s mayor for not endorsing him.

    He has already taken measures by distancing himself from those involved and spending a January 9th news conference disputing any direct connection to the matter over the course of two hours. However, as 20 subpoena targets were announced this Friday, the pot is getting stirred anew.

    Thus, Christie will spend a good deal of his visit attempting to restore a sense of confidence in his Republican donors by assuring them that he is handling the allegations and that he is still a feasible presidential candidate for 2016. While there, he will attend several fundraisers to assist Republican Gov. Rick Scott and simultaneously seek to assuage any fears long-time and newcomer supporters alike might have about his negative media attention. His Saturday schedule will include helping to raise money for Scott at a luncheon in Orlando, a Palm Beach event with one of the nation’s largest sugar producers, and a Fort Lauderdale fundraiser at the residence of Bill Rubin (a lobbying firm president and friend of Scott). Sunday, Christie will appear at two more Palm Peach fundraisers in addition to a meeting organized by Home Depot co-founder, Ken Langone, and comprising major financial backers.

    When asked how supporters felt about Christie’s current controversy, Langone said potential donors have told him they were impressed by Christie’s decisiveness and candor at the Trenton news conference.

    Others, like Al Hoffman (Republican donor who co-chaired campaign of President George W. Bush), claimed Christie’s public image may have been marred in the eyes of some fundraisers, but that his continued openness and apologetic approach would help. He said, “He’s apologizing all over the place, which I think is good. It will help re-establish his credibility base, which is pretty high anyway. But more of it won’t hurt.”

    At the outset of February, Christie intends to travel to Dallas and Houston for RGA finance events before heading to Chicago for fundraisers as well.

    Image via Vine

  • Trayvon Martin: Teacher Fired After Students Plan Hoodie Fundraiser

    A Michigan teacher has been fired because she encouraged her students to plan a fundraiser for Trayvon Martin’s family in which each child would donate a dollar to wear a hoodie to school rather than their usual uniform.

    Brooke Harris said she gave her 8th-grade journalism students a writing assignment on the Martin case and that the students expressed interest in raising money for his family; the school has fundraisers often which involve a “dress down” day for participants. Harris approached school superintendent Jacqueline Cassell about the idea but was told her class could not go forward with it. When Harris asked if her students could come before school officials to plead their case, she was suspended for “encouraging” the students to plan the fundraiser, and when Harris showed up at the school during her suspension–to drop off some items, she says–she was fired.

    “I didn’t tell the kids, ‘Let’s go and do it anyway.’” Harris said. “I was actually, literally, in the process of talking to my kids about what we could do instead when (Cassell) requested the meeting with me and told me that I needed to let it go.”

    “I was told … that I’m being paid to teach, not to be an activist. When I tried to defend myself, it was construed as insubordination,” Harris said.

    More than 50,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that the Pontiac Academy for Excellence rehire Harris, but she isn’t sure that will happen.

    “I want my job back, but I’m not entirely sure if that’s even possible,” Harris said. School officials deny that the fundraiser is the reason for her dismissal but won’t comment on it further.

    A rep from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Dawud Walid, says the school’s decisions will only hurt the students.

    “It taught the students who tried to organize and tried to raise their voice in terms of social justice that they will be repressed,” Walid said. “Instead of empowering our children … the Pontiac Academy is actually teaching children to internalize oppression and internalize racism.”

  • Big Ideas Digital, iOS Game Developer Raises Money To Help Girl Walk

    Grace Windram is a five year old girl in the UK, who has been living with Spastic Dyplegic Cerebral Palsy. It has left her with the inability to walk. However, a surgery which is available in the US will provide her with the ability to walk again. However, it costs £50,000, which includes travel and surgery expenses.

    Grace Windram

    Her parents have been trying to rally support, setting up a page for her on JustGiving.com. Big Ideas Digital, an iOS game developer came to the call for help given by Grace’s parents. Their game, Say What You See, is a brain teaser which is available for the iPhone and iPad.

    Here’s the official description for the game: “Say What You See is a hidden object game in the style of Where’s Waldo?/Where’s Wally? and Dingbats/Whatzit? but with a cryptic twist. Once you’ve scoured each oil painting (or iCanvas) for objects, you’ll have to unravel their meaning too. Each iCanvas is themed around a different subject, from Scary Movies to Books, TV programmes and beyond.”

    Say What You See

    The game itself is free, however, they release canvases as separate downloads. Some are free while others are paid. To help raise money for Grace, they released a special canvas themed around her, called “Grace’s Toons”. All proceeds going to help Grace’s parents raise funds. Due to the recent popularity for the game, the developer was able to raise £21,000 towards the fundraiser. This, along with the donations gathered by the parents, is going to be enough to send Grace to the US for her surgery.

    The announcement of the good news was made by Big Ideas. If you’d like to learn more about the game, here’s the official page.

    A feel good story to get the week started off with.