Paying it forward is a great way to make the world a better place. We’ve found a bunch of celebrities – from both home and abroad – who volunteer their time to causes close to their hearts…
Selena Gomez
She’s travelled to Congo and Ghana to raise money for malnourished children. Back home in the US, the Only Murders in the Building actor, 32, often visits hospitals, bringing surprise and delight to sick kids. “She takes the time to stop and visit each one. She hears their stories, gives hugs, shares laughs and provides encouragement,” says a pal. Selena herself has battled various health conditions, including lupus, bipolar disorder and kidney failure. She reveals that due to her issues, she will never be able to carry her own children. “I find it a blessing that there are wonderful people willing to do surrogacy and adoption,” she says.
Miley Cyrus
Flowers hitmaker Miley is all about making sounds. So, it’s no surprise the singer was drawn to a charity that helps people to hear. The 31-year-old has been to Haiti – the poorest country in Latin America – twice, to help distribute state-of-the-art hearing aids to people in need. “After I went on my first mission, I felt so drawn to helping others hear for the first time. Immediately, I wanted to go back and help again,” says Miley. “I grew up around music, and couldn’t imagine what it would be like for my siblings and me, if we couldn’t hear the magic of music.”
Adele
In 2017, 72 people died after Grenfell Tower, an apartment building in London, caught fire. In the days following, Hello singer Adele, 36, was seen offering her support to former residents. She also visited the local fire station for “a cup of tea and a cuddle” with firefighters who battled the blaze. She treated child survivors to a private screening of the movie Despicable Me 3 and urged fans at her concerts to support the Grenfell cause. In the years since, Adele has continued to be a strong advocate for the Grenfell United campaign group, which is dedicated to getting justice for the victims and survivors.
Dolly Parton
She will always be known as the queen of country music. However, she’s also made a huge impact on children’s literacy. Thirty years ago, the Jolene singer started the Imagination Library. She hoped to inspire youngsters in her home state of Tennessee to fall in love with reading. Now, the programme runs through-out the US, Canada, Britain, Ireland and Australia. There are more than three million books sent out to children each month. Dolly, 78, says she started the Imagination Library because of her father.
“In the mountains, a lot of people never had a chance to go to school. They had to work on the farms,” she explains. “Daddy was the smartest man I have ever known, but I know in my heart, his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.
“Of course, I want to be known as a songwriter and a singer. But, I honestly can say that the Imagination Library has meant as much, if not more, to me than nearly anything I’ve ever done.”
Scarlett Johansson
Growing up poor in New York, Scarlett was dependent on food stamps and school lunch programmes to survive. “As someone who’s experienced food insecurity firsthand, I understand the devastating impact it has,” says the Black Widow star. The Hollywood heavyweight now gives both her time and money to charities that feed the hungry. The 40-year-old helps out New York-based nonprofit God’s Love We Deliver, which provides nutritious meals to people suffering from HIV/aids, as well as cancer and other serious illnesses. She’s also heavily involved with Blessings in a Backpack, which ensures needy kids get food over the weekend too.
Alicia Keys
A trip to South Africa early in her career gave singer Alicia a new purpose. The Girl on Fire hitmaker met dozens of young people who’d been affected by the AIDS epidemic and were raising their younger siblings. “I was 20 and they were 18, 17, 16. They were watching their parents die because they couldn’t access medicine that would keep them alive,” recalls the 43-year-old. “I was like, ‘What if this was happening to me and nobody listened to me? What if nobody cared?’” Alicia became a co-founder of the charity Keep a Child Alive. It works to provide treatment, food and orphan care for those affected by HIV/AIDS in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and India.
Peter Burling & Blair Tuke
On the water is where Kiwi sailors Peter, 33, and Blair, 35, are most at home. And after competing in the Volvo Ocean Race in 2017-18, the pair knew they had to do everything they could to protect their beloved playground. Shocked by the lack of marine life they saw during the 60,000km round-the-world race, Peter says, “I could count the amount of whales I saw on one hand. I was scared by the lack of albatross… I didn’t really see any tuna jumping.”
In 2019, the America’s Cup heroes, who also won gold at the Rio Olympics, founded the Live Ocean Foundation to support marine conservation. “We are New Zealand- based,” says Blair. “But we want to focus world attention on how critical the ocean and all its life is to the planet’s health.”
Katy Perry
When it comes to kids, you’re gonna hear her Roar! Pop superstar Katy, 40, has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2013. Her focus is on improving the lives of children. The Firework singer has travelled around the globe for her humanitarian work, including to Vietnam’s rural Ninh Thuan province.
“It was heartbreaking to meet a grandmother who was left to care for four grandchildren after her daughter passed away,” says Katy. “One of the grandchildren, a five-year-old called Linh, became severely malnourished. If a UNICEF worker had not come to the village and made sure Linh got the care she needed, she might not be alive today. “All the children I met have incredible dreams. We have to help them fight for those dreams.”
Hilary Barry
The broadcasting legend, 54, is a popular volunteer for several causes. She’s been an ambassador for Dress for Success – an organisation which provides clothing, job-seeking advice and skills for women – for 17 years. She was very vocal in her support for Dementia NZ earlier this year and has put her kitchen skills to good use for Baking for Better, a Salvation Army initiative. Hilary’s work at ChildFund New Zealand is another charity she’s proud to get behind. She says, “I’m delighted to lend my support. Our two sons have for many years written letters to our sponsored children. We all love hearing what they’re up to.” She’s also thrown her support behind air ambulance service Life Flight Trust.
Peter Gordon
He’s cooked for everyone from Queen Elizabeth II to Barack Obama. But Kiwi chef Peter is most proud of the fundraising event he set up in 1999. While living in the UK, the 61-year-old co-founded the yearly event, Who’s Cooking Dinner? It has gone on to raise $15 million for leukaemia research in Britain and $1.5 million in New Zealand. It’s a cause close to his heart. His sister Tracey had acute myeloid leukaemia in the mid-’90s and he saved her life by donating his bone marrow. Who’s Cooking Dinner? is held in London in September each year. Guests come along not knowing which celebrity or Michelin-star chef will be cooking their four-course meal and the evening later ends with an auction.
Mike King
He was a successful stand-up comedian with his own talk show, but after struggling with depression, drugs and alcohol, Mike mostly gave up on his showbiz career to advocate for better mental health services for young people in Aotearoa. The funnyman set up the charity I Am Hope and its counselling service Gumboot Friday. “There’s so much talk about what the government should be doing,” says Mike, 62, “but I Am Hope is about what we can all do. It’s about making it okay for young people to ask for help, so little problems don’t become big problems.”
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