Good@Giving (page 3 of 4)

Leonardo DiCaprio, Montel Williams, Amy Grant

Trees for Life
Every year, weather and fire batter the arid coast of Southern California, taking down millions of oxygen-producing trees. Since 2001, actor Leonardo DiCaprio has supported TreePeople, a 31-year-old nonprofit that focuses on water and energy conservation, flood prevention, storm-water pollution and trees -- the group has planted nearly two million of them. DiCaprio's own foundation purchases tree dedications to honor friends and colleagues, and encourages his fans to donate to TreePeople's mountain reforestation efforts in areas destroyed by the 2003 fires.

Not Just Talk
When talk-show host Montel Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, he thought it was "a death sentence." But within a year, he'd launched the Montel Williams MS Foundation, which donates 100 percent of the money it raises to researchers working on a cure for the disease, which afflicts as many as one million Americans. "There are several treatments for MS now," he says, "but they're all stopgap measures." To date, Williams's foundation has disbursed $603,000 to five different organizations.

Giving Kids a Chance
Gospel and pop songstress Amy Grant has put her time on the line as a spokesperson for two of her favorite charities, Scholarship America and Compassion International. Over the years, Scholarship America has given more than $1 billion to over a million needy college students. "Imagine how different those lives would be without those gifts," says Grant, a mother of four, who has donated money from CD sales to the organization. Compassion International offers spiritual, emotional and economic support, and pairs donors with children from developing countries who are living in poverty. "These kids are rich in love, family and tradition," Grant says, "but poor in opportunity. The one-on-one relationships that can form through letter-writing or giving a simple gift on the child's birthday is amazing." Grant and her family have sponsored three children through Compassion International.

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• Best Charity-Minded Celebrity
• "From salad dressings all blessings flow."
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• Exercise for Charity
• Exercise and support a good cause!
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• Get Your Company Involved
• Corporations have the ability to go well beyond the ability of a single individual.
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• Halle Berry: Best (Supporting) Actress
• Halle Berry opens up about why giving back is so important.
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