Tis the season for giving and TV One Access gets in the spirit by acknowledging those celebrities who are passionate about giving back to the causes that are close to their hearts. “The Big Give Away” is an hour-long special produced by Access Hollywood’s urban entertainment news program, TV One Access. The special premieres Sunday, December 13, 2009 (check local listings) on cable’s TV One.
Hollywood is spreading the message that it is better to give than to receive and in this episode, TV One Access sits down with the stars that are most passionate about the causes they are tirelessly fighting for. The selected celebrities share about the resources, emotion and passion they’re investing in their charities and how they find the time to stay so deeply involved.
Grammy® Award-Winning Artists Alicia Keys and Mary J. Blige are two of the stars that are devoting their time, fame and fortune to charity. Keys is an advocate for Keep A Child Alive, which is dedicated to providing treatment, care and support services to children and families whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. Blige co-founded the Foundation For the Advancement of Women (FFAWN), which helps women overcome the difficulties they face in their lives and to provide them with the drive and confidence to pursue their goals and dreams.
The show also features musician Wyclef Jean who established Yele Haiti to build global awareness for his native Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment. Actress Holly Robinson Peete discusses The HollyRod Foundation that she created with her husband Rodney Peete to give a voice and a hand to those striving for quality of life when theirs has been diminished due to disease or disorders.
Entrepreneur Russell Simmons opens up about the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation that he founded with his brothers to provide disadvantaged urban youth with significant exposure and access to arts education as well as exhibition opportunities to early and mid-career artists and artists of color.
“Today, almost every notable celebrity either has a charity of their own or supports one, which is really wonderful. We wanted to put a spotlight on the stars who have truly made their charitable work a primary focus in their daily lives,” says Monique Chenault, Senior Producer, TV One Access. “After sitting down with these celebrities, attending their fundraising events, and talking to the people whose lives they’re changing, we were completely convinced that these stars have gone above and beyond the call of duty by investing their time, talent, resources, hearts, souls, and a lot of their own money to their respective causes.”
The special wouldn’t be complete without showing the efforts of actress/crusader Sheryl Lee Ralph, who supports Divas Simply Singing, an annual Los Angeles benefit concert to raise money to fight HIV/AIDS and actress Victoria Rowell who created The Rowell Foster Children’s Positive Plan. Actor Hill Harper established Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, dedicated to empowering, encouraging, and inspiring underserved youth to succeed. Honorable mentions include TV One Access’ own host, Tatyana Ali, who supports The Millennium Momentum Foundation and NBA star LeBron James, who is constantly working to send the message to today’s youth that their dreams can become reality.
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