Born and raised in Midland, Texas, Laura Bush was encouraged by her parents to read. Soon enough, she grew very fond of reading and developed a love for books.

After graduation, she began teaching elementary children at Longfellow Elementary School and the John F. Kennedy Elementary School until 1972. The following year, she received her degree of Master of Science in Library Science from the University of Texas in Austin.

Before becoming the First Lady of the United States, she was a former First Lady of Texas in 1995. Laura Bush focused her attention on women’s and children’s causes such as health, literacy and education. Her four major organizations are Ready to Read, an early childhood program aimed at younger children; The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy; Take Time For Kids, a campaign concentrating on parenting and the education of parents and caregivers alike; and Reach Out and Read, a reading curriculum.

She then established the Family Literacy Initiative that aims to persuade parents to read with their children. Another of her personal establishments is the Texas Book Festival, where she uses the funds to donate to public libraries. Even during her first time in public service, Laura Bush started numerous benevolent movements and spent considerable time in launching these throughout the country.

It was in 2001 that Laura Bush became the First Lady of the United States. From then on, she focused on education, women’s health and early child development by producing more projects concerning these issues. Because of all these efforts, Laura Bush was named as the honorary ambassador for the United Nation’s Decade of Literacy.

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Over the years, Helen Kimmel, together with her husband, has been a dedicated advocate to science and education-related efforts. She has a network of influence that counts established names and institutions such as the New York University, of which she is a member of the board of trustees. Aside from this, she is also actively involved as part of the board of directors of the American Friends of the Israel Museum.

For their exemplary dedication, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science honored Helen and Martin Kimmel. Helen Kimmel currently sits on the institute’s board of trustees. The Rehovot, Israel-based Weizmann Institute of Science is an international center dedicated to scientific research and graduate study. In a tribute dubbed In Celebration of Science, they received praises for “personifying the essential partnership between science and philanthropy that has provided generous resources for unprecedented advances at the Weizmann Institute.”

• The year 2008 saw a $150 million endowment to the Langone Medical Center housed in the New York University. This amount will translate to a new patient facility, named in honor of both Helen and Martin Kimmel. Medical center officials confirmed that the promised gift would be in the form of securities and cash.
• Another $4 million went to the fund for the building of a clinical treatment and research center for wound healing. A $2.5 million contribution for a cardiology professorship also went to the medical center.
• A recent donation to the Weizmann Institute led to the creation of the Helen and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Nanoscale Science. Helen Kimmel is also at the helm of her self-managed charity organization, the Helen Kimmel Foundation. Through this foundation, she donated to the Uja Federation, New York University, and Bernard College in varying amounts.
• The New York University Medical Center also secured financial support in the form of $10 million and founded its new center for Stem Cell Biology.

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As U.S. Representative of California’s 16th district, his efforts focused on health, education, civil rights, budget issues and environmental issues. In 1988, he wrote the Hunger Prevention Act and generated safety measures to protect the whole California coast.

Being a huge promoter of the wellness of the world’s oceans, Leon Panetta wrote several acts meant to protect the California coast. He is currently the co-chairman of the Joint Ocean Commissions Initiative, commissioner of the Pew Oceans Commissions, and a member of the board of directors of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

In December 1988, Leon Panetta and his wife Sylvia founded the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, a non-partisan and non-profit study center in California State University where they both serve as directors.

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As director and secretary of the Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation, Alex von Furstenberg oversees his family’s support of a wide range of charities and worthy causes. The Diller – Von Furstenberg Family Foundation works with a wide range of charitable and nonprofit projects and initiatives in education, community development, environmental protection, disease research, arts and humanities promotion, and human rights advocacy.

The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation supports the following nonprofits, among many others:
Big Brothers / Big Sisters of America
Central Park ConservancyComfort Zone Camp
Motion Picture & Television Fund (Social Workers)
NYC Police Foundation
Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation
Citymeals-on-Wheels
Heart of Los Angeles Youth
Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City
Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Watch
International Women’s Media Foundation
International Rescue Committee
Oxfam America

Recently, Alex Von Furstenberg announced the foundation’s support of the Watt/Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club’s orchestra with a $50,000 grant. This generous donation was a follow-up to Alex Von Furstenberg’s announcement that the Foundation granted $50,000 to the Los Angeles Mission and Anne Douglas Center for Women. In addition, Alex von Furstenberg serves on the board of the National Advisory Council of AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, and he is committed to cleaning up the polluted Malibu Bay with his involvement with Heal the Bay.

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At an early age, Paul displayed an early interest in the theater. At the age of seven, he made his acting debut, playing the court jester in a school production of Robin Hood. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he completed his degree at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio; graduating in 1949. Later he studied Drama at Yale University, graduating in 1954.

Within the years of his acting career, Paul became interested in his activities outside acting. He joined car races and was socially active in issues such as gay rights. In 1982, Newman co-founded Newman’s Own, a line of food products. The brand initially sold salad dressing but has expanded to encompass a wide range of food including lemonade, pasta sauce, popcorn, wine, and salsa. Newman also created a rule that all proceeds from the sale of Newman’s Own products, after taxes, would be donated to charity.

One of his beneficiaries is the “Hole in the Wall Gang Camp,” a residential summer camp for seriously ill children, which is situated in Ashford, Connecticut. Newman co-founded the camp in 1988. Newman’s college fraternity, Phi Kappa Tau, adopted “Hole in the Wall” as their “national philanthropy” in 1995. One camp has expanded to become several “Hole in the Wall” camps in the U.S., Ireland, France and Israel. The camp serves 13,000 children every year, free of charge. In June 1999, Paul Newman gave away $250,000 to Catholic Relief Services to help refugees in Kosovo. As of early 2006, the franchise has resulted in excess of $250 million in donations.

On September 27, 2008, Paul Newman died after battling lung cancer. He lived life as a celebrity without scandal.

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Elton John has earned a reputation as a philanthropist – having used his wealth and popularity for good causes, making him in fact one of Britain’s most generous individuals.

He has been active in AIDS charities following the deaths of some of his closest friends, Ryan White and Freddie Mercury. He collaborated with various artists such as Stevie Wonder and Dionne Warwick to record singles for the benefit of the American Foundation for AIDS Research. Together with close friends, he has performed in outdoor concerts to generate funds for AIDS awareness. He has also auctioned some of his artwork, cars and wardrobe to increase funding for the foundations he supports.

Later, he established the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) in the United States in 1992 and in the United Kingdom in 1993 to expand his initiatives. It has become one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations and a top grant-maker for HIV/AIDS advocacy, raising over $150 million to support significant programs in 55 countries worldwide. EJAF derives support for its work mainly through proceeds from special fundraisers, cause-related marketing projects and donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.

EJAF’s thrusts are on eradicating the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS through education and advocacy, prevention programs, political lobbying and direct services to include treatment, testing, counseling, social services, food distribution, and legal services.

Elton John has become one of the most visible and outspoken AIDS activists in the world, testifying before Senate hearings, appearing at press conferences, writing editorials, and delivering speeches before political bodies. For his passionate and steadfast commitment to AIDS awareness and prevention, Elton John was given the CARE International Humanitarian Award in 1997.

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Philip Anschutz’s investments consist of sports teams (professional basketball-L.A Lakers, hockey-L.A Kings), railroads (Union Pacific), ranches, newspapers, film production and movie theaters (Regal Cinemas), oil, and telecommunication (Qwest Communications International Incorporated). He also owns the London Arena, the Dome, the Nokia Theatre in Texas, and the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Today, the 68-year-old oil tycoon with an $8.0 billion net worth is also making a name for himself as a philanthropist. Philip Anschutz, a Republican, has a number of strongly conservative organizations that he supports financially.

• Philip Anschutz is a major donor in the Anschutz Family Foundation that his parents established in 1982. From a $4.5 million endowment, the assets of the institution grew in the past two decades to a $54 million value with $28,035,671 of it awarded through the 5,241 grants meant to push for humanitarian needs in Colorado.
• Over the last decade, he has donated more than $23 million to the Foundation for a Better Life and the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.
• He is also a staunch advocate of value-centered groups like the Institute for American Value that addresses marriage and single parenting issues and a campaign against Internet pornography called Enough is Enough.
• In the course of six years, Philip Anschutz has allotted 80% of his $110 million total donations to charities in Colorado.
• In recent years, he has become actively involved in moralistic filmmaking with movies like “Holes” (gross: $67 million), “Because of Winn-Dixie” (gross: $30 million), and C.S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia” (book-to-film). Philip Anschutz once stressed the importance of movies not just as a form of entertainment but also as a carrier of moral messages.

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Henry Kravis provides the funds of the Henry Kravis Leadership Institute, an organization that sponsors the programs and training for future leaders of Claremont McKenna College, Kravis’s alma mater. Kravis also donated large amount of money for the construction of several facilities in the following academic institutions:

• Eaglebrook School
• Deerfield Academy
• The Loomis Chaffee School

His other educational pursuits also include the Henry Kravis Internships for Teachers of Color. Last April, he awarded $250,000 to the Forum for African Women Educationalists. The Kenya-based organization strives to promote education to African girls and women located in 33 different countries in Africa.

In the field of medicine, Henry Kravis has contributed significant amounts to the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, where he sits as a member of the board. In 1988, Henry Kravis gave $10 million to the hospital for the creation of a women’s and children’s center meant to provide social, psychological and medical services. Years later, he donated $15 million to the same medical institution for the benefit of Mt. Sinai’s cardiovascular center.

Henry Kravis also has his attention on New York’s poor. With the New York City Investment Fund, a non-profitable organization he founded and comprised of various executives from different industries, Henry Kravis strives to create employment and business opportunities for members of New York’s African-American communities.

Henry Kravis’ wife Marie Josee Kravis is also involved in charitable pursuits. On May 2008, Mr. and Mrs. Kravis participated in a fundraiser that raked in $56 million for the benefit of the Robin Hood Foundation, an organization where Marie Kravis is a board member.

Henry and Marie Josee Kravis are both patrons of the arts. Henry currently sits as board member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York City Ballet, while his wife is the museum’s president.

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In 1949, he graduated from Siena College in the Albany County of New York with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Later on, he received his Juris Doctor in 1952 from St. John’s University in Queens, New York.

After serving in the U.S. Army for two years, he moved to California in 1955. Upon entering politics, he became the majority leader in the State Senate in 1969 and then became the Attorney General of California in 1978. At one point, he led an impressive and much publicized anti-marijuana campaign in North Carolina.

Finally, in 1982, George Deukmejian ran for governor of California and served from 1983 to 1991. Throughout his governorship, he had some goodhearted changes done such as vowing not to raise taxes and proposed new efforts to fight crime. He even wrote California’s capital punishment law and increased expenditure for the construction of new jails.

In George Deukmejian’s inaugural speech in 1987, he mentioned several things he wanted to be done in California, including the improvement of care and opportunities for their senior citizens and the implementation of the California Children’s Initiative to protect young people from drugs, disease, disability and criminal exploitation.

In 1988, George Deukmejian declared October 27, 1988 as the “Good Bear Day.” He entrusted the Assistance League of California, a nonprofit and nonpolitical organization, to provide teddy bears for the children from all over the Los Angeles area who were in traumatic and depressing situations.

According to him, the government can add to the number of peace officers and strengthen the new laws. Being tough on crime, he reminds citizens to respect the law, engage in crime fighting efforts in their neighborhood, and support responsible law enforcement. Public safety is his major objective, as well as the execution of criminals and lawbreakers.

After his period in the office, he joined an international law firm for nine years. He went into the public life once more by serving in committees in his hometown, one of which is a charter-reform committee in Long Beach.

Cited on numerous occasions for his work in the areas of both civic philanthropy and social reform, George Deukmejian received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the California State University in Long Beach for his support in education and state law.

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Together with the rest of the family, she financially supports The Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation that prioritizes education. Among the grateful recipients are the University of Arkansas ($300 million in 2002), the College of Business Administration of the University of Arkansas ($50 million in 1998, renamed to Sam M. Walton College of Business), as well as several other local colleges, community trusts, universities and foundations. In 2007, the Bentonville-based Walton Family Foundation, one of the nation’s largest charitable organizations, gave up to $1.6 billion.

With her husband, John, she became an honouree of the Patrons of the Prado Gala on July 16. This event seeks to benefit museums in Balboa Park.

Christy Walton is also a board member of The San Diego Natural History Museum. This institution, as well as The San Diego Zoological Society and The Mingei International Museum, are proud recipients of her benevolence.

Another commendable donation is in the form of her own old Victorian home, which she gave to the International Community Foundation’s (ICF) Center for Cross-Border Philanthropy. Built in 1896 for former National City postmaster Oliver Noyes in 1896, this historical beauty underwent renovation in 1989. Christy Walton and her husband presented this transformational gift to ICF in 2006, along with a recent $4 million endowment for the edifice’s preservation. The ICF has taken it upon itself to assist U.S.-based donors who wish to make a difference in non-profit causes overseas with special interest in community-based health care, environment, and education.

Today, Christy Walton has a net worth of $17.6 billion, which she inherited upon the death of her husband, John, in 2005. The 12th highest among Forbes’ exclusive list of The World’s Billionaires, she continues to benefit from the status of the family business as the reigning World’s Largest Retailer.

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Sir Tom is the son of businessman Campbell Hunter, owner of grocer’s shops in the coal mining town of New Cumnock. After the coal mines shut down and the family business closed, Hunter graduated from the Business School of Strathclyde University. After graduation, he considered the difficulty of getting a job and developed an idea of selling trainers and suits. He started out his retail market from the back of van, and then built Sports Division that later on became UK’s biggest retailer, possessing 250 stores and more than 7,000 employees.

His philanthropic enthusiasm, inspired by Andre Carnegie, is built around the realization that “making money was only half of the equation”. To solve the other half, Sir Tom Hunter, together with his wife, continues to engage actively in various philanthropic efforts. As a result, he is the most generous individual in the UK.

To promote his initiatives, Sir Tom Hunter established The Hunter Foundation in 1998. The foundation has supported, and continues to support, numerous entrepreneurial and education initiatives in Scotland and elsewhere.

He has grossed over £1.01 billion in charitable contributions. His many donations and contributions concentrate on organizations addressing poverty, education, and promoting entrepreneurship.

Among them include a donation of £1m to BBC Children in Need Appeal, £7m to Bob Gedof’s Band Aid appeal, a £1m contribution to support the Make Poverty History campaign, £100,000 in the cause-oriented concert Live 8, and a pledge of £1m for tsunami victims in the Indian Ocean. He has advanced entrepreneurship in his native Scotland by funding a £500,000 joint project with the Scottish Executive and a £5m donation to establish the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Strathclyde. He recently worked with former US President Bill Clinton’s William J. Clinton Foundation, donating £100 million to promote good governance in Africa through the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative.

In recognition of his exemplary philanthropic work in education, he received the Beacon Fellowship Prize in 2003. Sir Tom Hunter received knighthood in 2005 for “services to Philanthropy and to Entrepreneurship in Scotland”.

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Britney Spears launched one of the most successful and influential careers in the record industry, boasting of 32 million sold albums in the US and an estimated 83 million record sales worldwide. Britney Spears believes in giving this success back to people in need, especially children.

She started the Britney Spears Charitable Foundation, Promises Foundation and became part of The Giving Back Fund’s family of charities. She believes that children can make their dreams come true while they are young. She donated profits from her Dream Within a Dream tour to fund the construction of a performing arts summer camp for underprivileged kids in Massachusetts. From those proceeds, she also donated $1.00 for every ticket sold to help children of the New York police officers and firefighters killed during the rescue of the victims of 9/11.

Britney Spears has become a spokesperson for efforts that help create awareness for funding organizations that help seriously sick children. One of these organizations is the Starlight Children’s Foundation, a group that provides funding for in-hospital and outpatient services. She gives her time by visiting many sick children who are battling serious illnesses like cancer.

She also donates personal items to various auctions like the NASCAR Driver Auction and a $50,000 donation to Gilda’s Club Worldwide, a cancer support network throughout North America.

Britney finds fulfillment in helping others and believes that by giving back to her fans, and to the communities, she will give meaning not only to her own life, but to others as well.

Britney Jean Spears was raised in Kentwood, Louisiana and is listed by the Guinness World Records as having the “Best-selling album by a teenage solo artist” for the album Baby One More Time; her debut album that sold over thirteen million copies in the United States alone.

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First starting up her business out of her Sacramento condominium, Roni Lynn Deutch eventually developed her business into a multi-million enterprise assisting thousands of taxpayers. Roni Deutch, A Professional Tax Corporation specializes in settling tax liabilities and offering tax debt relief through Offers in Compromise, Installment Agreements, and Currently Not Collectible. Roni Lynn Deutch’s effectiveness comes from having a good rapport with the Internal Revenue Service, who knows her team will seek out the fairest settlement for all involved parties. Roni Lynn Deutch also keeps a daily blog that covers a multitude of fiscal issues, and is a must-go-to destination for anyone seeking personal financial advice.

But there’s more to Roni Lynn Deutch that being the country’s knight in shining armor against the IRS. She is an active philanthropist who has focused on several causes, particularly those assisting children. Roni Lynn Deutch is an active supporter of the Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA), which helps supports awareness of child abuse and neglect. Children rescued from abusive or neglectful homes by the Children’s Receiving House of Sacramento also look forward to Roni Lynn Deutch’s annual holiday parties. Every Halloween, Roni Lynn Deutch and her team dress up in costumes and give out candies to children who would otherwise have nowhere else to celebrate this holiday. Roni Lynn Deutch has also given back to the Sacramento community by supporting the Martin Luther King Village, which provides affordable housing to homeless citizens.

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A historical figure in various sectors for charity,

As it evolved, Robert Meyerhoff’s initiative began to provide financial, academic, and guidance to both men and women from diverse backgrounds, all with a passion for the sciences as a common factor. Its graduates have all distinguished themselves in their respective fields, after making a name for themselves in exclusive top-tier universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Cornel, and Hopkins, among others.

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology profiles UMBC as the top institution in the total number of undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry degrees awarded to African Americans and second in the total number of the same degrees for minorities.

UMBC also received a significant contribution for the chemistry and biochemistry facility renovations. It eventually became the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Chemistry Building. This has been fitted with only the best teaching labs and instrumentation, a laser laboratory, new mass spectrometry facility, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers.

Coming into age during the Great Depression and World War II, Robert Meyerhoff comes from a generation dedicated to giving back to the country and local communities. Born in 1924, he was eligible for drafting. After his military service, he returned home to Baltimore where he entered the family’s construction business. Robert Meyerhoff is a civil engineer alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professionally, he is well-known and held in high regard within the real estate development industry. His other personal pursuits are collecting art, thoroughbred horse breeding, and other philanthropic activities.

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As a prostate cancer survivor, he made it a point to name Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine (where he was diagnosed in 1995 and subsequently treated) as one of his primary beneficiaries. Dan Duncan does whatever he can to support the college’s work and mission. He is truly a man of his word.

Aside from serving as one of its board of trustees, he and his family have been stalwart financial supporters of Baylor. In February 2003, a $2 million donation established an endowed chair named the Dan L. Duncan Family Chair in Prostate Disease. Presented in September 2004, a total of $35 million went to Baylor Clinic, the college’s adult ambulatory care center. One more transformational gift was for the college’s Cancer Center, which Dan Duncan committed $100 million to in 2006.

In 2008, the Dan L. Duncan Family Foundation enabled The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to advance its research in cancer within the context of medically underserved and minor communities. Through the $35 million given by the foundation, The Dan Duncan Family Institute for Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment came into being. This is only one of the many gifts that the family has awarded the institution in its over 25 years of generosity.

Dan Duncan is also actively involved with the Texas Heart institute, The Children’s Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston Museum of Natural Science ($5 million paleontology renovation donation in 2006), and the Texas Children’s Hospital’s Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute ($50 million commitment for completion in 2010).

The Houston Zoo Incorporated, Texas Wildlife Association, Exotic Wildlife Association, and the Boy Scouts of America, are other non-medical organizations that have been recipients of Dan Duncan’s aid.

In 1996, Dan Duncan was recognized for his “Outstanding support of wildlife conservation, lifetime hunting achievement and dedication to the principles of ethical sport hunting,” with the Weatherby Award.

He currently serves as the chairman of the board/director of Enterprise Products Partners LP, Duncan Energy Partners LP, and Enterprise GP Holdings LP, all of which he founded. Dan Duncan is included in the Texas Business Hall of Fame upon his induction in 2003.

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His career began when he worked as an employee for a U.S. government agency prior to working at a bank based in Dallas. Reconsidering his options and plans, he made a personal shift from employee to entrepreneur. Though barely making ends meet and borrowing money, he made his first investment in the form of buying a small drugstore. A decade of hard work and smart moves on the part of Harold Simmons saw the venture grow into a drugstore chain across Texas that has reached a value of over $50 million.

Deciding to try his hand at becoming a financier, he sold his entire first business in 1973 to Eckerd Corporation. A success at this field as well, he currently manages five NYSE-listed corporations. Harold Simmons is the chairman of several prominent directorship boards such as Titanium Metals Corporation (since 2005), specialty chemicals business Kronos Worldwide Incorporated (2003), NL Industries Incorporated (1987) and synthetics company Valhi Incorporated (1961). Listed as the 214th individual on Forbes World’s Richest People in 2007, he rose through the ranks to become the 146th in 2009.

Among his many awards are the 2002 Angel of Freedom Award by Human Rights Initiative, Charles Cameron Sprague Community Service Award, and the Annette G. Strauss Humanitarian Award.

Together with his wife Annette, and through the Harold Simmons Foundation (1988), he became a major benefactor for several diverse groups:

• Dallas Center for the Performing Arts
• Uplift Education
• Dallas Achieves
• YWCA
• Parkland Memorial Hospital
• Text Protects
• Crystal Charity Ball
• Dallas County Dental Society
• Our Children’s House
• Children’s Medical Center Dallas
• Big Thought
• Ronald McDonald House
• Dallas Black Dance Theatre

The most blessed of his recipients is the University of Texas Southwestern. Harold Simmons has been an extremely generous supporter since 1983, when he pledged $8 million pledge for the Harold C. Simmons Arthritis Research Center. Five years after, he contributed $41 million to the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Simmons Biomedical Research building named for his parents. In 2005, a $50 million clinical and research program grant was given, as well as a $500,000 fund for an endowed chair in clinical oncology for the school’s first president Dr. Charles Sprague. Recently, Harold Simmons donated up to $125 million to the Innovations in Medicine Campaign that UT Southwestern started in 2002.

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A Georgetown University alumna, Bill Clinton was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study in Oxford University with a Rhodes Scholarship that he won in 1968. Bill Clinton then pursued a law degree from the prestigious Yale University, finishing in 1973. Strongly moved by an encounter with President John Kennedy when he was still in high school, he decided to dedicate himself to public service right after graduation.

In 1976, he won the elections for Arkansas Attorney General. Two years after, he became its Governor, a spot he would win for a second time in 1982. Bill Clinton served in this capacity until 1992 when he eyed the Presidential seat and eventually secured the highest position in the nation. From 1992-2000, his administration was responsible for turning the tables on the considerable deficits into becoming record surpluses. Bill Clinton’s magnanimity has constantly shown through his advocacies as President: striving to make technology more accessible, preserving the environment, prioritizing education, lowering the unemployment rate with 22 million jobs created and lobbying for peace around the world.

When his term ended, Bill Clinton was anything but ready to retire from public service. This time, not as a government official, but as a committed philanthropist, he sought out to do what he can for several worthy causes. The William J. Clinton Foundation started as a response to the world’s most pressing needs. Currently, the 1,100-strong nongovernmental institution works in over 40 countries and offices in New York City, Little Rock in Arkansas, and Boston, Massachusetts. Focusing on seven main sectors, the Foundation seeks to do more than just dole out, and instead create sustainable progress by empowering others. The seven initiatives that drive the group are:

• Clinton Global Initiative
• Clinton Hunter Development Initiative
• Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative
• Clinton Economic Opportunity Initiative
• Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative
• Clinton Climate Initiative
• Alliance for a Healthier Generation

After the devastating tsunami from the Indian Ocean in 2004, Bill Clinton was a United Nations’ Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery. In 2005, he also teamed up with President George H.W. Bush to raise funds for the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund ($ 130.6 million).

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Cumulatively, from 2002-2006, he has contributed $65.4 million to various non-profit organizations. A remarkable deed on his part involved giving $70 million in just 2007-2008 alone. The main recipient of this charitable gift is Perelman Family Foundation, which has an estimated $5.9 million in assets, with Ron Perelman as primary benefactor. He has also made considerable political donations of $92,600 to both the Democratic and Republican parties.

As his personal advocacies lean to arts, religion, education and health care related issues, Ron Perelman has made it a point to be an influential member of several charity boards. Founder of the Revlon/UCLA Women’s Cancer Research Program, he also established New York University Medical Center’s Department of Dermatology (which is named after him).

Ron Perelman is a patron of the arts, through his role as the president of the Guggenheim Museum. Serving on the Boards of The University of Pennsylvania (Wharton Board of Overseers, and former Wharton’s Graduate Executive Board), Carnegie Hall and NYU Medical Center, he has given time and effort as well in championing education. In 1995, the Perelman Quadrangle was built in the University of Pennsylvania. A decade prior to that, the Ronald O. Perelman Professorship in Finance was created. At Princeton University, he also established the Ronald Perelman Institute of Jewish Studies in 1995.

Recently, one of his biggest transformational gifts of yet was to the New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center. The $50 million additional funding is crucial in creating the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute. It also helps provide the necessary financial aid to the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine.

Accomplishing his undergraduate degree from the distinguished University of Pennsylvania, he proceeded to finish his MBA at Wharton. He is currently the Chairman of the Board for M&F Worldwide Corporation and Revlon Consumer Products Incorporated. Ron Perelman is also a director in these two organizations, as well as in Scientific Games Corporation and MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings (where he is also Co-founder).

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With her equally high-profile partner Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie donated more than $8.5 million to their Jolie-Pitt Foundation in 2006 alone. Among the recipient charitable organizations are Global AIDS Alliance, Doctors Without Borders, the Daniel Pearl Foundation, Namibia Red Cross Action Program, the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation and Global Green USA. It also supports victims of the Iraq war, particularly the children affected. Other programs work toward providing relief for Darfur refugees. In 2008 the Jolie-Pitt Foundation was given all the proceeds of the $14 million-worth exclusive photos of the couple’s newborn twins. People magazine and British Hello! Magazine paid for these snapshots of Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Léon, born July 12 that year.

Also in 2008, the couple worked with Global Health Committee. The non-profit group received the gift of $2 million for the construction of a center for AIDS and tuberculosis-afflicted children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In honor of their generous donation, the clinic will be named after Zahara, who Jolie adopted from Ethiopia.

Angelina Jolie became a committed humanitarian advocate in 2000 when her filming of Tomb Raider took her to Cambodia and opened her eyes to its harsh realities. With the realization that the situation in the country was a mere echo of so many other afflicted communities, she decided to be the change herself.

Since her appointment in 2001, Angelina Jolie has been a devoted United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Goodwill Ambassador. By 2003, Angelina Jolie became the first recipient of the United Nations Correspondents Association’s Citizen of the World Award. Two years after, UNA-USA also recognized her humanitarian work with the Global Humanitarian Award. In the same year, she established the National Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Children. The year 2005 also saw Angelina Jolie awarded with Cambodian citizenship for her dedication to the Asian country’s betterment. In 2007, the Freedom Award was duly given to her by the International Rescue Committee.

Angelina Jolie has also taken her advocacy to the political level by becoming a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in 2007. Everyday life for her entails a balance between her acting career, philanthropic efforts, and her role as mother to her three adopted children (Maddox, Pax, Zahara) and three fathered by Brad Pitt (Shiloh, Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline).

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Over the years, Robert Rowling’s transformational donations include the university’s men’s and women’s basketball practice facility and Denton A. Cooley Pavilion. An indoor practice facility, nicknamed “The Bubble” by the students, is at the Frank Denius Fields.

Today, he is a member of the national board of Young Life and the board of Guaranty Financial Group Incorporated. Until February 2009, he sat on the University of Texas System Board of Regents. Robert Rowling is also The University of Texas Investment Management Company’s incumbent chairman of the board. Recipient of the Southern Methodist University Dedman Law School Distinguished Alumni Award, he has a number of other recognitions under his belt. He was inducted into the All-American Wildcatters, The University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame, and Texas Business Hall of Fame.

An alumnus of the University of Texas Austin, he proceeded to graduate from the Southern Methodist University as a Doctor of Jurisprudence. Today, with a net worth of $6.4 billion, he is ranked among the top tier of Forbes’ exclusive lists. In 2008, he was profiled as the 55th Richest American. The following year saw him secure the 124th spot in the World’s Billionaires.

Robert Rowling’s initial capital may have been inherited from his father’s Tana Oil and Gas Corporation, but he sought out to build his own name, and consequently vastly expanded his fortune. Texaco purchased the company in 1989 in a $476 million deal that eventually financed the incorporation of his new venture, TRT Holdings. The company he owns and is Chairman of has investments in energy, hospitality, real estate and fitness since 1996. Of its most prominent acquisitions are Gold’s Gym and Omni Hotels for $180 million and $500 million respectively.

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After serving as the first National Association of Theatre Owners’ chairman of the board, Sumner Redstone continues to be actively involved in the association as a director. A particular long-term affiliation is with National Amusements Inc., for which he was President (1967-1999), and CEO (since 1967). Since 1986, the company has been the majority stockholder of Redstone’s Viacom Incorporated (NYSE: VIA) and CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS). For Viacom, he acted as chairman of the board (since 1986) and CEO (1996-2005). Following the creation of two separate entities, separating CBS from Viacom, he became Viacom Inc.’s executive chairman of the board of directors on January 1, 2006.

Most of Sumner Redstone’s philanthropic initiatives function through the Michael Redstone Charitable Trusts and the Sumner M. Redstone Charitable Foundation. In his many commitments, he currently sits as a member of the Board for the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and his Sumner M. Redstone Child Rescue Center.

He recounts one personally memorable encounter, where he met scoliosis victim Lyda. She moved him to contribute $500,000 to a group that made critical health care and educational services available to the children of Phnom Penh – The Cambodian Children’s Fund.

Another considerable and generous donation is Sumner Redstone’s charitable grants that total at an estimated $105 million. The amount is to be evenly distributed and regularly paid out to three prominent healthcare institutions over the course of five years. All the identified beneficiaries are to use the funds for medical discovery and clinical research development.

The Washington-based Faster Cures/The Center for Accelerating Medical Solutions, tied to the Milken Institute, will expand The Research Acceleration and Innovation Network (TRAIN) to include other non-profit disease research groups and renamed as The Redstone Acceleration and Innovation Network. Other programs include FasterCures Philanthropy Advisory Service and Patients Helping Doctors program. The second $35 million recipient is top non-university hospital Cedars-Sinai Prostate Cancer Center that will be able to pursue a six-year National Prostate Cancer Study. Lastly, the Massachusetts General Hospital, already with its Sumner M. Redstone Burn Center since 1974, will be able to establish the Sumner M. Redstone Burn and Trauma Service, as well as The Sumner M. Redstone Emergency Department.

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Chicago, Illinois is the hometown of Michelle Obama, born January 17, 1964. Her parents, proudly working class, are Marian Shields and Fraser Robinson III. Both have strongly influenced Michelle’s development. Today, Michelle Obama is herself a mother of two daughters, Malia Ann (born 1998) and Natasha (2001).

A pioneering alumna of Whitney M. Young High School, Chicago’s first Magnet School, she graduated as the 1981 class salutatorian. Despite the initial doubt others had of her potential for success, she braved Princeton University to pursue an undergraduate degree. In 1985, Michelle Obama finished Cum Laude, with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in African American Studies. She yet again proved herself as she enrolled in the exclusive Harvard Law School and in 1988, she graduated with a Juris Doctor degree.

Renowned law firm Sidley Austin recruited Michelle Obama in 1988. She worked as an Associate, her specialization being Intellectual Property and Marketing. In the fateful summer of 1988, an intern by the name of Barack Obama came under her critical mentorship. Four years later, in October 1992, the two were married.

In 1991, Michelle Obama left for public service and became part of Mayor Richard M. Daley’s staff as an assistant. In a short time, she became the assistant commissioner of planning and development. The University of Chicago named her its Associate Dean of Student Services in 1996. Her tenure saw to the establishment of its 1st Community Services program. In 2002, she became the executive director of external affairs and community relations for the University of Chicago Hospital. Her promotion to the post of vice president came in 2005.

As founding executive director of non-profit Public Allies Chicago, Michelle Obama developed the leadership training provider for young adults interested in public service careers. By 2007, Michelle Obama was a board member of six prestigious institutions including the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Her other philanthropic and community service-oriented efforts also involved providing financial support.

In 2006, the Obamas contributed 6% of their income, around $60,307, to several key recipients including their congregation Trinity United Church of Christ; international humanitarian, relief and anti-poverty organization CARE; as well as the contemporary and traditional African American Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago.

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In the face of all this difficulty, George Soros managed to support himself through his studies at the London School of Economics, where he accomplished his undergraduate degree. He moved to the United States in 1956, where he developed his prowess as a trader and analyst until 1963. A decade after, he established and benefited immensely from what would be one of the first hedge funds in the nation; the Quantum Fund. In 1992, he became famous for “breaking the Bank of England” on Black Wednesday.

Today, the self-made 78-year old has a net worth of $9 billion. George Soros is ranked 29th in Forbes’ World’s Billionaires, mainly because of the Soros Fund Management. His vast fortune is duly matched by his generosity. From 2007-2008 alone, he contributed $474.6 million to non-profit organizations, and gave over $106,000 in political contributions. George Soros also created the Soros Humanitarian Foundation to which he gave $230 million.

Among George Soros’ many projects are the Millennium Promise Initiative which seeks to eliminate extreme African poverty ($50 million), the regional Russian Universities Internet infrastructure creation ($100 million), and putting up a grantmaking foundation in China dedicated to transparency and fostering civil society. In fact, his history of giving began as early as 1979, when he financially aided African American students to go to University of Cape Town in South Africa.

What is perhaps George Soros’ greatest legacy lies, however, in his establishment of the Open Society Institute in 1993. He was particularly influenced by philosopher Karl Popper, author of The Open Society and Its Enemies – an insightful critique on the political system of totalitarianism. As such, he has endeavored to aid the formation of human rights awareness, democratic governance, and concrete reform in the different sectors of society in over 60 countries at present.

George Soros was on the cover of Time Magazine’s September 1, 1997 issue, which featured his causes. For his published work and philanthropic dedication to the promotion of open societies, he has been recognized by prestigious bodies such as Yale University, Oxford University, New School for Social Research, and the University of Bologna’s highest honor, the Laurea Honoris Causa.

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A $25 million gift created the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Campus, the pioneer Jewish school in Las Vegas, which began operations in 2008. Boston health care and housing provider for older people in need, Hebrew SeniorLife, also received a $5 million contribution from the Adelson couple. The same amount is pledged to Massachusetts’ Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home, to be paid out over three years until 2010. Private University Shalem Center in Jerusalem created the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies from a $4.5 million pledge by Sheldon Adelson. In 2007, Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Martyrs Memorial became the recipient of $25 million.

The Friends of Adelson Drug Clinic ($135,882 in assets) and the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation ($354,884) are two of Sheldon Adelson’s family foundations that are focused on the medical field. With particular expertise in oncology, neurology and immunology, the latter institute has adopted a new model of collaborative research since its founding in 2006.

Another vehicle for his generosity is the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Charitable Trust, which in 2008 had assets of $52.1 million. Cumulatively, his contributions from 2002-2006 are estimated at $105.9 million. In 2007-2008 alone, Sheldon Adelson made a total of $69.5 million in gifts to different charitable groups.

Sheldon Adelson’s greatest and perhaps most personal philanthropic involvement is with the Taglit – Birthright Israel Program (BRI). This initiative provides free educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults (18-26) who have never had the chance to pay pilgrimage to their homeland. Since its launch in 2000, it has received the aid of the Israeli Government, Jewish communities around the world, and private philanthropists. Sheldon Adelson is one such committed supporter.

From his young years as the son of a cab driver, he took a loan of $200 to start peddling newspapers at a Boston street corner when he was still 12. After some time with the City College of New York, he decided to make the leap to work as a mortgage broker.

Sheldon Adelson would find success in his consequent years as a financial consultant and investment adviser. In 1989, with the $128 million acquisition of the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, he remodelled it into a 4,000-suite Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. To this day, at 75 years of age, Sheldon Adelson takes pride in owning, operating, and chairing the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.

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A trustee of the National Committee of the Whitney Museum, the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art, and the Council of American Ambassadors, Anne Cox Chambers’ life is one of those significantly influencing the global community. On top of these influential roles, she is also the distinguished president of the American Friends of the International Lyric Art Festival of Aix-en-Provence. Likewise, she is a board member of the French American Foundation, Woodruff Arts Center and the MacDowell Colony.

The billionaire media proprietor has also served on select boards for corporations such as Coca Cola (1981-1991), Bank of the South (1977-1982), and the Fulton National Bank (since 1973). Her appointment at Fulton is historic, for she was the first woman in Atlanta to fulfill such a capacity. Other not-for-profit organizations that Anne Cox Chambers was actively involved in were as a director for Central Atlanta Progress Board and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. She is the first woman to hold such positions of power.

Anne Cox Chambers also played a key role in President Jimmy Carter’s administration when she was chosen to be the Ambassador to Belgium from 1977-1981. For her invaluable service, the King Baudoin of Belgium presented her the Officier de la Legion d’Honneur, l’Order de la Couronne.

Other political affiliations revolve around her stalwart support for the Democratic Party. She is a member of New Leadership for America PAC, MoveOn.org, John Kerry for President, Bill Bradley for President, and the most recent endeavour and success, Obama for America.

Born on December 1, 1919 to James M. Cox and Barbara Cox Anthony, she had James M. Cox Jr., John W. Cox, and Barbara Cox Anthony as siblings. She attended Miss Porter’s School for her secondary education, and went to New York’s Finch College afterward. Currently, Anne Cox Chambers is a Director of Cox Enterprises. As the last surviving inheritor of her father James M. Cox’s media conglomerate, she has a net worth estimated at $9 billion as of March 2009. In 2008, she was ranked 19th in the Forbes 400 Richest Americans.

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Recognized as the 12th Richest American, the 55-year old co-founder of Microsoft has a current net worth of $16 billion. Currently, Paul Allen is the chairman of Charter Communications, and the founder and chairman of his private asset management firm Vulcan Inc. His generous donations now collectively run to a total of more than $1 billion.

Paul Allen’s brand of giving revolves around his personal beliefs and passions. He looks at opportunities to invest in not-for-profit, and daringly innovative projects and groups. People have appropriately named this “venture philanthropy.”

Paul Allen’s campaigns are aligned with the needs of his local community – the Pacific Northwest. He champions and funds varied sectors from education to rock music, science fiction, detailed brain and spine mapping, to sports teams.

• One of his key pursuits is Vulcan Productions, creator of compelling documentaries, interesting feature films on different relevant topics, and television programs that make the arts and sciences available to more people. The company has already produced many noteworthy material including the television series “Evolution” (2001) shown on PBS, Emmy Award-winning documentary “Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge” (2005), and “Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial,” which won the prestigious Peabody Award.

• Paul Allen also led efforts for and eventually founded several valuable institutions as part of his philanthropic commitment to the arts. One such remarkable project is the interactive music museum called the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle. Other public sites include the Flying Heritage Collection, which houses authentic World War II aircrafts that have been fixed and are even ready to be flown right out the showroom. The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame are also credited to Paul Allen’s benevolence.

• Founded in 1988, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation exists as agents of transformation in the sectors of education and youth engagement, arts and culture, community development and social change, and science and technology innovations. The Kenneth S. Allen Library, named after his father, was built in the late 1980’s with their donation of $18 million to the University of Washington. In honor of his mother, the Faye G. Allen Center for Visual Arts was erected in 2003 using the $5 million given to the school.

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Chuck Norris extends his time and energy to works for charities like Funds for Kids, Veteran’s Administration National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, the United Way, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, contributing in the form of donations and fundraising activities.

Being a former member of the United States Air Force stationed in Korea, he served as a spokesperson for the U.S. Veterans Administration in order to popularize the issues that concern hospitalized war veterans such as pensions and health care. In fact, for his patriotism and significant contributions to this cause, he received the “Veteran of the Year” award at the American Veteran Awards in 2001.

Perhaps his most notable philanthropic contribution is his work to develop self-esteem and focus among young people to keep them away from drug-related pressure by way of martial arts training. He established the United Fighting Arts Federation and “KickStart” (formerly “Kick Drugs Out of America”) in 1990. KickStart helps at-risk children shift their focus to martial arts through programs directed towards the middle school and high school population.

In 2005, Chuck Norris founded the World Combat League (WCL), a full contact, team-based martial arts competition, to which a portion of the proceeds from the World Combat League go to Norris’ charity KickStart.

As a world-acclaimed martial artist, Chuck Norris is the owner of a number of martial arts champion titles, like the Professional World Middleweight Champion title that he held for six years (1968 – 1974). He is also the proud owner of the 1969 Triple Crown, a recognition he received for having the most tournament wins.

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J.K. Rowling was born on July 30, 1965, in Gloucestershire, England. She attended the University of Exeter and received her BA in French and Classics upon graduating. After a year of studying in Paris, Rowling moved to London to work at the Amnesty International as a secretary and researcher.

Rowling was named the first person to become a billionaire by writing books, according to the Forbes Magazine. She was also named the 2nd richest female entertainer behind Oprah Winfrey.

In November 2002, J.K. Rowling established the Volant Charitable Trust, an organization aimed at fighting poverty social inequality. According to their website, they have two broad areas of funding:

• Research into the causes and treatment of Multiple Sclerosis. The Trust is currently committed to funding several long-term research projects of this type and is not considering further applications for funding in this area at the present time.

• Charities and projects, whether community-based or on a national level, at home or abroad, that tackle social deprivation, with a focus on women’s and children’s issues.

Rowling is also president of the One Parent Families, a non-profit group that supports lone parent families. In September 2008, she gave a whopping 1 million in pounds to the Labour Party of UK. She is a fundraiser of Comic Relief, an anti-poverty non-partisan organization that prevents famine and poverty in developing countries.

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Christopher Reeve caught the eye of producers after he graduated from Juilliard in 1974. He was offered many acting gigs on Broadway and eventually auditioned for the role of Clark Kent in Superman. And the rest is history.

In 1995, he fell off a horse that caused a cervical spinal injury that paralyzed him from the neck down. After going through treatments and surgeries, Christopher Reeve traveled to Israel and met many patients with the same illness. He was very inspired that he became vice chairman of the National Organization on Disability and chairman of the American Paralysis Association. Christopher Reeve emerged as an activist for embryonic stem cell research.

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation is one of the leading bastions in the field of spinal cord research. The foundation aims to find treatments for people suffering from spinal cord paralysis and other disabilities, specifically neurological disorders. One of its missions is to help people with disabilities enjoy life.

The foundation was initially known as American Paralysis Foundation (APF). But since Christopher Reeve’s passion, creativity, and brilliance contributed to the success of spinal cord research, APF eventually became the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, and then later on, the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

In 2006 alone, the foundation awarded over $64 million in research grants. Over $8 million quality-of-life grants were given away.

In 2004, Christopher Reeve died of a heart failure at the age of 52. His wife, Dana Reeve, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005 and died the following year at the age of 44. In their honor, the foundation was renamed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

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