Joanna “Jo” Rowling, more commonly know by her penname J.K. Rowling, is the creator and author of the famous Harry Potter series. Her famous series has sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and has gained attention even before it was made into a movie. Within five years, the British author became a multi-millionaire eventually after writing the Potters series and getting recognition for it.
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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