It seems to me that Americans, as a whole, generally have a short attention span. Hollywood seems a microcosm of America, perhaps having the shortest attention span of all. So I was happy to read recently that with the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, Hollywood is still giving.
Last week, a party/benefit was held for MoveOn’s hurricanehousing.org program. This program helped find housing for more than 30,000 people and these stories were chronicled in a book titled “It Takes a Nation.” The benefit brought out such celebrities as singer Moby and actresses Rosie Perez and Julie Stiles. There is another book I read about in People Magazine called “Love Letters to the South.” This book is filled with messages to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina from celebrities such as Kevin Bacon, Jon Bon Jovi, Johnny Depp, and Justin Timberlake. A portion of the proceeds of this book will go to the American Red Cross Relief Fund and Habitat for Humanity.
HBO will show a four-hour documentary shot by director Spike Lee. The film is titled “When the Levee Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.” Hilary Duff is visiting schools and a disaster relief center in New Orleans next week. Through USA Harvest, who is sponsoring her trip, she donated enough money to provide 2.5 million meals.
Everyone remembers Oprah Winfrey and her help after the hurricane last year. She still continues to raise money, having gotten $61,000 at an auction recently for a 1971 Corvette donated by actor Matthew McConaughey. The entire proceeds will go towards hurricane relief.
A foundation called Music Rising, founded by The Edge, the guitarist for U2, has been replacing the lost instruments of the region’s musicians. So far, more than 2,000 musicians have benefited from this program.
Just because you are not a celebrity does not mean you cannot still help the rebuilding efforts. You can still donate online at the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, The Humane Society, and many more worthy charities.