A Lesson in Philanthropy

A lesson in philanthropy:

This morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn, actually before dawn to take our up and coming client Reshma Shetty to the 125th Birthday Celebration of the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club in Brooklyn. We had secured this opportunity for her to attend this celebration, so that she could get to know a local charity in New York, connect with the children, give back and of course promote her role on the hit show "Royal Pains" on USA. Needless to say, the kids loved her, and and as the show is so new, it was a terrific way to further introduce her to future fans. Bonus points - she even got interviewed by the amazing Anne Craig from "Good Day New York" and there is going to be a photo of her with the children appearing in an upcoming issue of STAR magazine. Those were the "extras" but certainly not the main reason to be involved. At Brownstein & Associates, we truly stress the importance of finding a charity you are passionate about and being active. Not for the publicity, but because you can. We even found out that the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club has a large enrollment of Indian children, and as Reshma is Indian, it was a perfect match for future projects. Reshma got to know them, and they got to know her. Now we have made the perfect match for future endeavors together.

Our experience working with charities goes back many years. For example, we facilitated a relationship between Tamara Tunie the Miracle on Madison event where she will be celebrating her third year working with the organization. The event, which is on Sunday December 6th, allows people to shop on Madison Avenue in certain stores where a percentage of proceeds go to the Children's Aid Society of New York. Tamara has cut ribbons, taught the kids, sang with them, and every year she hosts a charity brunch the morning of the event for VIP's and others. Last year it was frigid cold outside, and even started to snow and rain. But she would do anything for her kids. She has brought some wonderful well needed attention to the charity, and I am sure over time, Reshma Shetty will do the same for The Madison Square Boys and Girls Club as well.

On another note, we were all very moved at Daniel Radcliffe's major donation to the Trevor Project. That organization is so important. He felt moved to help them financially so they could continue the good work that they were doing. I got involved with the Trevor project completely by accident. A friend of mine and producer of HAIR, Andy Sandberg had asked if my client Gavin Creel would perform at the organization's benefit here in New York. Through a wonderful guy Joel Flatow, who works at the RIAA, we were able to get Gavin to be the opening number before Jewel performed. Gavin of course jumped at the opportunity to support them, bring to light important issues facing the community and even presented the "Hero of the Year Award" to Dustin Lance Black, who won the Oscar for "Milk." Gavin, who is openly gay, had an opportunity to talk about his own decision to be public about who he was, and also perform a song called "For Nancy" which is a song he wrote about and for his mother, specifically about how no matter who he is, he is still her son. It was truly a beautiful tribute and timely for all children who are confused, and feeling like they have no place to turn while they are discovering who they are. Trevor project helps these kids, and people like Daniele, Gavin, Dustin, and more, all help use their name to bring to light important causes they are passionate about so the world knows about the great work these organizations do.

Our firm every holiday season represents charities who are planning a benefit and we use our resources to help get celebrities to attend, secure terrific items to auction off, and volunteer our time the evening of the event to help make sure everything goes smoothly. Last year, we worked in tandem with my good friend Lane Carlson and the Sunflower Children to support their annual Poker Tournament to raise money for the organization. It brought us all closer together and helped give a purpose to what we do on a daily basis for our clients. A couple of years ago, we also worked with Souls for Soles and assisted them in launching their 'million pair march' campaign. Our firm used our resources to secure a celebrity name committee, secure Melissa Rivers to do press in New York to raise awareness, and get Scarlett Johannson to include the charity in an event she was doing in Los Angeles to launch her new line of sneakers in conjunction with Reebok. She publicly acknowledged the charity and donated 1000 pairs her new sneakers which went directly to needy children in the Sudan. The list goes on.

All our clients support organizations whether its for Juvenile Diabetes, HIV-AIDS, Eco Friendly living, Arts and Education after school programs for kids, ending domestic violence, and encouraging the education of women in India among others.

We truly encourage anyone, whether they be a celebrity or an every day person to volunteer, and use whatever small amount of free time they can give, to support a charity they feel attached to in some way. In the current economic climate, among other things, so many organizations have been hit really hard and they need our support more than ever. Whether it is contributing money or just time, no matter how big or small, everyone appreciates the effort.

So, get involved today!