VH1's Do Something Awards (#DSAwards) is back and ready to show the world that the youth of today do more than text and tweet. DoSomething.org, the country's largest not-for-profit for young people and change, and VH1 has announced that this year's Do Something Awards will air live from The Avalon in Hollywood tonight, July 31, 2013 at 8 p.m. ET.
Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) will be hosting the ceremony. Bush most recently appeared in the TV series Partners. Her other credits include Hatfields & McCoys, Nip/Tuck and more.
This year's high-energy show will honor celebrities
Patrick Dempsey,
Jesse Tyler Ferguson,
Jennifer Hudson,
LL Cool J and
Kelly Osbourne for being amazing social change leaders, along with five "do-gooders," 25 and under, who are in the trenches, creating substantial change in our world.
The Do Something Awards honors celebrity "do-gooders," who donate money and time, and inspire millions of people along the way. These five influential superstars were chosen based on the work that they've done and their stories will be told for the world to see. Using celeb-packed videos and tributes, viewers will get an in-depth look at how they have harnessed their celebrity statuses to create change. Some of Hollywood's biggest stars such as
Ben Affleck,
Kristen Bell,
Nick Cannon,
Joel McHale,
Lea Michele,
Cory Monteith, will.i.am and others received honors last year for their good work.
This year's honorees are being celebrated for their continued work in
The Following areas:
·
Patrick Dempsey created and initially funded the Center for Hope and Healing in 2008 after his mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The center provides free services, support and education to cancer patients and their families. Currently, the primary fundraiser for the center is The Dempsey Challenge, an annual run/walk/cycle event that was founded in 2009. In 2011, The Dempsey Challenge raised over 1 million dollars for the center and had over 4,000 participants.
· Tie The Knot is an organization founded by
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his fiancé,
Justin Mikita, in 2012, that advocates for the civil rights of gay and lesbian Americans. Seasonally, Tie The Knot releases a line of bowties, individually designed by the organization. All proceeds from their sales go to organizations fighting for the civil rights of gay and lesbian American's. Tie The Knot has raised nearly $175,000 from the sales of their bowties which they have donated to various LGBT organizations.
· The Julian D. King Gift Foundation was founded by
Jennifer Hudson and her sister Julia Hudson in honor of Jennifer's late nephew to be a catalyst for change in children's health, education and welfare. The Foundation exists to provide stability, support and positive experiences for children of all backgrounds so that they will become productive, confident and happy adults. Hatch Day is an event, created in 2011 by the Foundation which takes place every August 14, Julian's birthday. On Hatch Day, Jennifer and her sister give away school supplies to underprivileged children in Chicago. Last year, the event was able to donate school supplies to 5,000 inner city kids. The Foundation also holds an annual Christmas Toy Drive in Chicago, founded in 2009, on Christmas Eve. Jennifer and Julia host the event and give away toys to underprivileged children in Chicago. Last Christmas, the Toy Drive gave away 50,000 toys. Jennifer and Julia look forward to expanding the Foundation's endeavors to other cities across the country with children in need.
·
LL Cool J has always been an avid philanthropist involved in numerous causes, including Jump & Ball, an annual basketball tournament and summer athletic camp that
LL Cool J founded with New York State Senate President Malcolm
A. Smith. The camp is 5 weeks long and takes place in home community of Queens, New York . The tournament, sponsored by local companies, is designed to foster community cohesiveness and will offer a place for youth to showcase and cultivate their athletic talent. LL has also supported Chrysalis, an organization that helps the homeless gain employment, even donating his own clothing to the charity, and was honored by them in 2012.
· In June 2012, Jack,
Kelly Osbourne's younger brother announced that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 26. Since his diagnosis, the Osbourne family has worked to use their fame to bring awareness to the disease in hopes of finding a cure. At this year's annual "Race To Erase M.S." gala fundraiser, Kelly presented the charity's Medal of Hope to her brother and mother for their work and courage in the campaign to find a cure for M.S.
"If you are skeptical about the power of young people, tune in on July 31st to have your mind blown. You'll see incredible young social changers who are fighting to improve key social issues in their community, the US and abroad" said Nancy Lublin, CEO and Chief Old Person of DoSomething.org. "We'll also be honoring amazing celebrities who are using their voice for social good:
Patrick Dempsey,
Jesse Tyler Ferguson,
Jennifer Hudson,
LL Cool J and
Kelly Osbourne"
The spotlight will also be on: Sasha Fisher (New York, NY) who founded Spark MicroGrants which provides grants to rural poor communities in Rwanda and Uganda to build their own social impact projects such as schools, water wells, and health centers; Daniel Maree (New York, NY) for starting the Million Hoodies Movement for Justice, the movement that brought the Trayvon Martin case to our national attention through rallying and petitioning for the arrest of George Zimmerman; Jillian Mourning (Charlotte, NC) for founding All We Want is LOVE (Liberation of Victims Everywhere) to educate the public about sex trafficking in the U.S., provide training to those who might come in contact with it, and working to rescue sex trafficking victims; Lorella Praeli (New Haven, CT) for her work with United We Dream, a national organization dedicated to earning rights for the 11million DREAMers in the U.S.; and
Ben Simon (Takoma Park, MD) for starting the Food Recovery Network at the University of Maryland, which uses college volunteers who recover leftover food from their dining halls and donate it to local soup kitchens and shelters in their communities. It's safe to say, these honorees have done more in their quarter lives than most have done in their whole lives.
And while "doing good" isn't about money, cash certainly helps run a not-for-profit, so each one of the five young finalists will receive a $10,000 grant for their cause. Also, during the live show, viewers will vote to decide which one of the five finalists deserves to take away the grand prize of $100,000 for their cause.
"Presenting
The Do Something Awards on
VH1 is my favorite night of the year. You literally see how one person can change the world. As the future of social change continues to grow and evolve, so does our show with a new format, venue and exciting honorees." said
Tom Calderone, President, VH1.
The Do Something Awards is more than an awards show. It's an event. It's a celebration. It's a revolution. It's a night packed with passion, inspiration and change right alongside superstars, fun and music; and somehow, it all makes sense. This show reminds us that public service and volunteerism is not - and should not be - boring.
This year's show is executive produced by
Michael Dempsey for Dempsey Productions and Lee Rolontz for VH1. Nancy Lublin and Naomi Hirabayashi oversee the awards show for DoSomething.org.
About DoSomething.org: We love teens. They are creative, active, wired... and frustrated that our world is so messed up. DoSomething.org harnesses that awesome energy and unleashes it on causes teens care about. Almost every week, we launch a new national campaign. The call to action is always something that has a real impact and doesn't require money, an adult, or a car. With a goal of 5 million active members by 2015, DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US for teens and social change. Join us at
www.DoSomething.org.
About VH1:
VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives.
VH1 is available in 99 million households in the U.S.
VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic,
VH1 Soul,
VH1 Mobile, and extensive video on VH1.com. Connect with
VH1 at
VH1.com.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride
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