American actor, producer and singer Rosario Dawson, 29, grew up in a squat in New York. She supports online travel agent Trip Advisor’s More Than Footprints Scheme, which is donating $1m to five charities (see www.tripadvisor.com/Cause)
What is the first charity you can remember supporting?
When I was 10, I handed out leaflets on saving trees. I grew up in New York in the concrete jungle, but I used to love family trips into the mountains. My parents told me how trees create your oxygen and eat your carbon dioxide, and that was a revelation.
Which cause do you feel most passionately about?
I work with several, so it is difficult for me to choose one. A special one is the Lower East Side Girls Club, a programme helping girls to avoid leaving school and child pregnancy, and to keep them off the streets and HIV-free. Another is Voto Latino, which gets young Latinos into the electoral process.
How did growing up in a squat affect your view of charity?
I recognised the tenacity of others; seeing what they could do and thinking I can do it too. I learnt about taking care of myself, viewing the situation around me and making choices. I learnt to appreciate how much strength I have, and that no matter how little you have, you can always help out. Just lick envelopes, or whatever it is, we can all help to make the machine run smoother. My mother, who had no money, used to volunteer at the hospital. So we were poor, but there was a community.
I have just bought a flat in London. Watching the news, it looks that the UK has a worse problem with poverty and crime than where I grew up. It seems that no one is willing to intervene here. That’s why the police are amazing; they’re just people underneath their uniform. But if they are not around, who is going to stop it?
Why support the More than Footprints scheme?
During these economic times, I think that a company giving a million dollars away is something to support. I also believe in their sort of ecotourism. You need to get out there and find different ideals and experiences. I hope the economic crisis doesn’t stop that. If people stop traveling to places like Haiti and Nicaragua, where people are living on a dollar a day, they’re going to have to live on 50 cents a day because we’re in a crunch.
Should celebrities use their fame for good causes?
I think people should use whatever they have. Doctors should maybe once a year donate their services for free in an impoverished region, Lawyers should do one pro bono case a year. A job shouldn’t always have a dollar tag to provide the incentive for doing it.
Source: Financial Times
This is a great interview you’ve done Rosario. Living with philanthropy gives you added confidence, and a better purpose for being alive. Just getting the feeling inside knowing that you’re doing and have done it out of your good being is all worth the while. Giving when you have nothing to give… I do it for the people that don’t expect it. Let’s all live it up. Stay strong Rosi.
man i love you Rosario Dawson..Hope Two Marry You One Day ..Cause You Catch My Eye i may be 19 but 1 day i marry you