Why create this blog?

Why did I create this blog???

I’ve created it in order to collect articles and video that exclusively chronicles and celebrates Michael's charitable work...with NO annoying advertising flashing in the periphery! I’ll also be including articles and video on how he has inspired others that have asked themselves “what more can I give?” Michael Jackson is a remarkable individual and has affected the lives of millions directly and indirectly through his music, dance, video, and his vision. The most significant part of that vision was his simple need to do his part to make this a better world. Hopefully Michael inspires you to do the same! Thank you. - Sandy

Saturday, August 21, 2010

How Did Michael Jackson Inspire Me? Prt 2


Lisa Harding - Canada (2008)

Dear Michael,

For years now I have has so much respect for the man you are and will always be. Your life has made me want to be the best I can be always. You, my friend, truly are a man of influence. I have made my life complete now by doing this work I do with love in my heart for the world and all its people – So thank you Michael from the bottom of my heart for helping me be all I can be.

Lisa Harding - Canada

Lisa Harding is not new to NGOs, she’s the cheerful and talented Canadian Activist behind Justice for Victims of Violence (JVOV).

Lisa founded JFVOV after her husband was murdered in December 1990. And seven years ago, JVOV was temporarily rested after she had a back surgery. But recently the support group took off again in full force.

JVOV’s activities include but not limited to creating seminars for youth on violent crimes and helping victims and their families.

JVOV’s mission is to get their messages across the world for as Lisa says, violence has no borders.

Lisa Harding is also a talented poet and is currently taking a course in Police Sciences.
Finally, Lisa says “I am asking all of you who read this to please help us. If you are or know someone who has been a victim of violence please contact JVOV.”

Below is a poem by Lisa for Children Africa

Children Fighting For Life
Most children do not have to fight for life
There God Given Right, to Live a Happy Life
But So Many Children Living in Africa
Are in the Fight of There Life, Simply for life
Such a Sad Sight to See
Young Faces Filled with Darkness
Where There Should be Light
Living Each Day in a Fight For Life
For the Simple Things, That So Many Children
Take for Granted, And Rightly So
Each and Every Child, Has the God Given Right
To Live a Life With Out Fear!!! Never Should They Shed a Tear
Knowing That There Basic Needs, Will Be A Given
Needs Such as Food, Clothes, Shelter, Health, Family and Friends
Sweet Dreams, of Love, Laughter and Hope
A Life With Unlimited Possibilities
A New and Exciting Adventure Everyday
Discovering New Life with in Themselves
As They Learn to Love, Laugh and Play
Skipping Stones Along The Way
Enjoying There Sounds of Laughter and Play
As They Live each New Day.! In A Fairy Tale Way
Singing and Dancing there Days Away
In There Own Special Way
This Is Each Childs, God Given Right
Will You Please Help Put An End
To Children Who Have To Fight
Every Day Just For Life Never Knowing What
There Tomorrow Will Bring
Let Us Teach Them To Love and Sing
Help Put A Sparkle In There Eyes
And A Smile On There Faces
Then We Can Thank God
And The Whole Human Race
For Making This World A Better Place
For All God’s Children And There Right To
A Safe and Happy Life
Just Help Put A Smile On One Childs Face
Then You Can Call Yourself
A Caring Member of ‘The Human Race’
Don’t Leave It Up To Someone Else
Too Put Hope for a Better Tomorrow
In The Heart of One Childs Life
This Christmas You Can Help Make A Change In One Childs Life
Your Donation Can Save A Childs Life

http://www.childrenafrica.com/

Source:
http://www.mjworld.net/features/inspired/page/4/

How Did Michael Jackson Inspire Me? Prt 1


Tinkerbell - UK (2008)

Well, where do I begin…

Coming from a childhood of abuse, I always told myself if Michael can, so can I, and the fact I’ve always been known to help others before myself.

As a young girl, if I saw someone in need I would help them.

But my first big test came in 1998 as I tried to help get people to join the Heal the World Foundation and was given the name Heal the World girl. As well as doing two 24 hour fasts to raise money for World Vision as a charity raise awareness about Africa.

From 1998 - 2001 I helped my church raise money for it charity Hope Worldwise. Helping them raise money to build children’s homes, villages, hospitals and help fund churches in India and China. As well as getting homeless people off the streets of London, by reaching out to them with food and having a good old talk.

As a veggie since the age of 13 years, I don’t like to see animals be hurt or used badly in any form, so I helped to get animal labs closed down and still trying with Huntington.

Between 1998 - 2001 I sponsored my first child living in Uganda via Plan International UK, paying £12 a month so that she could go to school, have clothes to wear and food to eat.. 2001 - Present I sponsored another child from Brazil.

I believe if I help a child poorer then myself, then someone from above will give me with what I need to survive day to day.

As a eco - warrior I think that recycling is very imported to do. Now that I have a family of my own I try to teach why it’s important to save our dying planet.

As Michael keeps saying Heal the World!

I still help out for the Britsh Heart Foundation as much as I can, when I get a day free.
As the saying goes…Heal our planet for our children’s, children and their childrens, children.

Peace!

The Tinkerbell - UK

Source:
http://www.mjworld.net/features/inspired/page/4/

One for the ages: Michael Jackson inspired humanity to believe in itself


One for the ages: Michael Jackson inspired humanity to believe in itself
June 29th, 2009 1:21 am
by Marv Dumon
Business and Finance Examiner
examiner.com

The recent and untimely passing of Michael Jackson has brought a profound sorrow and grief to many around the world. To most around the world . . .
His loss is deeply felt, by those he touched, and by those who sought to touch him.

While I aspire to be the best writer, scribe, and thinker that I can possibly be, my expressions on a virtual paper that is a computer screen is likely to fall far, far short of what Michael meant to many people in our global village. In comparison to the greatest entertainer of all time, even my open-minded imagination fails in adequate depiction.
The explanations as to why he was important and ground-breaking in social terms, for civilization, is worthy of lengthy, lengthy scrolls. College classes will be taught about him; songs will offer praise. As fans mourn, either outwardly or in their quiet and private recesses, more will yet discuss the many dimensions of this man-example: the child musical prodigy, the abusive household, the driven and dysfunctional family, the perfectionist, the racial and cultural transcendent, the father, the man, the artist.

The Uber Artist

He was the Uber, Uber Artist.

He, in his own right, was a leader. By following his own voice, calling, sense of destiny, and imagination, he ultimately lead. The masses followed. The sea of humanity in his concerts cried at the sight, sound, and awe-inspiring performance. They thundered rhythm, movements, voice inflections, subtlety that was never seen or heard or will never be seen or heard ever, by anything or anyone on this earth. It was not just a once-in-a-lifetime uniqueness. It will never be seen again, except for the poor substitute of re-runs and replays.

In the past 2 or 3 generations, from the past 30 years, perhaps only 5 other super-individuals rose to heights and moved people in similar ways that Michael Jackson did.

Pope John Paul II
Ronald Reagan
Michael Jordan
Nelson Mandela
Manny Pacquiao
(#1 boxer Filipino)


One offered spiritual freedom, religious inspiration, and defied a Communist empire - that most oppressive of systems that de-humanized people. After receiving a bullet in an assassination attempt, he forgave his would-be assassin.

One lead and inspired the United States, a superpower in a great Cold War and economic struggle. He refreshed the minds of many by advocating principles and values that were right, powerful, true, and timeless.


One exerted his physical and mental abilities to the utmost on the hardwood floor, with zeal that made him the greatest basketball player of all time. Championship after championship, MVP after MVP, he was the athlete that rose to unhampered heroism, giving hope to kids, young adults, and sports fans.

One spent several decades in a South African jail, and upon release, became the president of his people, who defeated decades of apartheid and racial injustice - a global leader. His was the greatest test of patience and purpose.


And one spent his early childhood in desperate poverty, who in impossible circumstances, became the greatest prize fighter in the world and one of the best boxers of all time. His national following is as heightened with fervor and intensity as any who has ever climbed the peak of heroics and idolatry.

Michael Jackson

With Michael Jackson, his electricity on stage defined phenomenal. He made everyone believe in the impossible, that magic was indeed part of the common standard.

He united the world by making people forget about the Cold War, nuclear weapons, of national boundaries. People were just people - fellow human beings - through his music, discovering something about themselves; exploring something about the expressions of the ether and universe.

His music gyrated our soul - and our being. His spirit transcended genres. It was undefinable, and un-utterable.


Source:
http://www.examiner.com/business-and-finance-in-national/one-for-the-ages-michael-jackson-inspired-humanity-to-believe-itself

Michael Jackson: Triumph and Tragedy


Michael Jackson: Triumph and Tragedy
Thursday, July 9, 2009
By Linda Grasse, Santa Ynez
Santa Barbara Independent.
Who.What.Now.

We all feel such a sense of loss and sorrow at the passing of such a gifted and talented artist. He blazed his own trail in dance and music with his talent withstanding the test of time. Michael just made you want to sing and dance, which was perhaps his greatest gift to us. His career and accumulated body of work are the most documented, photographed, filmed and recorded in history. In that regard he will, like Elvis before him, and Marilyn Monroe, continue to entertain us and bring joy into our world each time we watch his videos or listen to his music. He is a cultural icon. We owe him an immeasurable debt of gratitude for the joy and laughter he has brought into our lives.

His life's work as a philanthropist is exemplary and includes support for over 30 charitable organizations including the Make-a-Wish Foundation, USA for Africa, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Heal the World Foundation, Wishes Granted Organization, Boys & Girls Clubs, the DARE program, YMCA, NAACP, United Negro College Fund, and the Michael Jackson UNCF Endowed Scholarship Fund.

On behalf of these and other charities he helped raise over $300 million. In addition he has donated over $50 million of his personal fortune over the years, but even more importantly spent generously of his time visiting cancer patients and burn victims at hospitals around the world. If he learned of a child in pain or suffering whom he could help, he did. While visiting a hospital in Budapest he met a 4-year-old boy desperately needing a liver transplant. This child had been abandoned by his mother and had lived in the hospital his entire life. Touched by his plight, Michael and his wife, Lisa Marie, visited the boy for hours and then pledged funds from Heal the World Foundation to cover all expenses related to the boy's transplant.

In 1985 he co-wrote the song We are the World with Lionel Richie and helped organize an amazing collaboration of 44 artists to record the song and create the video to raise funds to feed starving children in Africa. The hit single Heal the World and later the Heal the World Tour were such successful fundraising events that it is estimated these projects alone raised in excess of $100 million for the charity USA for Africa. He was involved with Hands across America, a human chain of 7 million people extending across the continental United States. In 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records listed him as the pop star supporting the most charities. He was only 42 years old.

Michael's professional accomplishments are well documented. His philanthropic works were something for which he kept a relatively low profile. He did it from his heart because he was a kind and loving person who genuinely loved children.

He wrote Gone Too Soon for Ryan White, a pediatric AIDS patient suffering not just from a new and frightening disease but society's fear and ignorance of it. Ryan contracted the disease through tainted blood transfusions; Michael welcomed him to his home at Neverland after Ryan was banned from school.

After Michael suffered serious burns from an accident while working on a Pepsi commercial, he donated his $1.5 million insurance settlement to a burn center for children. In 1984 he visited children in the unit for burn victims at Brotman-Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles and also donated funds for a 19-bed unit at Mount Sinai New York Medical Center for leukemia and cancer research. He welcomed sick and dying children to his own home at Neverland Ranch, a fairy-tale land as depicted in the story Peter Pan. A 14-year-old boy suffering from cystic fibrosis was invited to Michael's home as the boy's dying wish. Michael spent time with terminally ill children backstage while on tour, and visited a 12-year-old who was terribly burned by his father in an act of revenge against his former wife. His willingness to help these children was heartwarming.

He created the Michael Jackson UNCF Endowed Scholarship Fund in 1985, a fund for students majoring in performance art and communication, providing money each year to students attending a UNCF member college or university. In February 1986 he heard that one of his biggest fans, a 14-year-old girl, had just undergone open heart surgery, so he called her and invited her to Neverland for dinner and a movie when she was feeling better. She was able to visit on March 8 of that year. The value of her smiles and laughter: priceless. It was simply another act of kindness by this generous man.

He supported the work of the NAACP particularly as it related to prejudice against black artists and donated many personal items for charitable auctions to raise funds for the education of children in developing countries. The proceeds from sales of the record Man in the Mirror were donated to Camp Ronald McDonald, a camp for children who suffer from cancer. In 1988 he presented a $600,000 check to the United Negro College Fund and donated tickets for three concerts in Atlanta, Georgia to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Somehow that year he found the time and energy to visit the Bambini-Gesu Children's Hospital in Rome to sign autographs and give candy to the children and donated 100,000 pounds to the hospital. He visited terminally ill children at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. While visiting a unit for less critical patients he stayed longer than usual and told the children a story. On his 30th birthday he performed a concert in Leeds, England for the charity Give for Life, to help fund the immunization of children, and presented the charity with a check for 65,000 pounds.

In 1989 he made a compassionate visit to Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, California, where a few weeks earlier a 25-year-old madman had fired at the school's playground, killing 5 children and wounding 39 others. A horrible, senseless act of violence followed by a genuine act of kindness. He also invited 200 underprivileged children from the St. Vincent Institute for handicapped children and Big Brothers/Big Sisters to the Circus Vargas in Santa Barbara and then to his home in the Santa Ynez Valley to see his private zoo. Later that year he worked with the Wishes Granted organization to help a 4-year-old boy suffering from leukemia fulfill his wish of meeting Michael, and invited the little boy to a performance of Canadian acrobats.

In support of the Childhelp organization, Michael invited 82 abused and neglected children to Neverland for a barbeque, games, and a movie in 1990. He did the same for Project Dream Street, L.A. to help children with life threatening illnesses. He also hosted an event for 130 children in the YMCA's summer program of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

Always sensitive to social issues of poverty, hunger, and homelessness he paid a visit in 1991 to the Youth Sports & Art Foundation in Los Angeles which supports families of gang members dealing with drug-abuse. He talked to the children and presented them with a wide-screen TV and a financial gift. In December his office, MJJ Productions, provided 200 turkey dinners to needy families in Los Angeles.

He spent 11 days in Africa in February, 1992 traveling over 30,000 miles to visit hospitals, orphanages, schools, churches, and institutions for mentally handicapped children. Later that year he held a press conference at New York Radio City Music Hall to announce that he was planning a new world tour to raise funds for his Heal the World Foundation. This Foundation would support the fight against AIDS, Juvenile Diabetes, Camp Ronald McDonald, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

He quietly and compassionately defrayed the funeral expenses for Ramon Sanchez, who was killed during the Los Angeles riots, and the following year announced that he would donate $1.25 million for children who had suffered as a result of the riots.

He made large donations to the poor and needy in Munich, Germany and donated tour earnings of 400,000 pounds to charities in Dublin, Ireland. He visited children at the Sophia Children's Hospital in Rotterdam, presenting them with a check for 100,000 pounds. To the delight of the children at the Queen Elizabeth Children's Hospital in London, he visited with Mickey and Minnie Mouse from Euro-Disney.

In November, 1992, Michael helped supervise the loading of 43 tons of medication, blankets and winter clothes destined for Sarajevo, a war-ravaged country where children were being targeted by snipers. His charity, Heal the World Foundation, collaborated with AmeriCares to deliver supplies and resources totaling $2.1 million to Sarajevo, to be allocated under the supervision of the United Nations. He held a press conference in Tokyo at the American Embassy and presented a check for $100,000 from Pepsi, his tour sponsor, to Heal the World Foundation.

Throughout the 1990s Micheal continued to donate his time and energy to supporting children's charities all over the world. He invested millions of dollars building a children's retreat and amusement park with rides and a zoo at Neverland in an effort to "bring people happiness and remind him of the good things in life."

He continued to support the Boys & Girls Clubs and the DARE program amongst dozens of others. He was instrumental in Pepsi-Cola International. donating new ambulances to the Contacts One Independent Living Center for Children in Moscow and the Hospital de Ninos run by Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez in Buenos Aires. Deeply affected by conditions in impoverished nations, he donated part of his History Tour earnings to the renovation of a hospital in Manila and waved his personal fee for a Bombay appearance, donating $1.1 million to a local charity to help educate children living in slums.

Exclusive photographs of his son Prince were published in British magazine OK! and the 1 million pounds paid by the magazine were donated to charity. In 1998, while at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Michael was introduced to a 5-year-old suffering from cancer. He spent the afternoon with the child and went with him to the "Star Trek: The Experience" attraction. In 1999 he presented Nelson Mandela with a check for 1,000,000 South African rand for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

Michael expressed his support for our troops in 2002 when he invited more than 200 Team Vandenberg members who had recently returned from overseas deployments, and their families, to Neverland to show his appreciation for the sacrifices of military personnel in his community. He performed at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee at the Apollo Theater in Harlem helping to raise nearly $3 million towards voter registration.

How easy to say we want to change the world. He did. And he worked hard to do it. He brought immeasurable joy to children and sought to alleviate the suffering of thousands of people all over the world. It is this fact that makes the end of the life story of this exemplary humanitarian such a tragedy.

Can one even imagine the heartache it would cause such a good person, who loved children so much, to be falsely accused of hurting a child? It is obvious this man loved children in the most honest and decent way. To label him a pedophile, when he worked so tirelessly to help children and bring joy into their lives, is an unbelievable cruelty. Of all the thousands of lives he touched in such a positive way it is appalling to realize that when the rotten few attempted to extort money from him, the police and Santa Barbara County District Attorney office not only did not protect him, but turned on him and charged him with crimes that must have been the ultimate insult and most hurtful imaginable to him crimes against children.

In November 2003, over 60 sheriff's deputies and representatives of the district attorney's office, in 19 vehicles, descended on Neverland to serve a search warrant. The allegations against Michael had been made by the most unsavory of people clearly in an attempt to extort money. These people had approached him and asked for his help. When he helped them they repaid his kindness by virtually destroying his life and reputation. I read on the Internet yesterday that one of his accusers has now recanted his story. If the others have a shred of decency they will do the same. The false charges filed against Michael Jackson are another form of the police brutality so prevalent in California today.

And here lies the tragedy. We are conditioned to believe that in this great country we are "innocent until proven guilty." The truth of the matter is you are considered guilty as soon as you are charged, you are considered guilty as soon as you are arrested, you are considered guilty as soon as you enter the jail, you are considered guilty when you go to trial, and you are guilty until you prove yourself innocent.

In Michael's case, he was innocent, and found not guilty in a court of law of 9 felony charges, yet in the brutal court of public opinion he has somehow been tried and convicted. He experienced the worst character assassination of any celebrity of our generation. He has been ridiculed and scorned. He was made a public spectacle. He was a very private person humiliated by a very public trial. He was called names in the media and by the public and even now as we mourn the loss of this incredible man, the word "molestation" appears in almost every article or story about him. What a disgrace.

For such a sensitive artist and beautiful person with a kind and gentle heart this alone might have been enough to kill him.-Linda Grasse, Santa Ynez

Source:
http://www.independent.com/news/2009/jul/09/michael-jackson-triumph-and-tragedy/

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Janet Reineck’s World Dance Workout


(Dance and a little bit of inspiration from Michael Jackson and Janet Reineck "has found a way to combine her love of dance and world cultures with her calling in humanitarian aid. She calls it World Dance Workout." Although not directly about Michael Jackson, I wanted to include this article about how art, dance in this case, and humanitarian aid can go hand in hand.)

Janet Reineck’s World Dance Workout
Dance Class Sponsors Women in Need Worldwide
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
By Elizabeth Schwyzer (Contact)

Sixteen years ago in Rwanda, there wasn’t much dancing going on. Over the course of 100 days, 800,000 people had been murdered, and half a million women raped. Many of the survivors of the genocide were women, and in July 1994 they struggled to even imagine how they might rebuild their lives.

That same year, roused by a sense of urgency and a duty to make a difference in the world, anthropologist and world dance scholar Janet Reineck moved from California to Kosovo. While her young son Jeremy attended school, she worked in rural development for Oxfam and learned everything she could about Balkan folk dance. It was a tense time in the region, and in 1997, Reineck and her young son were forced to leave the country before war broke out. They landed in Santa Barbara, where Reineck’s passion for social justice work led her to a job with Direct Relief International. Yet something in her was not fully satisfied that she was improving the lives of people affected by war—especially women. More than a decade later, Reineck has found a way to combine her love of dance and world cultures with her calling in humanitarian aid. She calls it World Dance Workout.

On Monday night last week, I stood with 12 other women and one young man in the spacious front studio of the Santa Barbara Dance Center. Our reflection in the wall-to-wall mirrors revealed a motley crew, ranging from early twenties to late sixties, from slender to full-bodied. Some of us wore tennis shoes; others padded across the polished floorboards in bare feet. In an electric turquoise tank top, her blond hair pulled into a girlish ponytail, 55-year-old Reineck strode to the front of the room, welcomed everyone to World Dance Workout, and called for a round of introductions. “There are some classes where it’s hard to break in if you’re new,” she told the first-timers. “It’s not like that here.”

This class, Reineck went on to explain, was about having fun, working up a sweat, and learning dances from around the world in a safe environment where nobody cared whether you got the moves “right.” This class was about building community, and not just inside the studio. Reineck keeps her fee low—at $10, it’s one of the most affordable dance classes in town—and once she’s paid for the studio rental, she dedicates the rest of her earnings to women in post-war societies. So far, World Dance Workout is sponsoring four women through Women for Women International: Debora Yal Madiu in Sudan, Zakira Mihaljevic in Bosnia, Josephine Nyirantirenganya in Rwanda, and Judith Ifesinachi Eje in Nigeria. Each sponsorship represents a commitment of $27 per month for one year. The recipients receive part of that monthly donation in cash, while the rest goes to services that directly benefit her, from job training to trauma counseling.

Introduction finished, Reineck put on the first track, and Michael’s Jackson’s voice soared from the sound system. “It don’t matter if you’re black or white,” he crooned. At the front of the room, Reineck took a wide stance, bending and straightening her legs and circling her shoulders up and back. Soon, everyone in the room was following suit, swaying side to side with arms swinging, then weaving right and left in a fast-paced grapevine, then bopping up and down like prancing ponies. Next came a salsa number, followed by an Irish step dance (“It’s Riverdance!” Reineck cried), and then an Albanian circle dance that included improvisation. With each new dance came laughter—not self-conscious giggling, but the kind of head-thrown-back laughter that arises from pure pleasure. From the beginners to the most loyal students, everyone was having a blast.

Santa Barbara Dance Center owner David Alvarez sees that enthusiasm. He has been so inspired by Reineck’s vision and by the success of her class that he’s planning to start his own sponsorship through Women for Women, and encourages other instructors to do the same. “The people coming to her class are so excited because they’re doing more than paying for a dance class; they’re changing women’s lives,” he said. “I think it’s wonderful.” Social science researcher Cindy Iliff, who’s been taking Reineck’s class since it started in March, said knowing her $10 is going to a woman in need transforms her experience of working out. “This is so much more than a dance class,” she said. “We’re giving back to women.” Relative newcomer Sheryl Troy echoed Iliff’s sentiment. “There are so many dance classes to choose from in Santa Barbara,” she noted. “This class is not just about moving your body; it’s more global, because there are these women we are supporting in other countries in the world, and that means a lot.”

The day after class, I went online to learn more about Women for Women. On their Web site, I discovered a short film documenting the impact of the nonprofit’s work in post-war Rwanda. At the end of the film there’s footage of Rwandan women gathering in the fields they’ve learned to farm, thanks to the support of Women for Women. In bright patterned dresses and bare feet, they weave through rows of crops, singing and dancing.

Source:
http://www.independent.com/news/2010/aug/11/janet-reinecks-world-dance-workout/

Michael Jackson - A True Humanitarian


Calerami January 18, 2008 YouTube.com

"You can find a detailed list of most of Michael Jackson's charity work here

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14283749/Michael-Jacksons-Humanitarian-Efforts-19792003

I made this video to show people just how much Michael Jackson has done for others all over the planet. He visits childrens hospitals and orphanages all over the world, spending thousands of dollars on toys for the sick in an effort to show these children that someone out there does, indeed, care. He has donated millions of dollars to charity and has helped raise millions more. He has opened his home to thousands upon thousands of underprivileged and terminally ill children. Michael Jackson is a true humanitarian, and I feel it is time, for us to acknowledge his generosity.

I hope you like it..."


Saturday, August 14, 2010

Smile - Light Up The World With Hope


Sung by Michael Jackson
Words by Charlie Chaplin

Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by...

If you smile


With your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll find that life is still worthwhile if you'll just...
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you'll just...
Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by...

If you smile

Through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you'll just Smile...

That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying
You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you'll just Smile

Planet Earth - Seeing The Bigger Picture

Planet Earth
Spoken Word Poem by Michael Jackson

Planet Earth, my home, my place
A capricious anomaly in the sea of space

Planet Earth are you just
Floating by, a cloud of dust
A minor globe, about to bust
A piece of metal bound to rust

A speck of matter in a mindless void
A lonely spaceship, a large asteroid
.
****
Cold as a rock without a hue
Held together with a bit of glue
Something tells me this isn't true
You are my sweetheart soft and blue

Do you care, have you a part
In the deepest emotions of my own heart

Tender with breezes caressing and whole
Alive with music, haunting my soul.

In my veins I've felt the mystery
Of corridors of time, books of history

Life songs of ages throbbing in my blood
Have danced to the rhythm of the tide and flood

Your misty clouds, your electric storm
Were turbulent tempests in my own form

I've licked the salt, the bitter, the sweet
Of every encounter, of passion, of heat

Your riotous color, your fragrance, your taste
Have thrilled my senses beyond all haste
.
****
In your beauty, I've known the how
Of timeless bliss, this moment of now
.
Planet Earth are you just
Floating by, a cloud of dust
A minor globe, about to bust
A piece of metal bound to rust

A speck of matter in a mindless void
A lonely spaceship, a large asteroid

Cold as a rock without a hue
Held together with a bit of glue
Something tells me this isn't true
You are my sweetheart gentle and blue

Do you care, have you a part
In the deepest emotions of my own heart

Tender with breezes caressing and whole
Alive with music, haunting my soul.

Planet Earth, gentle and blue
With all my heart, I love you.

Be the Man/Woman In The Mirror - Make The Change!

.
By Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar
On My Favourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See Their Needs

A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere To Go
That's Why I Want You To Know

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself,
And Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change)
(Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na, Na Nah)

I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No Home,
Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
(Washed-Out Dream)
They Follow The Pattern Of
The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With Me
(Starting With Me!)

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
(Ooh!)
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself
And Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself
And Then Make A Change)

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
(Change His Ways-Ooh!)
And No Message Could've Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself
And Then Make That . . .
(Take A Look At Yourself
And Then Make That . . .)
Change!

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror,
(Man In The Mirror-Oh Yeah!)
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
(Better Change!)
No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
(If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place)
(Take A Look At Yourself
And Then Make The Change)
(You Gotta Get It Right,
While You Got The Time)
('Cause When You Close Your Heart)

You Can't Close Your . . .Your Mind!
(Then You Close Your . . .Mind!)
That Man, That Man, That Man, That Man
With That Man In The Mirror
(Man In The Mirror, Oh Yeah!)
That Man, That Man, That Man
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
(Better Change!)
You Know . . .That Man
No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself
And Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself
And Then Make A Change)
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na, Na Nah
(Oh Yeah!)
Gonna Feel Real Good Now!
Yeah Yeah! Yeah Yeah! Yeah Yeah!
Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na, Na Nah
(Ooooh . . .)
Oh No, No No . . .
I'm Gonna Make A Change
It's Gonna Feel Real Good!
Come On!
(Change . . .)
Just Lift Yourself
You Know
You've Got To Stop It.
Yourself!
(Yeah!-Make That Change!)
I've Got To Make That Change,
Today!
Hoo!
(Man In The Mirror)
You Got To
You Got To Not Let Yourself . . .
Brother . . .
Hoo!
(Yeah!-Make That Change!)
You Know-I've Got To Get
That Man, That Man . . .
(Man In The Mirror)
You've Got To
You've Got To Move! Come
On! Come On!
You Got To . . .
Stand Up! Stand Up!
Stand Up!
(Yeah-Make That Change)
Stand Up And Lift
Yourself, Now!
(Man In The Mirror)
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Aaow!
(Yeah-Make That Change)
Gonna Make That Change . . .
Come On!
(Man In The Mirror)
You Know It!
You Know It!
You Know It!
You Know . . .
(Change . . .)

Make That Change.

Michael Jackson's Charity Legacy


Look To The Stars
The World of Celebrity Giving

Michael Jackson's Charity Legacy

June 29, 2009 by Tim Saunders

Michael Jackson, who passed away last week, featured significantly on the pages of Look To The Stars. He was a passionate supporter of charity, and was honored by many different organizations for the work that he did and the compassion that he showed.

As well as writing We Are The World with Lionel Richie and helping to organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert in the wake of September 11, Jackson also donated the proceeds from a song to victims of Hurricane Katrina, often donated items to charity auctions, and was to donate some of the proceeds from his upcoming shows in London to charity. He set up a burns unit for children and also established the Heal The World Foundation, whose work has included airlifting 6 tons of supplies to Sarajevo, instituting drug and alcohol abuse education and donating millions of dollars to less fortunate children.

But this is only the tip of the iceberg. A comprehensive timeline of the late singer’s charitable work has been published by Jackson Action. The list includes his work with underprivileged children and children affected by disasters, visits to hospitals, and work with organizations such as the Jane Goodall Institute, the TJ Martell Foundation, the United Negro College Fund, the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children, the Prince's Trust, the Great Ormond Street Hospital, Childhelp USA, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Boys' and Girls' Clubs of America, Children's Defense Fund, Elizabeth Taylor’s AIDS Foundation and many more. It also details Jackson’s efforts to airlift 60,000 doses of children’s vaccines to Tblisi, Georgia, and his donations to hundreds of charities. To view the timeline, click here.

The charity world has lost a valuable supporter, and Look To The Stars extends our best wishes to Michael Jackson’s family, friends and fans.

Read more:
http://www.looktothestars.org/news/2729-michael-jacksons-charity-legacy#ixzz0wchV6Z8s

Above article source:
http://www.looktothestars.org/news/2729-michael-jacksons-charity-legacy

Michael Jackson's Charity Work, Events and Causes


Look To The Stars
The World Of Celebrity Giving

Michael Jackson's Charity Work, Events and Causes

Charity biography

Michael Jackson wrote “We Are The World” with Lionel Richie in 1985 and performed it as part of an all-star single to raise money for Africa in 1985.

The Millennium-Issue of the “Guinness Book Of Records” names Michael as the “Pop Star who supports the most charity organizations”, according to JacksonAction.com, which has an extensive timeline of Jackson’s charity work.

In 1984, Jackson equiped a 19-bed-unit at Mount Senai New York Medical Center. This center is part of the T.J. Martell-Foundation for leukemia and cancer research. Later in the year, he visited the Brotman Memorial Hospital, where he had been treated when he was burned very badly during the producing of a Pepsi commercial. He donated all the money he received from Pepsi, $1.5 million, to the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children.

In 1986, he set up the “Michael Jackson United Negro College Fund Endowed Scholarship Fund”. This $1.5 million fund is aimed towards students majoring in performance art and communications, with money given each year to students attending a UNCF member college or university.

He donated the proceeds from the sales of The Man In The Mirror to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, a camp for children who suffer from cancer.

Jackson donated tickets to shows in is 1989 Bad Tour to underprivileged children. The proceeds from one of his shows in Los Angeles were donated to Childhelp USA, the biggest charity-organization against child-abuse. Childhelp of Southern California then established the “Michael Jackson International Institute for Research On Child Abuse”.

In 1992, he established the Heal The World Foundation, whose work has included airlifting 6 tons of supplies to Sarajevo, instituting drug and alcohol abuse education and donating millions of dollars to less fortunate children.Read more: http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/113-michael-jackson#ixzz0wcfLV1xD

Causes supported
Abuse, AIDS, Animals, At-Risk/Disadvantaged Youths, Cancer, Children, Education, Environment, Family/Parent Support, Health, Hunger, Mental Challenges, Philanthropy, Physical Challenges

Read more:
http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/113-michael-jackson#ixzz0wcfibebn

Charities & foundations supported (18)
Michael Jackson has supported the following charities:


AIDS Project Los Angeles
American Cancer Society
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Boys' and Girls' Clubs of America
Childhelp USA
Children's Defense Fund
Cure4Lupus
Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation
End Hunger Network
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Jane Goodall Institute
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Prince's Trust
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Starlight Children's Foundation
TJ Martell Foundation
United Negro College Fund


Read more:
http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/113-michael-jackson#ixzz0wcfm9TgA


Above article source:
http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/113-michael-jackson

Thank You Michael Jackson for Your Life Long Charity Work


(I've including this article from Margaret Davidson that lists many of Michael's charitable contributions over the years with out the annoying advertising that comes with most web pages.)

Thank You Michael Jackson for Your Life Long Charity Work

Published July 16, 2009 by:
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Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009. He was known as the undisputed King of Pop. His musical legacy was profound. In many of his songs, he sang about acceptance. The most notable was " Black or White", "Man In The Mirror" as well as "They Don't Care About Us". Michael Jackson wrote "Gone Too Soon" in honor of pediatric AIDS victim Ryan White. He also did a lot of work with charities. And many of these charities help special needs children.

The following is a list of charities he pubilicly helped in his life that was taken from AllMichaelJackson.com:

AIDS Project L.A.
American Cancer Society
Angel Food
Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles
BMI Foundation, Inc.
Brotherhood Crusade
Brothman Burn Center
Camp Ronald McDonald
Childhelp U.S.A.
Children's Institute International
Cities and Schools Scholarship Fund
Community Youth Sports & Arts Foundation
Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)
Dakar Foundation
Dreamstreet Kids
Dreams Come True Charity
Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
Love Match
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Minority Aids Project
Motown Museum
NAACP
National Rainbow Coalition
Rotary Club of Australia
Society of Singers
Starlight Foundation
The Carter Center's Atlanta Project
The Sickle Cell Research Foundation
Transafrica
United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
United Negro College Fund Ladder's of Hope
Volunteers of America
Watts Summer Festival
Wish Granting
YMCA - 28th Street/Crenshaw

Thank You Michael Jackson for your musical influence and for the work you have done helping special needs, at risk, and sick children across the world. The world will always remember your music. You truly will be missed. Rest In Peace.

Update:
This list is from Jackson Action and it is a chronology of all of his charitable contributions:

January 10, 1984: Michael visits the unit for burn victims at Brotman-Memorial Hospital in Los

Angeles.April 9, 1984: David Smithee, a 14-year-old boy who suffers from cystic fibroses is invited to Michael's home. It was David's last wish to meet Michael. He dies 7 weeks later.

July 5, 1984: During the Jackson's press conference at Tavern On The Green, Michael announces that his part of the earnings from the Victory Tour will be donated to three charitable organizations: The United Negro College Fund, Camp Good Times, and the T.J. Martell-Foundation.

July 14, 1984: After the first concert of the Victory Tour, Michael meets 8 terminally ill children backstage.

December 13, 1984: Michael visits the Brotman Memorial Hospital, where he had been treated when he was burned very badly during the producing of a Pepsi commercial. He donates all the money he receives from Pepsi, $1.5 million, to the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children.

January 28, 1985: Michael and 44 other artists meet to record "We Are The World", written by Michael and Lionel Ritchie. The proceeds of this record are donated to the starving people in Africa.

1986: Michael set up the "Michael Jackson UNCF Endowed Scholarship Fund". This $1.5 million fund is aimed towards students majoring in performance art and communications, with money given each year to students attending a UNCF member college or university.

February 28, 1986: After having had a heart-transplant, 14-year-old Donna Ashlock from California gets a call from Michael Jackson. He had heard that she is a big fan of his. Michael invites her to his home as soon as she is feeling better. This visit takes place on March 8th. Donna stays for dinner and watches a movie together with Michael.

September 13, 1987: Michael supports a campaign against racism. He supports efforts of the NAACP, to fight prejudices against black artists.

October 1987: At the end of his Bad Tour, Michael donates some personal items to the UNESCO for a charitable auction. The proceeds will be for the education of children in developing countries.

February 1, 1988: The Song "Man In the Mirror" enters the charts. The proceeds from the sales of this record goes to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, a camp for children who suffer from cancer.

March 1, 1988: At a press conference held by his sponsor Pepsi, Michael presents a $600,000 check to the United Negro College Fund.

April 1988: Free tickets are given away for three concerts in Atlanta, Georgia to the Make A Wish Foundation.

May 22, 1988: Michael visits children who suffer from cancer in the Bambini-Gesu Children's Hospital in Rome. He signs autographs and gives away sweets and records to the little patients. He promises a check of 100,000 pounds to the hospital.

July 16, 1988: Before a concert at Wembley Stadium Michael meets the Prince of Wales and his wife Diana. He hands over a check of 150,000 pounds for the Prince's Trust, and a check of 100,000 pounds for the children's hospital at Great Ormond Street.

July 20, 1988: Michael visits terminally ill children at Great Ormond Street Hospital. At a unit for less critical patients he stays a little bit longer and tells a story.

August 29, 1988: At his 30th birthday Michael performs a concert in Leeds, England for the English charity-organization "Give For Life". The goal of this organization is the immunization of children. Michael presents a check for 65,000 pounds.

December 1988: Michael visits 12-year-old David Rothenburg. His father had 5 years earlier burned him very badly in an act of revenge against his former wife.

January 1989: The proceeds of one of Michael's shows in Los Angeles are donated to Childhelp USA, the biggest charity-organization against child-abuse. In appreciation of the contributions of Michael, Childhelp of Southern California is founding the "Michael Jackson International Institute for Research On Child Abuse".

January 10, 1989: The Bad Tour comes to an end. Under-privileged children are donated tickets for each concert and Michael donates money to hospitals, orphanages and charity-organizations.

February 7, 1989: Michael visits the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, California. Some weeks earlier a 25-year-old man had fired at the school's playground. 5 children had been killed and 39 had been wounded.

March 5, 1989: Michael invites 200 deprived children of the St. Vincent Institute for handicapped children and of the organization Big Brothers and Big Sisters to the Circus Vargas in Santa Barbara. After this event he invites them to his ranch to introduce his private zoo at his Neverland Ranch to them.

November 13, 1989: The organization "Wishes Granted" helps 4-year-old Darian Pagan, who suffers from leukemia to meet Michael. Michael invites the little boy to a performance of Canadian acrobats.

December 28, 1989: Young Ryan White, who suffers from hemophilia, spends his holidays on Michael's ranch. Ryan had been infected with AIDS by contaminated blood transfusions in 1984. After he was excluded from his school in Kokomo, Ryan fought against the discrimination of AIDS victims.

January 6, 1990: Michael invites 82 abused and neglected children through Childhelp to his Neverland Ranch. There are games, a Barbeque and a movie show provided for them.

July 1990: 45 children from the Project Dream Street, Los Angeles, for children with life-threatening illness are invited to Neverland Valley.

August 18, 1990: Michael invites 130 children of the YMCA summer program of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara to his Neverland Ranch.

May 6, 1991: Michael is invited to the Jane Goodall Charity event. Michael supports her, an advocate of behavioral research concerning chimpanzees in Gombe, Nigeria for more than 30 years.

July 26, 1991: Michael pays a visit to the Youth Sports & Art Foundation in Los Angeles. This Foundation supports families of gang members, and helps dealing with drug-abuse. Michael talks to the kids and presents them with a wide-screen TV set and a financial gift.

December 1991: Michael's office MJJ Productions treats needy families in Los Angeles with more than 200 turkey dinners.

February 1992: Within 11 days Michael covers 30,000 miles in Africa, to visit hospitals, orphanages, schools, churches, and institutions for mentally handicapped children.

February 3, 1992: At a press conference at the New York Radio City Music Hall, Michael announces that he is planning a new world tour, to raise funds for his new "Heal The World" Foundation. This Foundation will support the fight against AIDS, Juvenile Diabetes and will support the Camp Ronald McDonald and the Make A Wish Foundation.

May 6, 1992: Michael defrays the funeral-expenses for Ramon Sanchez, who was killed during the Los Angeles riots.

June 23, 1992: At a press conference in London, Michael makes an announcement about his Heal The World Foundation.

June 26, 1992: Michael presents the Mayor of Munich, Mr. Kronawitter, with a 40,000 DM-check for the needy people of the city.

June 29, 1992: Michael visits the Sophia Children's Hospital in Rotterdam and presents a check for 100,000 pounds.

July 1992: Michael donated L. 821,477,296 to La Partita del Cuore (The Heart Match) in Rome and donated 120,000 DM to children's charities in Estonia and Latvia.

July 25, 1992: On the occasion of a concert in Dublin, Ireland, Michael announces that he will give 400,000 pounds of the tour earnings to various charities.

July 29, 1992: Michael visits the Queen Elizabeth Children's Hospital in London. To the surprise the children, he brings Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Euro-Disney to the hospital.

July 31, 1992: On the Eve of his second concert at Wembley Stadium, Michael presents Prince Charles with a check of 200,000 pounds for the Prince's Trust.

August 16, 1992: 6 year old Nicholas Killen, who lost his eyesight caused by a life aiding cancer surgery, meets Michael backstage in Leeds, England.

September 1992: Michael donated 1 million pesetas to charity headed by the Queen of Spain.

September 30, 1992: President Iliescu of Romania inaugurates a playground for 500 orphans which Michael has financed. Michael discusses his Heal The World Foundation.

October 1, 1992: Michael chooses a concert in Bucharest, Romania for worldwide television broadcast. Bucharest is a logical choice due to the numerous orphanages the country is known for.

November 24, 1992: At Kennedy Airport in New York, Michael supervises the loading of 43 tons of medication, blankets, and winter clothes destined for Sarajevo. The Heal The World Foundation collaborates with AmeriCares to bring resources totaling $2.1 million to Sarajevo. They will be allocated under the supervision of the United Nations.

December 10, 1992: During a press conference at the American Ambassy in Tokyo Michael is presented with a check for $100,000 for the Heal The World Foundation by Tour Sponsor Pepsi.
December 26, 1992: During a broadcast request for donations to the United Negro College Fund, Michael declares: "Black Colleges and Universities are breeding some of the leading personalities of our time. They are on top in business, justice, science and technologies, politics and religion. I am proud, that the Michael Jackson Scholarship Program enabled more than 200 young men and women to get a qualified education."

January 19, 1993: Michael is one of the stars to perform at the Presidential Inauguration of Bill Clinton. Before he sings "Gone Too Soon" he draws the attention to the plights of the victims of AIDS and mentions his friend Ryan White.

January 26, 1993: At a press conference held at Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, Michael is presented with a $200,000 donation from the National Football League and the Sponsors of the Super Bowl. He gets another $500,000 from the BEST Foundation for his Heal The World Foundation. At this occasion the foundation of "Heal L.A." is officially announced.
February 1993: In association with Sega, launched an initiative to distribute more than $108,000 of computer games and equipment to children's hospitals, children's homes, and children's charities throughout the U.K.

March 1993: The foundation of an independent film company is announced. They will produce family-oriented movies. A part of the earnings will go to the Heal The World Foundation.

March 27, 1993: At a meeting at Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, Michael gives a 5-minute speech to 1200 teachers and politicians.

April 26, 1993: Within his "Heal LA" tour, Michael visits the Watta Health Foundation, and two schools in Los Angeles South Central.

May 5, 1993: Former President Jimmy Carter and Michael, who are chairmen of the "Heal Our Children/Heal The World" initiative, are in Atlanta to promote their "Atlanta Project Immunization Drive".

June 1993: Michael has announced that he will donate $1.25 million for children who have suffered from the riots in Los Angeles.

June 1993: 100 children from the Challengers Boys and Girls Club visit Neverland.

June 10, 1993: Michael promotes the new DARE-program. The purpose of the program is to inform children about the dangers of drug abuse.

June 18, 1993: Michael pays a visit to a hospital in Washington. He spends several hours with the young patients and plays chess with some of them.

August 1993: With Pepsi-Cola Thailand, donated $40,000 to Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's charity, the Rural School Children and Youth Development Fund, in support of school lunch programs in rural villages in Thailand.

August 1993: In conjunction with Pepsi-Cola International, donated new ambulances to the Contacts One Independent Living Center for Children in Moscow, Russia and the Hospital de Ninos Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

October 1993: Donated $100,000 to the Children's Defense Fund, the Children's Diabetes Foundation, the Atlanta Project, and the Boys and Girl Clubs of Newark, New Jersey.

October 22, 1993: Michael visits a hospital in Santiago.

October 28, 1993: Michael makes it possible for 5000 underprivileged children to visit the Reino Aventura Park, where the whale Keiko ("Free Willy") is living.

November 5, 1993: Michael is guest at a children's party at the Hard Rock Cafe in Mexico City.

December 1993: With the Gorbachev Foundation, airlifted 60,000 doses of children's vaccines to Tblisi, Georgia.

December 16, 1993: The Heal The World Foundation UK supports "Operation Christmas Child" delivering toys, sweets, gifts and food to children in former Yugoslavia.

1994: Michael donates $500,000 to Elizabeth Taylor's AIDS Foundation.

January 7, 1994: On the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Michael gives a party for more than 100 underprivileged children at his Neverland Ranch.

February 22, 1994: "The Jackson Family Honors" is televised. The earnings of the show are given to their own newly formed charity, "Family Caring for Families".

August 6, 1994: Michael and his wife Lisa Marie are visiting two children's hospitals in Budapest. They distribute toys to the ill children.

1995: Michael wants to free dolphins who have been locked up for years. He believes there should be legal guidelines about the way dolphins have to live in zoos and parks.

March 1995: Little Bela Farkas received a new liver. Michael and Lisa Marie met this 4-year-old boy during their trip to Hungary in 1994. Michael did everything to help Bela, whose only chance to live was getting a new liver. The Heal The World Foundation covered the surgery and the cost for caring.

June 21, 1996: Michael donated a four-times platinum disc of "HIStory" in aid of the Dunblane appeal at the Royal Oak Hotel, Sevenoaks in England.

July 18, 1996: In Soweto, South Africa Michael is laying down a wreath of flowers for youngsters who have been killed during the fights involving Apartheid.

September 1996: The first Sports Festival "Hope" was held for orphans and disadvantaged children. 3000 children and 600 volunteers took part in the Sports Festival and Michael Jackson was a special guest.

September 6, 1996: Michael visits the children's unit of a hospital in Prague.

October 1996: Michael visited a hospital for mentally challenged children in Kaoshiung, Taiwan and offered 2,000 free tickets to the sold out performance in Kaoshiung.

October 1, 1996: Michael donated the proceeds of his Tunisia concert to "The National Solidarity Fund", a charity dedicated to fighting poverty.

October 3, 1996: Michael visits a children's hospital and brings small gifts for the patients during a HIStory tour visit in Amsterdam. A room in the hospital (for parents who want to be with their children) is named after Michael.

November 1, 1996: Michael donates most of the earnings from a HIStory concert in Bombay, India to the poor people of the country.

November 7, 1996: Before his first concert in Auckland, New Zealand, Michael fulfills the wish of little Emely Smith, who is suffering from cancer, who wants to meet Michael.

November 25, 1996: Michael visited the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, delivering toys, signing autographs, and visiting with children.

December 9, 1996: During a HIStory tour visit in Manila, Michael visits a children's hospital. He announces that a part of his concert earnings will be donated to the renovation of the hospital.

January 25, 1997: Michael waved his personal fee for his Bombay appearance and donated $1.1 million to a local charity helping to educate children living in slums.

April 4, 1997: British magazine "OK!" is publishing exclusive photos of Michael's son Prince. The magazine pays about 1 million pounds for the photos. Michael donates the money to charity.
June 18, 1997: Michael signed the "Children in Need" book auctioned by the charity UNESCO.

September 1998: Michael meets 5 year old Aza Woods, who suffers from cancer, at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. Michael introduces Aza to the attraction "Star Trek: The Experience" and spends the rest of the afternoon with the little boy. Finally Michael invites Aza to spend some time with him at his Neverland Ranch.

November 16, 1998: Michael arrives in Harare, Zimbabwe. He is a member of the American Delegation invited by the Minister of Defense. The delegation thanks the government of Zimbabwe for helping to keep the peace in this area.

September 4, 1999: Michael presented Nelson Mandela with a check for 1,000,000 South African rand for the "Nelson Mandela Children's Fund."

January 22, 2000: During Christmas last year a violent storm ravaged the park of the Chateau de Versailles and destroyed 10,000 trees in the park. The estimated cost for rebuilding the park is around $20 million. Some celebrities are supporting the restoration of the park. French officials are reporting that Michael Jackson is one of them. He was one of the first people to donate money to this cause.

October 28, 2000: Michael painted a plate to be auctioned for the "Carousel of Hope Ball" benefiting childhood diabetes research.

March 6, 2001: Michael donated a black hat, a birthday phone-call and a jacket worn at the Monaco Music Awards in 2000 to the Movie Action for Children auction, an event being given by UNICEF with all proceeds will going to UNICEF's efforts to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission in Africa.

March 26, 2001: Michael handed out books to young people at a Newark, NJ theater. The event, which helped to launch the Michael Jackson International Book Club, part of his new Heal the Kids charity, aims to promote childhood reading and encourage parents to return to reading bedtime stories.

September 15, 2002: Michael donated 16 exclusively autographed items consisting of CD's, videos and 2 cotton napkins to aid in the support of the victims of a severe flood in Germany. These items were auctioned off for charity and managed to raise 3935 Euro (US$ 3,814).

October 12, 2002: Michael Jackson invited more than 200 Team Vandenberg members, who recently returned from overseas deployments, and their families to his Neverland Ranch. This was to show his appreciation for the sacrifices the military in his community make.

November 19-29, 2002: Michael donated an autographed teddy bear dressed in his likeness to Siegfried & Roy's celebrity teddy bear auction. This auction benefits Opportunity Village which is a non-profit organization based in Las Vegas (USA) that enhances the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. Michael's autographed teddy bear raised $5,000 for the charity.

November 21, 2002: Michael donated a jacket to the The Bambi Charity Event in Berlin which raised $16,000.

April 25, 2002: Michael Jackson performed at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee at the Apollo Theater in Harlem helping to raise nearly $3 million dollars towards voter registration.

June 2003: The Wolf family, who experienced serious damages to their belongings during the flood in Saxony, Germany last August, was invited to Berlin by Michael Jackson when he was at the Bambi Awards. On that occasion Michael invited them to Neverland. In June, they spent three days at Neverland, meeting Michael and his children.

Charity Awards

May 14, 1984: At a ceremony in the White House President Reagan presents Michael an award for special efforts; he is honored for his participation in a national ad campaign against drunk driving.

January 1989: The "Say Yes To A Youngsters Future" program honors Michael in recognition of his efforts to encourage children to natural sciences and award him with the "National Urban Coalition Artist/Humanitarian Of The Year Award".

March 1989: At the Universal Amphitheater in Universal City, California, Michael receives the Black Radio Special Award for his humanitarian efforts.

September 22, 1989: The Capital Children's Museum awards Michael with the Best Of Washington 1989 Humanitarian Award in recognition of his efforts to raise money for the museum, and for his never-ending support of children.

February 3, 1990: From Japan Michael receives a Role Model Award.

April 5, 1990: During a ceremony, where Michael is awarded as "Entertainer Of The Decade", Michael meets President George Bush, who honors him with the "Point Of Light" award. Michael receives this award for his philanthropic activities. President Bush explains Michael's humanitarian commitments to the press.

September 14, 1990: The Council of the American Scouts honors Michael with the first "Good Scout Humanitarian Award". Michael receives this award for his humanitarian activities by supporting the Make A Wish Foundation, the Prince's Trust, the United Negro College Fund and Childhelp USA.

October 23, 1990: Michael Jackson and Elton John will be the first recipients of the award in memory of Ryan White, which will be handed over in 1991.

May 1, 1992: President George Bush presents Michael with the "Point of Light" award for his continuing support of deprived children. During his stay, Michael visits little Raynal Pope, who had been injured very badly by dogs.

June 3, 1992: The organization "One To One", who is caring for better living conditions of young people, honors Michael with an award for his commitment to deprived youngsters.

July 1993: The American Friends of Hebrew University honors Michael with the Scopus Award 1993.

August 1993: The Jack The Rapper Awards are presented and Michael is honored with the "Our Children, Our Hope Of Tomorrow" award.

November 17, 1993: Michael rejects the Scopus Award. He was nominated for this award, which was planned to be given him on January 29th, 1994.

April 12, 1994: On occasion of the 2nd Children's Choice Award ceremony at Cit Center in New York, Michael is presented with the "Caring For Kids" award. This award is to honor celebrities, who take time for young people. 100,000 children and young people from 8 to 18 years old gave Michael their vote of confidence. The Children's Choice Awards are sponsored by Body Sculpt, a charity organization, that offers drug-prevention programs for young people.

November 2, 1995: Michael receives the award "Diamont of Africa".

March, 30, 1996: The Ark Trust-Foundation, who wants to draw the attention of the public eye on animal's problems, presents the 10th Genesis Award. Michael is presented with the 1995 Doris Day Award. He gets this award for the "Earth Song" video, which draws attention to the plight of the animals.

May 1, 1999: At the Bollywood awards in New York, Michael is presented with an award for his humanitarian activities. The award is signed: "Though he comes from the young American tradition, Michael is the embodiment of an old indian soul. His actions are an expression of the philosophy of Weda, which asked to work for the people - not for one's own interests."

Organizations

The Millennium-Issue of the "Guinness Book Of Records" names Michael as the Pop Star who supports the most charity organizations. The following projects are supported by Michael Jackson:

AIDS Project L.A.
American Cancer Society
Angel Food
Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles
BMI Foundation
Brotherhood Crusade
Brothman Burn Center
Camp Ronald McDonald
Childhelp U.S.A.
Children's Institute International
Cities and Schools Scholarship Fund
Community Youth Sports & Arts Foundation
Congressional Black Caucus
Dakar Foundation
Dreamstreet Kids
Dreams Come True Charity
Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation
Heal The World Foundation
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
Love Match
Make A Wish Foundation
Minority Aids Project
Motown Museum
NAACP
National Rainbow Coalition
Rotary Club of Australia
Society of Singers
Starlight Foundation
The Carter Center's Atlanta Project
The Sickle Cell Research Foundation
Transafrica
United Negro College Fund
United Negro College Fund Ladder's of Hope
Volunteers of America
Watts Summer Festival
Wish Granting

YMCA - 28th Street/CrenshawBig Brothers/Big Sisters of America

This is the oldest mentoring organization serving youth in the USA.BBBSA has provided one-to-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers and children at risk since 1904. BBBSA currently serves over 100,000 children and youth in more than 500 agencies throughout all of the United States.

BMI Foundation

From jazz to musical theater, from music education for gifted youngsters to support for the work of accomplished concert music composers, the BMI Foundation seeks out the best and most promising of today's and tomorrow's musical creators and offers a platform of support that fosters their growth and ensures the continuation of the heritage of American musical ingenuity for generations to come.

Childhelp USA

Childhelp USA is dedicated to meeting the physical, emotional, educational, und spiritual needs of abused and neglected children focusing efforts and resources upon treatment, prevention.

Children's Institute International

This is a private, non-profit organization specializing in the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect.Over the past 90 years, CII has evolved from a shelter for single mothers and their babies to an internationally recognized model of comprehensive care and assistance for at-risk children and their families.CII assistance includes child and family assessment supported by 24-hour emergency residential shelter care, family treatment services, therapeutic day care, child health clinic, long-term foster family care, and substance abuse treatment and prevention services.

Make A Wish Foundation fulfills the favorite wish of any child between the age of 2 ½ and 18 who has a diagnosed life-threatening illness.

Camp Ronald McDonald

Camp for children with cancer.

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What More Can I Give? - An Example of Selfless Giving


Michael Jackson is in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the most generous entertainer of all time during his lifetime. He has been credited with giving away over $300 million from his own fortune over a period of 25+ years supporting as many as 39 charities during the height of his career.
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Despite his monumental contributions, the media continues to report on the primarily fabricated and negative tabloid generated stories that had hounded Michael Jackson for most of his short life. Lies that all but obscured the amazing and beautiful things he did in order to do his part to make this a better world. THIS is the story that was constantly being missed.
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To Michael's credit, his commitment to helping the less fortunate was a calling AS important if not more so than his vocation and art. He didn't make these commitments in order to gain awards, get publicity, or generate positive PR to sell albums, he was committed because it was the right thing to do...whether the public knew it or not...and mostly they didn't know!
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In this blog I would like to create a collection of articles that exclusively chronicle and celebrate Michael's charitable work. I'll also include articles on how he has inspired others to do the same. What an incredible inspiration he is!!!!
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Thank you and God bless you Michael!!!!
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May you rest in peace, and may we learn from and follow your example!!!!

What More Can I Give?
By Michael Jackson

How many people will have to die before we will take a stand
How many chiledren will have to cry, before we do all we can
If sending your love is all you can give
To help one live, mmm

How many times can we turn our heads
And pretend we cannot see
Healing the wounds of our broken earth
We are one global family
Just sending your prayers
Is something you feel
Helping one heal
What have I got that I can give
(What have I got that I can give, tell me)
What have I got that I can give, yeah, oh
To love and to teach you
To hold and to need you
What more can I give (what more can I give, yeah)


Now let's rather lay down our fears and reach out and make a pact
Show him the love that is in our hearts, let us bring salvation back
Just sending your love has the power to heal
So let's all give


What have I got that I can give
(It's not allot to give, just a little bit)
What have I got that I can give
(Everyone should be a part of it)
To love and to teach you
To hold and to need you
What more can I give


Say the words, I'll lay me down for you
Just call my name, I am your friend
See then why do they keep teaching us
Such hate and cruelty
We should give over and over again


What have I got that I can give
(We should give over and over again)
What have I got that I can give
(Oh my God, oh my God)
See, to love and to teach you
To hold and to need you
What more can I give


What have I got that I can give (aah)
What have I got that I can give
(Give to you, give to you)
See, to love and to teach you
To hold and to need you
What more can I give (Oooh)

Repeat

What have I got that I can give
(Give to you, we're gonna give to you)
What have I got that I can give
To hold and conceal you
To love and to heal you
What more can I give


What have I got that I can give
(What have I got)
(Send them your prayers)
What have I got that I can give
(Show the world how much you really care)
(To love you)
To love and to teach you
(To hold you, to need you)To hold and to need you
What more can I give

What have I got that I can give...