Glamour...but with a cause

There are some who have hired publicists to brag about the charity they do while some choose never to talk about it.

Some use their Twitter accounts to spread awareness while others quietly donate a few lakhs to an orphanage — we are talking about celebrities who are making a difference to a thousand lives.

“I have tied up with UNICEF in terms of educating young girls in India and also feel strongly about female infanticide. Greenathon is again something I have associated with for long. I also advocate voting.  As a celebrity, I feel  I’m lucky enough to be the kind of person people will listen to,” says actress Priyanka Chopra who is the national ambassador of UNICEF.

Gul Panag is an activist and the founder-member of an NGO that works towards the upliftment of the underprivileged. Gul divulges, “I run The Col. Shamsher Singh Foundation  set up in the name of my grandfather. We work for the lesser privileged sections of society.”

Actress Rani Mukerji is lending a hand to her aunt, actress Debasree Roy to garner support for abandoned animals and is helping towards building an animal shelter for stray dogs in Kolkata.

Talking about the causes she endorses, Dia Mirza says, “There are a few of the causes I support along with being on the board of advisers on the foundation Anandana. I have been involved with Cancer Patients Aid Association, Spastics Society of India now known as ADAPT, worked extensively with the government of Andhra Pradesh to spread HIV Awareness.”

The pretty actress has also shot for a national campaign to prevent Female Foeticide, has been involves with PETA, CRY and has played an active part in the NDTV Greenathon.

Sameera Reddy works for a children’s home and is actively involved with Dreams Home, an NGO that works for the betterment of orphan girls. She is seen often visiting the NGO and also provides monetary assistance.

Rahul Bose runs his own NGO The Foundation that works towards banishing any kind of discrimination. Reach (Restoring Equality through education and advancement of children) is an educational initiative that provides full scholarships for students from areas that lack infrastructure.