Accomplished film, television and Broadway actress and philanthropist, Ashley Judd will be honored November 10 as the recipient of the fourth annual USA TODAY Hollywood Hero Award being presented by USA TODAY President and Publisher David Hunke. The award recognizes her work as Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS, the education and prevention program of Population Services International (PSI).
Judd will be feted at a private award gala on the evening of November 10 at The Montage Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Guests will enjoy special celebrity tributes to Ashley Judd, dinner, a silent auction and an exciting live auction, with all proceeds to benefit PSI.
“I am honored to receive the USA TODAY Hollywood Hero Award. I accept it on behalf of the world’s poor, vulnerable, and exploited, who in my capacity as global ambassador for YouthAIDS and board member for PSI, I am committed to serving. I am grateful to PSI and its grassroots mission of providing basic health products, services, and the care necessary to empower people to lead healthier lives, which is the basis for all sustainability and is vital for what we are all working toward: stability and peace,” said Ashley Judd.
“We are very pleased to present our fourth annual USA TODAY Hollywood Hero award to Ms. Judd. Her work as an ambassador for YouthAIDS is an inspiration to us all and should be celebrated,” said USA TODAY President and Publisher David Hunke.
In what has become a USA TODAY signature event, the USA TODAY Hollywood Hero Award is presented annually to an entertainment industry humanitarian who has made remarkable contributions of time and energies with a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life for others. The USA TODAY Hollywood Hero Award recipient is unique in that his or her efforts extend far beyond charitable contributions or lending one’s celebrity to enhance a cause or concern.
Previous winners of the USA TODAY Hollywood Hero Award have been film and TV producer, entertainment entrepreneur and sports legend Magic Johnson, for his work with the Magic Johnson Foundation in providing HIV/AIDS prevention and health care education to adults and children throughout the minority community; Academy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress/producer Geena Davis, honored for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in breaking stereotypes and improving gender portrayals in all media produced for children; and United Nation’s Medaille d’Excellence award-winning actress/choreographer Zina Bethune and her Infinite Dreams program, which has introduced more than ten thousand physically-challenged children across the country into actively participating in the performing arts.
