Stars Sell Out For Charity

Celebrities old and new are backing sales to benefit good causes this month, with one young starlet opening her closet for charity in a bid to help save some of the most endangered species on the planet, and a well-known actor auctioning radios for Africa.

18-year-old actress Hayden Panettiere is behind a new website dedicated to selling her clothes to raise money for Save The Whales Again, a organization set up by the founders of the original Save the Whales campaign.

Dresses, hoodies, baseball caps, and watches are just some of the items up for grabs at www.panettierecloset.com, many of which have been worn by Panettiere to award ceremonies and photo shoots. Autographed photos are also available, with the young star writing a personal message on each one.

“Can you look good and help a worthwhile cause at the same time?” asks the website. “Yes, you can! Here at panettierecloset.com, we couple Hayden’s sense of fashion with a fundraising plan to bring you designer items straight from the home of the Heroes star. Many have hailed Hayden Panettiere for her impeccable taste in fashion. Now you can wear what the celebrities wear at a fraction of the cost – while supporting a worthy cause! Looking good never felt so good! By purchasing items from this website, you will be aiding Hayden in her fight to raise awareness about the threats dolphins and other whales face worldwide.”

In October, 2007, Panettiere joined Australian actress Isabel Lucas and other activists in a peaceful protest in Japan, to raise awareness of the 25,000 dolphins slaughtered by the nation every year. The group narrowly avoided arrest over the incident, but succeeded in diverting international media to the abhorrent and barbaric practices used to butcher the animals.

Tom Hanks has also traded in his acting profession for that of a salesman this month, with the launch of an auction on eBay that intends to supply radios to remote areas of Africa.
The 51-year-old celebrity has recorded a YouTube video in which he urges people to bid on ten self-powered Freeplay Lifeline radios – each one personally autographed. Proceeds from the sale of the wind-up, solar powered radios will go directly to the Freeplay Foundation, an organization set up to donate the radio sets to villages in Africa.

“The Lifeline radio can change the world,” said Hanks. “One person, one house, one village at a time.”

The Freeplay Foundation was established in 1998, and is committed to providing innovative and practical energy solutions and to ensuring sustained access to information and education via radio. The radios they supply are designed to withstand the harshest conditions, and are often villages only source of communication with the outside world. And because up to 40 people gather in groups to listen to Freeplay Lifeline radios, 100 radios can benefit 4000 people.

The signed radios come with a personal letter and signed photo from Tom Hanks, and can be purchased at eBay for between $600 and $2,000 until February 1.