By Scott Cable on
Last week, not only was I given the opportunity to conduct my first celebrity interview over the phone, but it was with the most authentic and sweetest actresses I have ever had the pleasure to speak with, her name; Rebecca Herbst from General Hospital.
Rebecca plays Nurse Elizabeth on the American soap opera General Hospital and is also Smile Train's Seasons of Smiles Ambassador. As I awaited her call from sunny Southern California, I reflected upon a recent interview I did over the phone with a TV show based out of Ireland.
During this interview the reporter wanted to speak to me regarding celebrity relief in NYC for Hurricane Sandy. When I did the interview, one question that stuck out to me was “Don’t you think when celebrities get involved with a charity, it takes away from the main cause?” I was stuck, I had no good answers. I knew what she was saying was valid, but I also knew that the effort that celebrities put into their charity work was something that should be admired and something that shouldn’t be overlooked; I had no words or witty rebuttal. Then I interviewed Rebecca, and everything made sense to me all over again.
Rebecca has been working with Smile Train for almost 10 years. During her journey with Smile Train she has been helping create publicity for this charity and raise funds. When I asked her how she got involved with Smile Train, she said it just came natural to her. Her own children were most definitely the driving force behind her decision to create this partnership.
“My friends and family don’t even get me gifts for holidays and my birthday anymore” she replied, after asking her how much money she has raised for Smile Train; “they all know how important this cause is to me, so rather than get me gifts, they all donate cash on my behalf”.
That’s as real as it gets. Smile Train has a goal of reaching 1 million smiles and Rebecca filled me in that they are close to their goal and have already performed 800,000 procedures. The surgeries are done in less than 1 hour and cost less than $200!
The work that Smile Train does, cannot be overlooked, but neither can the work that Rebecca Herbst is doing or the thousands of celebrities just like her, doing the same. Not only is she spreading the word and raising funds, but she is also educating the public and taking from her own pocket, which to me is the greatest act of kindness. She could sit on a platform and rant and rave about her charity work, but she doesn’t. She gets her hands dirty, she is committed, she is loyal, she is determined.
To find out more about Rebecca Herbst and Smile Train check out www.RebeccaHerbstOnline.com or www.SmileTrain.com.
Copyright © 2012 Look to the Stars
