Celebrities have an unmatched ability to affect social change. Some choose to do so by partaking in philanthropic ventures more so than others. Which celebrities were the most charitable in 2017? Read on to find out.
Angelina Jolie
Jolie credits her mother, who passed away in 2007, with being the person who inspired her to pursue a philanthropic path. She says her mother always taught her to “live a life of use to others,” and she has been doing so ever since. Angelina Jolie began her philanthropic journey while working on a movie in Cambodia in the early 2000s. Since then she has worked as a Goodwill Ambassador where she works to improve the lives of impoverished people around the world. Not only does Jolie do work on the ground, she has made sizable donations to foundations such as The Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Emma Watson
Emma Watson, star of the Harry Potter movies, Beauty and the Beast and The Circle, takes an avid stance on closing the gap of gender inequality. She does this through her status as a U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador and her backing of the HeForShe campaign. HeForShe goal is to achieve equality by encouraging men and boys as agents of change and take action against the inequalities faced by women and young girls.
Beyonce
Beyonce launched BeyGOOD in her hometown of Houston to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Not only did she raise money, she visited the city, spoke with residents and handed out food and supplies. She also covered complete college costs for four female students to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her album, Lemonade.
Angelina Jolie, Emma Watson and Beyonce were some of the most charitable celebrities of 2017. While you may not be able to match their donations dollar for dollar, they are inspirational figures to draw from when it comes to philanthropy.
