Nobody can dispute that Oprah is a big giver — so many organizations (and individuals) have benefited from her generosity. The talk show queen started off 2009 on a good note, with a major donation to a worthy cause.

Over the holiday season, Oprah donated $365,000 to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. The private school was founded by Ron Clark and is in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Atlanta. He’s also been on Oprah’s show a couple of times.

You might have heard about the Ron Clark Academy earlier in 2008 — the school became “internet famous” after creating a video — “You Can Vote However You Like.” The video showed a bunch of animated young people rapping about voting.

This large donation comes shortly after Oprah was named Peta’s 2008 Person of the Year for her promotion of eating vegan (even though she only did it for 21 days, she certainly brought attention to it and undoubtedly encouraged countless people to rethink their conception of vegan food). Additionally, Oprah took on puppy mills, doing an expose on the cruelty and horror that goes on within them.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Madonna has gotten a lot of bad press this year, but she’s actually been pretty generous — an not just in her divorce settlement with Guy Ritchie. Throughout 2008, Madonna made donations totaling about $3 million!

So where did all the money go? Madge gave a quarter million to Mobilization Against AIDS, as well as $15,000 to the TJ Martell Foundation for Leukemia and Cancer Research. Madonna also contributed $23,000 toward setting up playgrounds in Russia and she helped out churches and religious groups in California.

By far, however, the Kabbalah Center had the biggest year, receiving $2,626,529 from one its most famous members. The singer donated another $4,025 in royalties from her children’s books to Spirituality for Kids.

It’s always nice to hear the other side of the story, isn’t it?

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Pierce Brosnan helped to make the holidays a little brighter for a few of his favorite charities, and he’s encouraging you to do the same. On the official Pierce Brosnan Website, the former 007 blogs, “In the spirit of giving this holiday season please consider making a small contribution to those in need. The following organizations were on our holiday gift giving list:”

• The Jane Goodall Institute, where the funds will help sponsor environmental education and youth based humanitarian programs;
• Roots and Shoots, where the money will provide clean, safe drinking water to a developing nation by distributing thousands of portable water purifiers;
• American Red Cross, where the donation will offer relief services for the victims of the Southern California Wildfires; and,
• Kauai Humane Society, where the funds will provide care for numerous stray animals while also supporting the spay and neuter shelter program on the island of Kauai.

Brosnan and his wife Keely Shay aren’t new to giving — they’ve been helping environmental causes by offering their time and money for years. However, it’s always great to hear about how our favorite stars make donations, and I think Brosnan made some great choices this year.

Did you make any donations this year? If so, what charity did you choose?

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Zac Efron of High School Musical isn’t just nice to look at — the cutie patoutie is also just plain nice. The teen and tween sensation showed up at a Los Angeles hospital with $10,000 worth of presents for some sick kids. Zac spent two hours touring the wards, handing out toys, signing autographs, and posing for pictures (with staff as much as with the patients).

One source described the visit, saying, “He really spent time bonding with each of the children and their families. The kids were smitten and beaming from ear to ear. Some of the kids couldn’t even speak, but they had the widest grins and would sit as close to him as possible. Zac was super gracious and could not have been more kind and truly happy to be there.”

Zac isn’t the only Hollywood do-gooder this holiday season — not by a long shot. John Mayer headlined a special early morning concert for kids in a New York hospital, raising more than $250,000 in the process. He was joined by Rob Thomas, and the must-hear new talent on the block, Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles. And, Adam Sandler did his part, too, by sharing the red carpet for the premiere of Bedtime Stories with more than just co-stars Courteney Cox and Keri Russell — they used the opportunity to support Marine Toys for Tots.

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Admit it — at one time or another, your good intentions have gone out the window as the weather worsened. Maybe you didn’t volunteer, or visit a friend, and it’s not the end of the world. I truly think we’ve all done it. Well, all of us, except  Adrian Grenier.

The uber-green Entourage hottie braved the blustery New York City weather to ride along in City Harvest’s new hybrid truck to pick up unused food from NYC bakeries and restaurants. After spending the day picking up goodies, Adrian stopped at the Yorkville Common Pantry where they left the food. The Yorkville Common Pantry’s mission is to “reduce hunger while promoting dignity and self-sufficiency. YCP champions the cause of the hungry through food pantry and meal distribution programs, nutrition education, basic hygiene services, homeless support, and related services.”

Adrian was doing this good deed on behalf of Feeding America, which is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, providing food assistance to over 25 million low-income, hungry people in the States, including over nine million children and almost three million seniors.

Photo courtesy of thecinemasource.com

Snoop Dogg doesn’t get all that much press for doing good, but the fact of the matter is that the hip-hop superstar (and reality show star) has causes (other than illegal substances) that he cares about and works hard to support. At the moment, he’s auctioning off a garden shed to raise money for his Snoop Youth Football League.

I know what you’re thinking — a garden shed? But this isn’t just a garden shed. If this shed could talk, it would have some unbelievable stories. Snoop explains, “I’ve had this shed since tha turn of tha century. I’ve beaten over 1,000 people in Madden in it, watched football game tape, seen the Lakers win championships, and, most of all, written hits in it.” Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have spent time in the shed, and many of them have autographed the door and walls.

Snoop founded the Snoop Youth Football League as a way to keep kids active and out of trouble while helping them learn team building and leadership. The kids practice, have games, and even get to play in the Snooper Bowl.

Photo courtesy of snoopyouthfootballleague.com

We all know that Bono is an incredible giver, raising funds and awareness for a variety of causes close to his heart. And it’s not just his fans who are aware of this — last week in Paris, he was awarded the Nobel Man of Peace Prize for his work in the fight against poverty, debt, and disease in Africa. He continually strives to get rich countries to assist the struggling continent.

Bono was, understandably, incredibly honored. “This is a very big award for me, because let’s be honest — this is as close as I am going to get — as close as a rock star is ever going to get to the Nobel Peace Prize. I am an over-awarded, over-rewarded rock star,” he told a crowd including fellow Nobel laureates.

He went on to say, “You are the people who do the real work. So I am very, very pleased to be in such esteemed company.”

I don’t know about you, but I just became an even bigger fan of U2.

Photo courtesy of nymag.com

David Beckham spent some quality time in New Zealand last week to help out those less fortunate, both on two legs and four.

His first stop was a gala to help out KidsCan, a charitable trust dedicated to meeting the basic physical needs of financially disadvantaged children, helping them have the same chances to reach their potential as any other child. The gala event was also attended by several members of New Zealand’s All Blacks, the country’s rugby team which just happens to be a big supporter of KidsCan.

Beckham was sure to do his part to raise money for the worthy cause — he gave up $9,000 in an auction for a print of President-elect Barack Obama, and then donated it back to the auction in order to raise more funds.

He then joined his LA Galaxy soccer team for a charity game against the Oceana Allstars (LA won), which raised money for the New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Earlier that day, some New Zealand celebrities played an exhibition game to benefit a few New Zealand charities, including the afore-mentioned KidsCan.

Good to see that Becks isn’t just relying on his celebrity status — he’s obviously intent on giving back, and he looks awfully good doing it.

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That George Clooney is nothing if not a class act. Sure, he might be tight-lipped about his love life, but he spilling plenty about something even more important (and yes, there are things that are more important than who George is spending quality time with these days).

He was recently honored for his charity work, but says he doesn’t deserve it. In fact, although he was awarded the Golden Heart award at the Ein Herz fuer Kinder gala, he was more interested in giving that award to aid workers who risk their lives every day.

While you probably know a little about George’s work — he’s traveled to Darfur in Sudan, Chad, and Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — you might not know who else is helping him out. In addition to his famous Not On Our Watch buddies, like Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Don Cheadle, his dad has traveled with him. Actually, his dad even pushed for the trip to Chad, even after fighting broke out and others ditched the the trip (much to George’s mom chagrin).

So what keeps George involved, even though it’s so dangerous? He knows he can make a difference, and now that he’s seen the devastation in person, he’s committed to spending his free time helping those in need all over the world. The thing that bothers him the most is “[t]he systematic violence towards women. Or also the fact that a village won’t ‘only’ be destroyed, no — the wells will also be poisoned, so that life there is impossible. It is not about land, it is about race hate.”

Gorgeous George had plenty more to say in a recent interview with Bild — read it all here.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

What’s not to like about a steamy bowl of winter comfort food? Chicken soup is that age-old remedy for everything: colds, congestion, flu, and winter blues…just the things a good bowl of steamy soup can chase away. That is why I prescribe chicken soup all the time…

If you’re a purist, making chicken soup can be an all day project. The stock needs hours to simmer with the chicken, carrots and onions, and that’s just the beginning. But don’t be tempted to reach for the can opener!

The perfect short cut is to have homemade soup stock* ready in the freezer, or you can reach for a carton of good organic chicken stock. The rest is easy…

Chicken Noodle Soup

4 cups each chicken stock and water
2 chicken breasts, bone-in
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery and leaves, diced
1 Bay leaf
1 teaspoon thyme
4 ounces cooked noodles or pasta
Grated Romano cheese, for serving

Simmer the chicken breasts in the stock and water; add the diced onion, celery, celery leaves and sliced carrots. After 30 minutes, pull the chicken from the bones and shred it into the soup. Throw in a bay leaf and a heaping teaspoon of thyme (any number of dried or fresh herbs work well here) along with a few grinds of black pepper and simmer another 20 minutes or so until everything seems right. While the soup is simmering bring a small pan of water to boil for noodles or pasta. Cook the pasta al dente, drain and add to the soup as you serve it. Top with a sprinkle of Romano cheese.

*The homemade chicken stock for this soup was born a few weeks ago after a wonderful dinner of Beer Can Chicken. Throw in the roasted chicken carcass (or turkey carcass you saved in the freezer after Thanksgiving dinner!), cover with cold water and add a quartered onion with peel,  carrots cut in large sections, 2 celery stalks, salt, a bay leaf and about six peppercorns. Simmer for two or three hours until cooked down. Remove the meat to add to soups or casseroles. Strain the broth through a fine strainer and discard the solids.  Refrigerate and skim off the fat the next day. The stock will keep for months in the freezer.

Let no one doubt the medicinal properties of homemade soup!