A rich and famous person does not turn into a greedy and heartless one. Sometimes, stars use all the advantages of their position to help others. Here are 8 examples of famous people showing extraordinary generosity.
Keanu Reeves
Keanu has donated millions to fight leukemia, to children’s foundations, and animal welfare organizations. Besides, the actor shared his royalties for the second and third parts of the movie “The Matrix” with the staff who was in charge of costumes and special effects. Keanu thought that it would be fair, and without regret parted with $ 75 million. According to the staff of the studio, where the “Matrix” was filmed, the actor was the only one from the star cast who greeted each employee, asked what their names were, and one of them gave them $ 20 thousand as a Christmas bonus – simply because he found out about his difficult situation.
George Michael
The singer donated millions to charity, arranged free concerts, and helped people in trouble, but he always tried to do it secretly. Therefore, most of the good deeds became known only after his death. According to eyewitnesses, George paid the debts of strangers. For example, when he saw a woman crying in a cafe, he wrote a check for 25 thousand pounds and asked to give it to her after he left, and on another occasion, he paid off a student loan from a girl bartender. He gave another woman 15 thousand pounds for IVF, and she was finally able to become a mother.
Paul Walker
Like George Michael, Paul Walker did not seek to do good deeds in public, and we learned about his generous gesture only after the death of the actor in 2013. A former jewelry store clerk said that Paul saw how young people chose an engagement ring, but in the end, they left with nothing – they simply could not afford it. The actor paid $ 9,000 for the ring he liked and asked the store employees to give it to the bride and groom anonymously, which was done.
Ellen DeGeneres
And here is an example that good deeds are rewarded (although they should not be done for the sake of a reward). Sara Hoidal, a 22-year-old waitress, paid the bill for the two female military personnel she served. Perhaps the amount will seem insignificant to you – only $ 27.75. But for the soldiers who have been cut in funding, and for Sarah herself, who is raising a child alone, she is not so small. By the way, that day she did not even have enough money to refuel her old car – at the end of the shift, Sarah had only $ 8 left. TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres found out about the girl’s good deed, invited her to her show, where she presented $ 10 thousand, a TV (Ellen found out that Sarah’s old TV broke), and then gave her a new car.
Charles “Chuck” Feeney
The founder of the Duty-Free network is the undoubted champion among philanthropists. He is called a “billionaire without billions” because he spent almost all of his fortune (more than $ 6 billion) on charity in countries such as Ireland, Vietnam, the USA, Australia, and South Africa. Now 86 years old, Chuck Feeney continues to pursue his plan to spend all his remaining funds until 2020 on the development of education systems, health care, and civil rights protections.
Joanne Rowling
“Harry Potter’s Mom” donated so much to charity that she turned from a billionaire into a millionaire. She gave the needy $ 160 million, or 16% of her fortune. Joan knows very well what it means to be poor because when she wrote her first book (which the publishers did not want to print – they must now bite their elbows with frustration), she had to live on welfare. Rowling wrote several books specifically to fully channel the royalties received for them (approximately $ 30 million) to various foundations. Besides, she has a charitable foundation called Lumos.
Elvis Presley
The king of rock and roll loved cars and bought them all the time, but not just for himself. Once, having gone to the salon for another car, he saw a woman admiring a luxurious Cadillac. The singer asked if she liked the car and, having received an affirmative answer, immediately bought it and presented it to the stranger. This case was reported on the radio news, and the presenter jokingly remarked that he would not refuse such a gift. And he got it! After all, Elvis was listening to the radio at that very minute, and he not only presented the car to the presenter but even called him and asked what color he prefers. It is believed that during his life Elvis donated more than 100 Cadillacs, Lincolns, Mercedes, and other cars, and some argue that there were 2 times more of them.
Nicki Minaj
Here is another confirmation that a beautiful soul is hidden behind a beautiful appearance. The singer’s frivolous image does not mean that she is not capable of showing generosity, and Nicky recently convincingly proved this. She agreed to pay off the student loans of her fans from all over the world, which is thousands of dollars. Nicky only asks to confirm that the student is good and that the money will be spent on tuition or buying books, and not on something else.
