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Earl Stafford and Bill Cosby
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The list of great alliances that lead to amazing legacies is short, but now we can add another to that list. This week, comedian and educator Bill Cosby and good Samaritan Earl W. Stafford, CEO of the Stafford Foundation, announced during a press conference in Washington, D.C. that they have joined forces in a national crusade to do good.
The “Doing Good” campaign, a national movement to motivate people to help others in need, is promoted through an interactive web site focused on ways to help people with job training, health and wellness and cultural enrichment. It is based on one simple principle -- to help those in need become self-reliant so that they will in turn be inspired to help others.
Of course, these two men are no strangers to doing good.
Bill Cosby is well known for his philanthropic spirit, and was recognized for his generosity as the 2003 recipient of the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. One of his most generous gifts was a grant to Spellman College in the amount of $20 million used to establish the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Academic Center. The money was also used for a library and archival program of international African women research and resources at the Academic Center. This was the largest gift ever granted to any of America’s traditionally black colleges.
Cosby and his wife, Camille, established the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation in 1997, after the death of their son, Ennis William, who was shot to death on Los Angeles’ Interstate 405 as he was changing a flat tire. The Foundation focused on creating equal rights for people with dyslexia and other language-based learning difficulties. Cosby is also raising funds for US Slavery Museum in Virginia.
In January 2009, Earl Stafford used the Stafford Foundation to bring hundreds of disadvantaged citizens to the nation’s capital for the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. This munificent act, called The Peoples’ Inaugural Project, gained international acclaim. Cosby said Stafford’s Inaugural invitation was an act of incredible generosity that inspired and captivated him.
“This mission of doing good for our fellow citizens continues to grow,” said Cosby. “Even during this daunting time when so many people are losing jobs, homes and hope, the American people want to help others in need.”
As the second wave of the Foundation’s People’s Project, this campaign will focus on providing homeless people with education, ensuring a nurturing environment for children to grow and learn, providing services for senior citizens, training and job placements, providing resources for college tuition, and bringing health and wellness programs to low-income neighborhoods.
"There are so many people in this country today who are struggling with just meeting the basics in life. Many of these are people who have followed all the rules for living a successful, self-reliant life, but because of unforeseen circumstances, find themselves needing just a helping hand," said Stafford.
The Doing Good campaign’s goal is to help people discover how their time and talent can be used to do good in their own communities. It will do this by connecting groups that can work together to have more impact, supporting programs that directly provide support to those in need and providing an easily accessible online platform to share “Doing Good” stories which the hope of generating momentum and building a community for doing good.
To see firsthand what “Doing Good” will do, visit the website at www.thestaffordfoundation.org. |
