A message about a person who does charity work. The kindest people in Russian history

I have heard more than once that, having done a good deed, it is worth throwing it into the water. Good deeds and public charity are often regarded in our country not as an attempt to change society and the country for the better, but rather as self-promotion and a desire for hidden gain. We all accept the shortcomings of other people, such as bad habits and bad deeds, with ease. However, it is worth someone to do a good deed, as we have mistrust and suspicion. I wanted to find and communicate with people who could prove that the goal of charity is not earnings and PR, but a kind contagious example that helps to become better.

Alexandra Tkach

The idea of ​​doing charity work was not sudden for me. It is not always pleasant to do something only for your own benefit, I felt great pleasure when I first did good for homeless people. From that moment on, self-realization has consisted in giving a part of yourself to the society in which you live! All people have a different fate and, unfortunately, not everyone has it ideal, but despite this, your support can help to survive, realize someone's dream and just inspire life! Sometimes one smile is enough for a disadvantaged person. Thus, without even setting myself the goal of hearing gratitude, I met like-minded people with whom you bring your projects and ideas to life. Fortunately, in Kyiv there are enough such associations, funds that are engaged in various areas, for example: "Heart in the palms", "Velvets heart", "Lions club", our "Rotary club" and others.

The positive aspects of charity are humanity, understanding and empathy.. Here you are leaving the orphanage, emotionally exhausted, tired, in a word, Sponge Bob, but at the same time full of happiness, freedom, because you inspired the lives of children, if not all, but at least one of them will never forget it! A negative feature, of course, is indifference, and the worst thing is indifference to one's neighbor. For those who need it the most.

My most vivid memory is the reporting concert of the school for children with physical disabilities. One of the students had to prepare a dance number. Can you imagine how much effort he had to make? A guy with short legs and hearing must, getting in time, dance in front of a huge audience! As a volunteer, I helped him prepare. Before going on stage, I realize that we are playing a completely different song! I am in despair, I can’t do anything, and Igor confidently takes my hand and assures me: “We will succeed!”. And indeed it was.

It is surprising that many people we do not know respond to our planned projects.(which we report on the social network Facebook). The confidence and desire to join in good deeds is striking, no matter how - either financially, or by providing transport, or by personal participation.

Lesya Mironchuk

For a long time I was engaged in music and dancing, so I often had to be surrounded by people who did not think about the amount of money spent on holidays, shopping, etc. But after another glamorous event, going down the subway, I saw a lot of people for whom every penny is precious! This contrast did not leave me indifferent. Once I felt an emptiness that I could not fill either with work, or music, or gatherings with friends, or anything else. I met a friend who was doing charity work at the time. His words are my beginning. The first trip to the orphanage, the first dialogues with the elderly, the first aid to large families - all this prompted me to reassess my own life. This was the first step towards my charitable work.

I believe that there are several ways to attract people's attention to charity.. One of these is well-known advertising, which usually causes distrust among people, many perceive it as another way of easy money, in simple words - “a swindler”. And in general, charity is not done for advertising, it is not needed here at all! The best way to get people's attention is by your own example!

Once, after visiting the orphanage, the girl Yulia called me(I still don't know how she managed to get my number) congratulations on the 8th of March! I remember her voice and sincere children's words to this day.

Charity is hard work from the start(in terms of creating projects, their implementation and, above all, morally). However, this is not a source of our income, we see this area of ​​activity as one where we want not to receive, but rather to give.

Therefore, join, do not stand aside, do not turn away from people, because it is you who can change someone's life for the better!

Evgeny Komarov

While still a student, I participated in charity events, gave money to BlagoBoxes, but it was not systematic, but rather chaotic, I saw it - I took part.

In May 2011, my friend, one of the founders of the Blagomai Charitable Foundation, now our Head of the Board, Tanya Skrygina, offered to join the trip to the Lyubystok orphanage.

We packed a lot of things, food, sweets and vitamins and hit the road. Arriving and talking with the children, giving them a piece of myself, playing with them, I was “infected” with charity. On subsequent trips, and I began to travel almost every weekend, I met Denis Khrulin and Kostya Golubyatnikov, the ideological and spiritual founders of the foundation.

To systematize and legalize all actions, aimed at helping orphans, children deprived of parental rights and parental attention, we registered a non-profit organization - Charitable Foundation "Blagomay", which today has taken care of 14 children's institutions (orphanages, centers for socio-psychological rehabilitation and boarding schools) in the Kyiv region.

I believe that there are several negative aspects of charity. The low level of trust in the activities of foundations generates reluctance on the part of the population to provide support to those in need through charitable organizations. Websites of charitable organizations usually contain a minimum of information about fin. reporting. Also, we all witness when on television they call to save some sick child, tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars are required to provide assistance. It turns out that the money from charity does not so much cure the sick as it helps numerous intermediaries from medicine to buy new villas and yachts.

Today there are a lot of speculative ads on the Internet on the topic:“The child needs a donor: 3rd negative, the child is dying!”. If you really want to help those in need of donors - look at the blood transfusion department of the nearest hospital, you will be welcome.

More and more caring people devote themselves to charity, the needs of this, of course, do not decrease, but there are more opportunities to close them. After all, everyone is able to help, for example, the goal of the Blagomay Team is charity at a new level in Ukraine. Our main position is from people to people, i.e., we help someone to realize themselves in one or another area in charity, and also, in turn, provide assistance to vulnerable children, who are often abandoned not only by parents, but also de facto state.

As I began to do charity work, I began to realize that many are ready to participate, but not to organize charity events. Mass events have the opportunity to attract the attention of the public. Charity auctions have already been repeatedly organized in Kyiv, the first charity match was held (for which you, Ol, special thanks, I got a lot of pleasure by taking part as a fan), the first charity picnic for young people (the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bholding which directly arose from me and was supported by the Blagomay team), etc.

Now I'm with the team "Blagomay» I actively develop projects and programs in which everyone can take part, among which: educational, cognitive and collection programs in orphanages - "Workshop of kindness", "Know Ukraine", "Yoga in orphanages", "Full portfolio for a child", also the project "BlagoRestaurants" (at the launch stage), the project " Blagoshop” (at the launch stage), “Help by Reading” program. Even after a year of active work, I learned that in order to get something, you need to ask for it. So we turned to large companies and received assistance either in financing charitable programs, or in the direct provision of assistance by these companies to orphanages.

One of the brightest memories was after a trip to the Cheburashka Orphanage. Children literally fascinated us with their skills, talents and knowledge. Everyone who was there shared their impressions all the way back, but what is there - everyone who gets there is delighted!

I believe that I have two main jobs - a job as a lawyer (directly by profession) and a job as a Member of the Supervisory BoardCharitable Foundation "Blagomay"

I graduated from the law faculty of one of the best universities in our country, and it would be foolish not to use my knowledge in practice. The Foundation has taken another place of honor in my life. I have to work overtime and on weekends, but I like it. After all, as long as there is energy, opportunities and desire, one must realize oneself in all directions. There are big plans for the future and the desire to implement them.

The indifference of some people and the categorical position regarding charitable activities came as a surprise, but an even greater shock was the refusal to help. So, for example, when contacting one orphanage, we heard the question: “What certain amount can we allocate to them per month?”, having not heard an answer, we were refused a visit and argued that there are already enough sponsors and benefactors, And they don't need our help.

I would like to believe that there will be less and less unpleasant surprises, and together with the team of the Blagomay Foundation, I will be able to raise the culture of charity to a new level. Hurry up to do good deeds!

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Simple and amazing stories of real heroes. Everyone should know their names.

History knows a huge number of people who made outstanding deeds and discoveries, but at the same time remained unnoticed.

website believes that many of them deserve fame and wide recognition. This article contains the stories of seven such heroes - they are all different, but each of them made life on planet Earth a little - or even much - better and happier.

History from Konstantin Paustovsky

“It was the spring of 1912, before the exams, a meeting was arranged in the garden. All the gymnasium students of our class were called to it, except for the Jews. The Jews were not supposed to know anything about this meeting.

At the meeting, it was decided that the best students from Russians and Poles should grab the four in exams at least in one subject so as not to receive a gold medal. We decided to give all the gold medals to the Jews. Without these medals, they were not admitted to the university.

We have sworn to keep this decision confidential. To the credit of our class, we did not let it slip, neither then nor after, when we were already university students. Now I break this oath, because almost none of my schoolmates are left alive. Most of them died during the great wars that my generation experienced. Only a few people survived."

A world without nuclear war

September 26, 1983 lieutenant colonel Stanislav Petrov was on duty at Serpukhov-15, a secret bunker near Moscow, and was busy monitoring the satellite system of the Soviet Union. Shortly after midnight, one of the satellites signaled to Moscow that the US was launching 5 ballistic missiles at Russia. The entire responsibility at that moment fell on the forty-four-year-old lieutenant colonel: he had to decide how to respond to this signal.

The alarm sounded at a difficult time, relations between the USSR and America were strained, but Petrov decided that it was false and refused to take any retaliatory measures. Thus, he prevented a possible nuclear catastrophe - the signal really turned out to be false.

Vasily Arkhipov, an officer in the Russian Navy, also once made a decision that saved the world. During the Caribbean Crisis, he prevented the launch of a nuclear torpedo. The Soviet submarine B-59 was surrounded near Cuba by eleven American destroyers and the aircraft carrier Randolph. Despite the fact that it took place in neutral waters, the Americans used depth charges against the boat to force it to rise to the surface.

The submarine commander, Valentin Savitsky, prepared to launch a nuclear torpedo in return. However, the senior on board Arkhipov showed restraint, drew attention to the signals from the American ships and stopped Savitsky. The signal "Stop the provocation" was sent from the boat, after which the American military forces were withdrawn and the situation was somewhat defused.

The man with the golden hand

Australian at thirteen James Harrison had undergone major breast surgery and was in urgent need of about 13 liters of donated blood. After the operation, he was in the hospital for three months. Realizing that donating blood saved his life, he made a promise to start donating blood as soon as he turned 18.

As soon as Harrison reached the age required to donate blood, he immediately went to the Red Cross blood donation site. It was there that it turned out that his blood is unique in its kind, since its plasma contains special antibodies, thanks to which it is possible to prevent the Rhesus conflict of a pregnant mother with her fetus. Without these antibodies, the Rh conflict leads to a minimum of anemia and jaundice in the child, a maximum to stillbirth.

When James was told what exactly was found in his blood, he asked only one question. He asked how often you can donate blood.
Since then, every three weeks, James Harrison comes to a medical center near his home and donates exactly 400 milliliters of blood. To date, he has donated about 377 liters of blood.
In the 56 years since his first donation, he has donated blood and blood components almost 1,000 times and saved about 2,000,000 children and their young mothers.

Polish Schindler

Eugene Lazowski was a Polish doctor who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. Thanks to the discovery of his friend, Dr. Stanislav Matulevich, Lazowski simulated an outbreak of typhus, a dangerous infectious disease. Matulevich discovered that it was possible for a healthy person to be vaccinated with certain bacteria, and then the results of the test for typhus would be positive, and the person himself would not experience any manifestations of the disease.

The Germans were afraid of typhus because it was highly contagious. At a time when Jews infected with typhus were routinely executed, Lazowski was inoculating the non-Jewish population in the neighborhoods surrounding the ghetto, near the town of Rozvadov. He knew that the Germans would be forced to give up in order to get close to the Jewish settlements, and in the end they simply quarantined the area. This saved approximately 8,000 Polish Jews from certain death in concentration camps.

The scientist who saved millions of lives

American biologist Maurice Ralph Guilleman created 36 vaccines in his lifetime - more than any other scientist in the world. Of the fourteen vaccines that are now in general use, he invented 8, including those for measles, meningitis, chickenpox, hepatitis A and B.

In addition, Gilleman was the first person to determine how the flu virus mutates. Almost single-handedly, he worked to develop a vaccine that prevented the 1957 Asian flu outbreak from becoming a repeat of the 1918 Spanish pandemic that killed 20 million people worldwide.

Donor of immortal cells

African American Henrietta Lacks died of cancer in 1951 at the age of thirty-one. However, she became a donor of cellular material that allowed Dr. George Otto Gay to create the first ever immortal human cell line, known as the HeLa line. "Immortality" meant that these cells did not die after a few divisions, which means that they could be used to conduct many medical experiments and studies.

In 1954, the HeLa cell strain was used by Jonas Sok to develop a polio vaccine. In 1955, HeLa became the first successfully cloned human cells. Demand for these cages grew rapidly. They were put into mass production and sent to scientists around the world to study cancer, AIDS, the effects of radiation and other diseases. Now scientists are growing about 20 tons of Henrietta cells, there are almost 11,000 patents related to them.

Inventor of the seat belt

July 10, 1962 employee of the Volvo Corporation Nils Bolin patented his invention - a three-point seat belt. It was the same system that is still used in cars today: it took Bolin just under a year to develop, and it was first introduced on Volvo cars in 1959.

The corporation made the seat belt design free to other automakers, and it soon became a worldwide standard. According to recent studies, Bolin's invention has saved about a million lives during its existence.

Russian celebrities spend their star fees not only on villas and exclusive cars. Many of them are engaged

1.Anita Tsoi

In 2001, the singer opened the Anita Foundation, which helps children with congenital disabilities. In just one year, he helped more than 35,000 children. In 2010, Tsoi, together with Universal Music, launched the Show Business with a Conscience program: all the income that she received from the album To the East was redirected to orphanages.
About 160 thousand euros were raised from the concert that she held Anita Tsoi in Moscow and this money was transferred to the children who suffered from the Beslan tragedy.

2. Dina Korzun and Chulpan Khamatova

They created the Gift of Life Foundation, about which they write and talk a lot at the moment. The goal of the foundation is to support children with hematological and oncological diseases.
They provide assistance to special clinics by purchasing the necessary equipment and drugs for them. They provide social and psychological service to sick children, draw attention to children with cancer and find blood donors. They also hold promotions, charity concerts and auctions in the premises of the Children's Clinical Hospital.

3. Konstantin Khabensky

After the death of his wife Anastasia, the actor, in 2008, created a charitable foundation dedicated to supporting children suffering from severe brain diseases.
The fund's motto is "One life saved is one life saved". Konstantin helps to buy medicines, organizes rehabilitation programs for sick children, as well as psychological support. In addition, the foundation helps Russian institutions involved in the diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases.

4.Joseph Kobzon

For many years, the singer has been involved in charitable activities. In 1992, he organized the Shield and Lyre Foundation.
What the fund does: providing assistance to the families of the dead military and social protection of internal affairs workers. Kobzon also restored the temple in Krasnodar and donated a large sum for the restoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. He also patronizes two orphanages and provides children with a variety of assistance.

5. Egor Beroev and Ksenia Alferova

The couple organized a special charitable foundation "I am!".
They help people with disabilities, especially children with cerebral palsy, autism and Down syndrome. They are actively trying to make the lives of these children more colorful and diverse, creating educational programs that are aimed at educating children.

6. Gosha Kutsenko

In 2011, the actor founded the Step Together Foundation. He is involved in supporting children who suffer from cerebral palsy. Twice a year he holds holiday concerts for sick children and charity events, with invited movie, stage and theater stars.
Now the organization is engaged in consulting assistance, targeted assistance to especially needy children, legal assistance, and also purchases medical equipment.

7.Charitable Foundation "Artist"

Evgeny Mironov, Maria Mironova and Igor Vernik.

In 2008, the actors organized a foundation that supports orphans, disabled children and the elderly.
The creators of the fund help elderly actors who do not have a home and money, and also support orphans and orphans with disabilities. The Foundation helps them get back on their feet and start living independently. The actors organized events where the funds raised go to help stage veterans and disabled children.

8. Natalya Vodyanova

The Naked Heart Foundation was organized by the model in 2005. The Foundation builds children's playgrounds throughout Russia, and the first city where Vodianova gave children a holiday was Nizhny Novgorod (the city where Natalia lived). The impetus for the creation of the fund was the tragedy in Beslan. The model set out to build a play park in Beslan in order to please the children a little. Not immediately, but the plan was put into practice.
Since 2011, she has been involved in the program "Every Child Deserves a Family". It is aimed at reversing the Russian trend of abandoning children with special needs.

9.Ingeborga Dapkunaite

Charitable Foundation "Vera". After the foundation was established in 2006, it quickly became the center of the hospice movement. Today it is the only non-profit organization in Russia that supports hospices and their patients.
The board of trustees includes writers, famous artists, musicians, journalists, and doctors. The Chairmen of the Board of Trustees are actresses Ingeborga Dapkunaite and Tatyana Drubich. The Vera Foundation was the first to create endowment in the field of healthcare. We continue to look for opportunities to replenish the target capital. Directions of the fund's activities: - Assistance to the First Moscow Hospice;
- Assistance to regional hospices;
- Help terminally ill children;
- Development of the volunteer movement;
- Publishing activity;
- Formation of public interest in the problems of terminally ill people.

At one time, the addiction of many celebrities to charity made a lot of noise, some even tried to see a hidden meaning in this. Someone argued that philanthropy is nothing more than a means of increasing one's influence in society. Despite these contradictory statements, we would still like to believe that all this is done only out of good intentions. In March of this year, journalist Robert Friedman accused Lady Gaga of unscrupulous charity, pointing out the concealment of huge amounts under the guise of donations. However, among the rich and famous there are those who, out of the kindness of their hearts, help people who are less fortunate in this life.

10 Meryl Streep - $45 Million Net Worth

Meryl Streep is rightfully considered one of the greatest actresses of all time. Movies like The Deer Hunter, Kramer vs Kramer, Sophie's Choice and The Iron Lady made her a household name. She has three Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, two Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and many more. When Meryl Streep isn't shining on movie screens, she does charity work. Together with her husband, she founded The Silver Mountain Arts Foundation in 1983, which has tirelessly supported the nation's arts, education, health care and social services. The Foundation has given more than $1 million to Vassar College, Oxfam America, Meals on Wheels, the Homeless Coalition, and the National Women's Museum. The foundation also donated $1 million to the Public Theater and provided two scholarships for students at the University of Massachusetts.

9. Michael J. Fox - Net Worth: $65 Million

Fox rose to fame with his role on the sitcom Family Ties, where he played young Republican Reagan fan Alex Keaton between 1983 and 1989. Even more widely known to him was his role in the films Back to the Future. Shortly after the filming of "Dr. Hollywood" was completed, Fox received a disappointing diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Despite everything, he continued to work and even managed to star in the sitcom Spin City as Mike Flaherty. Since 2000, the Michael J. Fox Foundation has contributed more than $450 million to the search for a cure for Parkinson's disease.

8. Matt Damon - Net Worth: $75 Million

From the moment Damon burst onto the scene with his role in Good Will Hunting, he has been on a career path. After receiving an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, he has appeared in a number of successful films such as Saving Private Ryan, the Ocean's Trilogy, the Bourne series, The Departed, and The False Temptation. He devoted all of his free time to philanthropy, keeping the peace in Darfur with One Campaign and working as a goodwill ambassador for OneXOne, which provides assistance to needy children in the US, Canada and the rest of the world.

7. Taylor Swift - net worth $180 million


Taylor Swift is a favorite of Americans, an incredibly famous singer, songwriter and actress. She became the youngest female artist to sign with Sony/ATV Music Publishing House in 2006 and was ranked seventh on Forbes' Most Influential Celebrities list in 2011. Her singles almost constantly become hits not only in America, but also in the world charts. But the girl does not forget about charity. She gave $4 million to the Country Music Hall Of Fame in Nashville. In addition, she gave $100,000 to the Nashville Symphony and has also sponsored organizations such as Hope for Haiti, the Red Cross, Architecture for Humanity.

5 Mel Gibson - $800 Million Net Worth


Believe it or not, Mel Gibson has made a name for himself in the world of philanthropy as an incredibly kindhearted man. The Braveheart star has given more than $10 million to UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Centers in Los Angeles. The actor generously participates in charity, helping all children in need of treatment. In addition, in 2007 he gave $500,000 to the El Mirador Basin project to protect the rainforest.

4. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - worth $385 million


There is something more than the amazing beauty of this couple that makes you look at them with respect. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt use their joint capital and star status in order to change the world a little for the better. In 2007, Pitt founded the Make It Right Foundation, donating $5 million to build 150 homes for the victims of Hurricane Katrina that swept through New Orleans. In return, Jolie donated $200,000 to the Malala Yousafzais Foundation, which specializes in advancing women's rights in Pakistan. In addition, after their holiday in Namibia, the couple decided to set aside $2 million for the conservation and protection of local wildlife. Among other things, they also include the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, created in 2006 and funding organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and Global Action for Children.

3. Paul McCartney - worth $1.2 billion


Former member of the Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney is well known not only as a musician, but also as a philanthropist. Even at the dawn of his solo career, the musician has already participated in a host of charity concerts, such as Live Aid and New York City post 9-11. As a vegetarian, he has been an animal rights activist throughout his life. With his second wife, Heather Mills, he campaigned against landmines and was active in the Adopt-A-Minefield movement.

2. Oprah Winfrey - worth $2.9 billion


While the Queen of All Media is best known for her show called The Oprah Winfrey Show, that doesn't stop her from being an incredibly generous woman. Oprah was born into a poor family and received a rather tough upbringing, which helped her to become more actively involved in charitable activities. In 2006, Business Week named Oprah the world's greatest black philanthropist. Her organization, called the Angel Network, has raised over $80 million worldwide, including a $40 million donation from Oprah herself. The funds were used to develop many educational programs in South Africa and to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

FAMOUS WOMEN - CHARITANTS

The whole planet learned their names thanks to television and cinema, but the true purpose of these women was not at all a stellar career. They have saved thousands of lives, hundreds of schools rebuilt, dozens of speeches that have inspired others to become part of the global charitable movement.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

Once, already a nun in Calcutta (India), Mother Teresa dozed off and heard a voice: “Go and live among the poor, and I will be with you.” Two years later, having received permission from the leadership of the order to work outside the monastery, she took an accelerated course in nursing and settled in one of the most impoverished areas; slept on the thatched floor in the hut, helped bathe the children and wash the wounds, and later took up teaching the children. After a year of such a life, her first followers appeared - girls from wealthy families who put on cheap saris and devoted themselves completely to the poor. In 1950, Mother Teresa created the Order of the Sisters of Mercy. Then it consisted of 12 people, now there are thousands. She opened a house for the dying, where the poor could meet death like a human being, with a kind word and a glass of water, and not on the streets of Calcutta, useless and eaten alive by rats. She helped lepers, founded the "Children's House", a workshop for the unemployed and a nursing home, spiritually supported death row inmates. In 1964, Mother Teresa was introduced to Pope Paul VI. Shocked by her activities, he gave her a limousine. Mother Teresa sold the car and used the proceeds to build a house for the mentally handicapped. She has received numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize. Six years after her death, Mother Teresa was beatified by the Catholic Church.

Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993)

Audrey's turn to charity coincided with the end of her film career. In 1987, Audrey joined UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund - UN International Emergency Children's Fund), and in 1988, starring in Steven Spielberg's film "Always" (this was Hepburn's last film role), a Hollywood star and everyone's favorite became international goodwill ambassador. As an ambassador, she has been active in drawing attention to children's issues in the underprivileged regions of Africa, South America and Asia. Hepburn recalled: “I saw tiny mountain communities, slums and shanty towns miraculously get water systems for the first time, and that miracle was UNICEF. I saw how children built their own schools with bricks and cement provided by UNICEF.” Together with her husband, they traveled to many disadvantaged and dangerous countries: Audrey accompanied cargoes of humanitarian aid and sometimes, when they were not allowed through, offered herself as a hostage as a guarantor of good intentions. In 1992, the President of the United States awarded her the Medal of Freedom, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored Hepburn with the Gene Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her service to humanity. Unfortunately, this prize was awarded to her posthumously and presented to her son.

Raisa Gorbacheva (1932-1999)

The first lady of the USSR, Raisa Maksimovna, was the one who revived charity in the Soviet Union: before her, this concept was abolished along with the royal power. Her starting project was the opening of a department for the treatment of childhood leukemia at the Republican Children's Clinical Hospital No. 20, and the first installment was a fee for the autobiographical book "I Hope ...". The entire Nobel Prize of her husband Mikhail Gorbachev - and this is almost $ 1 million - was distributed among several hospitals. Raisa Maksimovna, within the framework of the Cultural Foundation founded by her, actively supported many museums and libraries. During its activity, more than 50 thousand archival documents and periodicals of the Russian diaspora, priceless works of Russian art, were returned to the country. She was the honorary chairman of the World Hematologists for Children association, personally patronized the Central Children's Clinical Hospital in Moscow, helped socially disadvantaged families, paying much attention to enhancing the role of women in post-Soviet society. Abroad, the personality of Raisa Gorbacheva was admired. In 1987, Woman's Own magazine named her Woman of the Year, the International Together for Peace Foundation awarded Gorbachev with the Women for Peace award, and in 1991 she won the Lady of the Year award.

Oprah Winfrey (born 1954)

The most successful and most influential woman in the world of media, Oprah inspires a large number of people every day with her example. Raised in a poor family, who saw hunger and poverty, survived the violence and death of the child she gave birth to at 14, Winfrey knows more than anyone how hard it is for girls in Africa.

Having become a celebrity with a billion fortune, she spent more than one million dollars on charity. Oprah, at her own expense, opened a school for gifted girls from poor families in South Africa and several educational institutions. She also regularly participates in a mass run and collects donations for the fight against breast cancer, sells her clothes to raise money to help African children. Once Winfrey visited the island of Haiti after the earthquake and provided all possible support to the victims. In 2012, she received the Oscar in the Gene Hersholt Award category from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for outstanding individual contributions to the cause of humanism.

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997)

This charming and slightly shy woman had an amazing ability to easily communicate with people from different social strata, religions, parties. In the UK, she was very fond of and was called none other than the Queen of Hearts - the "queen of hearts", or the "lady of hearts". With her active participation, hundreds of foundations were created in the world. The princess organized hospices for the terminally ill, helped children with heart disease and those suffering from leukemia. She personally visited hospitals, talked with patients, was present at operations as a nurse. Her latest mission was to ban anti-personnel mines. This movement received the Nobel Peace Prize, alas, after the tragic death of the princess.

Chulpan Khamatova (b. 1975) and Dina Korzun (b. 1971)

The first step towards the charitable activities of Russian actresses was the holding of the Give Me Life concert on the stage of the Sovremennik Theater. Shortly thereafter, Khamatova and Korzun founded the Give Life Foundation, which provides assistance to children suffering from oncological and oncohematological diseases. Actresses organize charity concerts, actions, performances, for which they attract famous artists and volunteers. The word "cancer" is no longer perceived as something inevitably tragic: according to Dina, if earlier almost all children died with such a diagnosis, now 70% of cases are treated. In 2012, Khamatova and Korzun were awarded a special prize "For Humanism" by the Council of the Russian Academy of Cinematographic Arts "Nika".

Angelina Jolie (born 1975)

Hollywood's highest paid actress first encountered the brutal reality of third world countries on the set of the legendary film "Lara Croft - Tomb Raider" in Cambodia. After visiting Sierra Leone and Tanzania, and then Pakistan, Angelina was deeply shocked and donated $ 1 million. The UN Commission proclaimed her its Goodwill Ambassador. Jolie continued to visit countries on a humanitarian mission, even while pregnant. She lived in the same conditions and did the same work as the local commission staff. The actress has created several charitable organizations. The Prime Minister of Cambodia awarded Jolie the title of honorary citizen, and a temple was named in her honor there.

Natalia Vodianova (b. 1982)

One of the most sought-after models in the world, Natalia Vodianova decided to devote herself to charity after the tragedy in Beslan: “My heart seemed to stop then. I realized that I had to do something.” And she kept her word by founding the Naked Heart Foundation in 2004, which builds playgrounds in Russia and abroad. In 2011, Vodianova launched the Every Child Deserves a Family program, aimed at breaking the tradition of refusing children with special needs. According to Natalia, working as a model takes her a maximum of two months a year - the rest of the time goes to charity.