Monday, September 29, 2008

Paul Newman, Philanthropist

Since I was crossing the east coast this weekend (5 states in one day!), I'm a few days late posting the sad news about actor and philanthropist Paul Newman. I'll leave his movie credits to our in-house movie buff Laura, so I'll mention just a few of Mr. Newman's philanthropic activities. In 1978 he created the "Newman's Own" brand. Being a privately held company, he's been able to use 100% of profits for his charitable work. He established and funded Hole in the Wall Camps for kids with mental illness (a camp that's attracted a lot of celebrity backing, by the way). His dedication to the less fortunate has long been well-known. Indeed, I think most would agree that he lived true to his own motto: "I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer, who puts back into the soil what he takes out."

I really enjoyed NPR's story on Mr. Newman, which I listened to while driving from DC to Baltimore on Saturday.

1 comment:

LKM said...

I was definitely saddened to hear that Paul Newman passed away. He was an amazing actor (my favorites are 'The Sting', 'Color of Money', and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof') and philanthropist. I found a few more details on his nonprofit Newman's Own line from 'Entertainment Weekly'. Since its founding in 1982, Newman's Own has generated $250 million in proceeds; there are 11 Hole in the Wall Camps around the world for children with serious medical conditions, and over 135,000 children have been able to attend those camps.

This exceptional philanthropist has left us a unique and remarkable gift in the Newman's Own Foundation.