Whatever It Takes (www.whateverittakes.org) is a charity artwork project that uses artwork donated from celebrities around the world to create ‘merchandise with meaning’ and has successfully launched mugs, plates and a range of bags amongst other things.

Whatever It Takes is a unique artwork campaign launched by 21st Century Leaders Foundation. The Whatever It Takes collection features ‘symbols of hope for the 21st Century’ drawn by leaders in the worlds of fashion, film, television, music and sport.

The signed artwork donated by each Leader (in this case Charlize) is his or her original work, and has been donated for the exclusive use of the Whatever It Takes campaign which has so far raised over $3,000,000 for charitable projects worldwide.

Whatever It Takes supports 21st Century Leaders Foundation in its work for key global development causes including poverty alleviation, environmental conservation and the protection of children.

Many of the world’s most celebrated public figures have put their names to the projects. By becoming 21st Century Leaders, these public figures are pledging to do ‘whatever it takes’ to address issues of the 21st Century.

Whatever It Takes works with our leaders to assist and encourage a generation of influencers to take ownership, engage in positive action, raise awareness among their communities, and champion the solutions to poverty and environmental degradation.

Charlize Theron’s donated artwork appears on our Classic Shopper bag which is available to buy from http://shop.whateverittakes.org/

Academy Award winning actress and South Africa native Charlize Theron is heading up an effort to build a foster home for children in her home country.

Her organization, the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) is donating $50,000 toward the construction of the home for orphaned and abandoned children and has challenged Citizen Effect to match those funds by having Citizen Philanthropists fund-raise $5,000 each. In the next month, Citizen Effect will be recruiting those ten philanthropists. To find out more, check out www.citizeneffect.org/p/ctaop.

“We are excited about this partnership because our goal is to help the children of Cloetesville live healthy, productive lives and we cannot go at this alone,” said Theron. “Citizen Effect allows us to get more passionate people involved and have a greater overall impact.”

Citizen Effect encourages people to choose their own philanthropic project, raise money through creative means and then see the direct impact of their work. CEO Dan Morrison says anyone can be a Citizen Philanthropist – a high school student, a young professional, or a small business owner.

“All it takes is the passion to bring your friends and family together to help make a direct impact in the lives of others,” said Morrison.

South African NGO Home from Home will be coordinating the project in Cloetesville. Their approach is to include a housemother to encourage the creation of a family unit among the kids.

Theron was born in Benoni, Transvaal Province, South Africa and her first language is Afrikaans. She grew up on her parents’ farm in Benoni, near Johannesburg. In 2003, she became the first person from any African nation to win an Academy Award in a major acting category when she won Best Actress for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster. Two years later, she received another Academy Award nomination for her performance in North Country.

She founded CTAOP in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation to help impoverished children in Africa, especially those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Theron is very politically and socially engaged. She’s involved in women’s rights organizations, and marched for abortion rights. She is a supporter of same-sex marriage and attended a march in Fresno, California in 2009. She’s also an active member of PETA and is one of dozens of celebrities to pose naked in their anti-fur campaign.

Source: Tonic

Charlize Theron says she tries to keep her personal life as private as possible on the advice of her mother.

Charlize Theron’s mother has taught her to never give too much away.

The Oscar-winning actress – who recently split from long-term partner Stuart Townsend – likes to keep some things to herself as she believes it improves the quality of her life.

She said: “There are little things that I want to hang on to for myself. I really do believe you can make certain choices in your life that give you the life you really do like.

“There are certain things in my life that I hold on to very sacredly. Maybe it was the way I was raised. My mom used to always say, ‘There’s certain things that are yours and you don’t share that.’

“I know that so much of my life is out there already. Quality of life is incredibly important to me, and I don’t know how much quality of life you can really have if it’s all out there for the world.”

South African-born Charlize has recently launched the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project and says she wanted to give something back to her native country.

She added to E! Online: “For me, going there when we launched, it was eye-opening that the things we take for granted are not the things that you can expect in rural communities in South Africa.”

Source: Contact Music

Stunning Charlize Theron, along with Vogue and Dior, hosted a dinner in West Hollywood last night at Soho House for the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.

“For me, going there when we launched, it was eye-opening that the things we take for granted are not the things that you can expect in rural communities in South Africa,” Charlize told E!

The Oscar winner brought out the likes of Nicole Richie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Dillon and rumored—yet overexaggerated, mind you—more-than-friend Jeremy Renner to help support her cause.

So how does Charlize manage to keep herself mostly about philanthropy and talent rather than a tabloid gossip target?

The Oscar winner let us in on her secret:

“There are certain things in my life that I hold on to very sacredly,” dished Theron, who looked stunning in a pink and black spaghetti-strap Dior dress. “Maybe it was the way I was raised. My mom used to always say, ‘There’s certain things that are yours and you don’t share that.’”

So could “that” be referring to her personal life, and perhaps the lucky man (be it longtime beau Stuart Townsend or supposedly Mr. Renner) she chooses to spend her time with?

“I know that so much of my life is out there already. Quality of life is incredibly important to me, and I don’t know how much quality of life you can really have if it’s all out there for the world,” fessed Charlize.

True that, honey!

Adds the talented beauty:

“I love my fans and I love how this country has embraced me. At the same time, there are little things that I want to hang on to for myself. I really do believe you can make certain choices in your life that give you the life you really do like.”

Oh, and FYI, even though Renner told us he was “there because of Charlize,” the two seem nothing more than fab friends, if you ask us.

Inside Soho House, the dinner guests were treated to Moet champagne as they enjoyed the 360-degree view of a relatively clear Los Angeles.

We’re told the woman of the evening, Ms. Theron, mingled with all her celebrity guests, including Renner, but that their interaction was just as friendly as with any of the other high-powered folks in attendance.

To learn more about the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, or to donate, you can check out the website.

The project is committed to creating a safer and healthier environment for underresourced communities in South Africa, with a particular focus on individuals suffering from HIV/AIDS.

“We started [the project] with so little and thought, ‘What is this really going to change?’ And 18 months later I went back and there were about eight faces that I knew we affected and changed their lives,” Charlize says.

“Nelson Mandela came out of this area. How can you not invest? I always say even if you can only send two dollars and you don’t think that’s gonna make a difference, trust me, it does make a difference.”

Source: E Online

Charlize recently wrote an article for the Huffington Post about her past trip to South Africa. You can also watch a video of her trip below.

The first time I ever visited the Umkhanyakude district in South Africa was to celebrate the launch of the initial Mpilonhle mobile health unit, which my charity — the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project — helped to fund. Mpilonhle is an organization that provides innovative health and education programs to this rural district’s schools and communities. Run by Dr. Michael Bennish, Mpilonhle uses mobile health units to treat individuals’ medical, psychological, and sociological needs. This care would not otherwise be available in these areas due to the extreme level of poverty.

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