Idol Gives Back - Tonight

For six or seven years now, American Idol Gives Back

Watch Tonight on FOX 7:30/6:30c

This year, Idol Gives Back proposes to raise awareness and funds to benefit the following six charities:

The Children's Defense Fund

Priorities for children are: Ensure Child Health Coverage, End Child Poverty, Cultivate Youth Leadership

Reese Witherspoon is a CDF Board Member, and will represent CDF on Idol Gives Back



Children's Health Fund


The Children’s Health Fund is committed to providing health care to the nation’s most medically underserved children and their families through the development and support of innovative primary care medical programs, response to public health crises, and the promotion of guaranteed access to appropriate health care for all children.

The Global Fund

The Global Fund was created to finance a dramatic turn-around in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. These diseases kill over 6 million people each year, and the numbers are growing.





To date, the Global Fund has committed US$ 10.1 billion in 136 countries to support aggressive interventions against all three diseases.

Make It Right

In December 2006, Brad Pitt convened a group of experts in New Orleans to brainstorm about building green affordable housing on a large scale to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Having spent time with community leaders and displaced residents determined to return home, Pitt realized that an opportunity existed to build houses that were not only stronger and healthier, but that had less impact on the environment.


Previously, Pitt sponsored an architecture competition organized by Global Green with the goal of generating ideas about how to rebuild sustainably. Several of those designs are currently under construction in the Lower 9th Ward and the project inspired him to expand his efforts.

After discussing the hurdles associated with rebuilding in a devastated area, the group determined that a large-scale redevelopment project focused on green affordable housing and incorporating innovative design was indeed possible.

The group settled on the goal of constructing 150 homes (one of the larger rebuilding projects in the city), with an emphasis on developing an affordable system that could be replicated.

To demonstrate replicability, Pitt determined to locate the project in the Lower 9th Ward, one of the most devastated areas of New Orleans, proving that safe homes could and should be rebuilt. Pitt hopes that this project would be a catalyst for recovery and redevelopment throughout the Lower 9th Ward and across the city of New Orleans.

Having listened to one former resident's plea to help "make this right," Pitt was inspired to name the project "Make It Right" (MIR).

Malaria No More

Malaria No More's mission is simple: to end deaths due to malaria. The world has known how to beat this disease for more than a century, yet it remains the number one killer of children under five in Africa, claiming more than 1 million lives a year. Malaria No More works to raise the profile of the disease among the public, policymakers, and businesses, while engaging the private sector to provide life-saving bed nets and other critical interventions to families in Africa.



Save the Children



Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. It is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, comprising 28 national Save the Children organizations working in more than 110 countries to ensure the well-being of children.

Raising Malawi was shortlisted. Like really shortlisted. I know exactly zero details other than I got a call from Raising Malawi last Thursday to see if I would be interested in taking part in a special volunteer portion of the show that Idol was going to tape on Sunday with Maria Shriver at the Kodak Theater, I believe. On Friday I was told it wasn't going to happen after all. But then Sunday morning, I got a call saying they did have a place for me, can I get there for the 1:00 taping. But my ringer was off. I missed the opportunity.

It turned out to be a HUGE lesson in consciousness for me. I didn't do the ol' "Fox and the Sour Grapes" routine, so that's good. I didn't go deep into my disappointment. Sure, I was disappointed not to be part of this adventure, but I took the focus off myself pretty quickly and refocused on this awesome effort to help truly deserving charities. Then I put the focus back on me for 5 more minutes, but got unstuck before those 5 became 10. In total, I stewed maybe 15 minutes in little starts and fits.

So my lesson? I am the clearing. If you ever read The Art of Possibility or books like The Secret or took Landmark or something like that, you know what I'm talking about. It was in my clearing that I even was thought of and considered for this opportunity in the first place (go me!). And, alas it was in my clearing that the opportunity went away. I closed off the possibility on Friday, when I was told it wasn't going to happen.

In truth, it was going to happen and had I been more intuitive, I would've known that. But instead, I said, "Ok. Easy come, easy go. Next year for sure!" When the opportunity came back on Sunday, it didn't know where to find me. It had nothing to do with my ringer being off. Spiritually speaking, I closed those doors on Friday.

I'm really proud of myself for seeing it, not just intellectually, but intuitively. I'm going to give it my all to hold the big picture in mind. I am the clearing. When I vibrate at a higher frequency, big opportunities come into view. They just do. When I shut down or lower my frequency, I can't tune in to them anymore.

As of this minute, this American is no longer idle. ;)

Watch tonight.

And please donate to one of these awesome charities AND/OR make a donation to Raising Malawi to help the orphans and vulnerable children who truly need your help.

If you donate to Raising Malawi, please let me know how much so I can count it against my total goal. Thank you!