With all the news of young stars behaving badly these days, it's great when one surprises you with something so kind and caring that you can't help but share. Demi Lovato, former Disney star and X Factor judge celebrates her 21st birthday on August 20th. But instead of a lavish party complete with legal (in the states) drunkenness, the starlet decided to use her stardom to promote something other than herself in her celebrations.
Lovato has spent her birthday this year with close friends and family in Kenya with Canada's Me to We/Free the Children to build a new school on behalf of the group. Of the trip, she said, "I knew traveling with Me to We and volunteering with Free The Children would give me the opportunity to have a life-changing experience I would never forget, with the people closest to me. Also having worked with the organization over this past year it’s been great to see first-hand the wonderful work that is being done as a result of all the incredible efforts of young people around the nation.”
What a breath of fresh air!
So often, we report on youth doing wild things, breaking the law, being under the influence. It's really great to see a young Hollywood celebrity do something other than that and work towards actually making a difference. Being a role model for youth should be about charity, kindness and gratitude. Not just cute clothes and celebrity.
Me to We hosts life changing trips for youth all year round and is a wonderful opportunity for teens to give back and learn about the world around them. Having a celebrity like Lovato take part in one such trip can help drive more youth to get involved in their communities or with bigger organizations like Free the Children.
I would love it if one of my boys came to me in a few years asking to volunteer on one of these trips instead of going to camp. What about you?
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