– Clooney-led telethon is one way celebrities use fame to aid in disasters
TELETHONS tend to occur almost as suddenly as the catastrophic events that make them necessary.
Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, actor George Clooney helped to organize “America: A Tribute to Heroes,” which took place only days after the attacks and raised more than US$100 million for various charities. In 2004, Clooney again helped to stage a telethon after the Tsunami hit in South Asia. And after Hurricane Katrina, three major telethons were staged.

George Clooney has lent his talents, and famous name and face, to Haiti relief efforts, hosting the “Hope for Haiti” telethon. (Matt Sayles photo)

Last night, Clooney (was scheduled to host) “Hope for Haiti,” which was slated to have been aired between 8-10 p.m. ET on several networks, including NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN and others.

It will also be streamed online on MSN.com. It will feature stars such as Brad Pitt, Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman, Jon Stewart, Robert Pattinson and more, and musical performances from Madonna, Beyonce, Rihanna and others. The event will be hosted by Clooney in Los Angeles, Wyclef Jean in New York and Anderson Cooper in Haiti.

It doesn’t take much arm-twisting to get average citizens to make donations in the face of such tragedy. Yet the mere presence of celebrities can be particularly persuasive in generating money for a cause.

“It has a huge impact in terms of awareness,” said Atul Tandon, executive director of the international network and executive vice president of investor relations for United Way. “It brings a focus to what is happening, it brings the situation to the attention of the American public and the American people.”

Celebrity Cabinet helps out in times of need

The American Red Cross is one of the charities that will receive funds as a result of Friday’s telethon. Julie Thurmond Whitmer knows the drill. As director of celebrity and entertainment outreach for the American Red Cross, she has helped to form a cadre of celebrity volunteers who are ready at a moment’s notice to pitch in when disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti strike.

“The compassion of the American public, including those in the entertainment industry, is in abundance and in full force after a disaster like this,” Whitmer said. “We have what we call the National Celebrity Cabinet, which has 34 members. We reach out to them right after disasters to help us.