Songs in A Minor by Alicia Keys is a strong debut album. In 2002, it received five Grammy Awards, peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 list, and sold 12 million copies. Keys continued to write and record music while traveling the world as an artist even though she was just 20 years old at the time. But she soon added nonprofit co-founder and activist to her resumé.

In 2003, Keys and campaigner Leigh Blake founded Keep a Child Alive. In order to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS and combat the stigma and discrimination that fuel the pandemic, the organization supports and collaborates with grassroots organizations in Africa. For instance, the Blue Roof Wellness Centre run by Keep a Child Alive in Durban, South Africa, offers meals, psychosocial support, testing, and counseling to kids and families dealing with the condition.

The Black Ball is a concert and fundraising gala that Keys and Keep a Child Alive put on every year. The 2015 occasion, which collected $3.8 million and featured performances by Keys, Lenny Kravitz, Wale, and Lion Babe, was emceed by Chris Rock.

Born: January 1, 1981

Nationality: American

For more than 40 years, Glenn Close has acted in both cinema and television, making appearances in films like The Stepford Wives, The Big Chill, Fatal Attraction, 101 Dalmatians, and many others. She has had six nominations for Academy Awards; the most recent was for Best Actress in the 2011 movie Albert Nobbs. Glenn Close is a co-founder of Bring Change 2 Mind, a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness, but away from the camera.

The Close family is familiar with the difficulties that those who live with mental illness encounter firsthand. Both Close's sister and her nephew have schizoaffective disease. Close's sister has bipolar disorder.

Bring Change 2 Mind creates PSAs and coordinates social media campaigns to encourage discussion about mental illness and put an end to stigma and discrimination.

Born: Marchh 19, 1947

Nationality: American

The NBA's golden boy is Stephen Curry. After winning the Most Valuable Player Award in 2015, just when you thought he couldn't surpass himself, he won it again in 2016 with an unprecedented unanimous vote.

But in between workouts, trips, matches, and Nike advertisements, Curry is working to shield people from malaria by supporting the UN Foundation. In order to generate money for the Nothing But Nets #CallYourShot campaign, which distributes bed nets to individuals in Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Burundi, and South Sudan, he collaborated with the international organization in 2016.

Curry has actually been a supporter of Nothing But Nets ever since he competed at Davidson College as a student-athlete. In a video encouraging colleagues, friends, and supporters to support the fight against malaria, he states, "I've witnessed firsthand that a simple net may save a life."

Born: March 14, 1988

Nationality: American

While Michael J. Fox's role as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future films may be his most well-known accomplishment, his foundation is shaping the future of research on Parkinson’s Disease, a degenerative neurological condition that can impair motor function, memory, and mood in addition to showing other symptoms.

Fox rose to stardom as an actor in the 1980s TV drama "Family Ties" and later appeared in films like Teen Wolf and Stuart Little as well as shows like "Spin City" and "The Good Wife." In 1991, he received a diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson's disease, and in 1998, he went public with it. He established the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 with the goal of advancing medicines and finding a cure through ambitious, risky research.

The organization has contributed more than $450 million to the study of Parkinson's disease since its founding. Its research focuses on a variety of issues, including vaccines to delay the disease and the development of a standardized scale for evaluating dyskinesia, the involuntary movements that are Parkinson's disease's most obvious symptom.

Born: June 9, 1961

Nationality: Canadian, American

Angelina Jolie is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. Throughout her career, she has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards, she has also been named Hollywood's highest-paid actress many times. She has appeared in numerous box office successes in Hollywood, such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith, A Mighty Heart, and Maleficent. But the actress started a career in humanitarian work after filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in the conflict-torn country of Cambodia.

She decided to get active with the UNHCR after the encounter by contacting them. Jolie visited refugee camps in Sierra Leone and Tanzania during her first year with the group, gave $1 million to help Afghan refugees, and was appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.

Jolie has been employed by the organization for the past 15 years and has participated in numerous field operations. She continues to raise awareness of and provide relief for displaced individuals all around the world while serving as a Special Envoy For Refugee Issues.

Born: June 9, 1975

Nationality: American

Since the 1960s, Willie Nelson has been a mainstay of country music and has recorded an astounding 68 studio albums. Fans continue to see the 83-year-old perform live as he tours the nation, loving him for songs like "Always on My Mind" and "On the Road Again." But Nelson's influence goes beyond radio stations and country music charts.

Together with Neil Young and John Mellencamp, Nelson arranged the inaugural Farm Aid event in 1985. Thousands of people still gather for the celebration of family farmers, fund-raising, and motivation to pick foods from family farms more than 30 years later. Some of the best performers in the world get together each year to support Farm Aid and Nelson's cause. Past performers have included Matisyahu, Tegan and Sara, Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joel, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, B.B. King, and Billy Joel.

Farm Aid has raised more than $50 million for family farmers since it started, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

Born: April 29, 1933

Nationality: American

On April 21, 2016, the world lost a man and gained a legend. Prince Harry was admired by individuals from all walks of life for his musicianship and artistic ability, but he also motivated people to accept and share aspects of themselves that otherwise may have remained hidden because of his willingness to blur the lines between gender, race, and sexual orientation.

The majority of people were unaware that Prince Harry quietly collaborated with social impact leaders on a number of issues, one of which was helping underprivileged kids get technical training and employment. Van Jones, a CNN commentator and activist, was inspired to start #YesWeCode after speaking with Prince Harry. He supported the group, encouraged it, and gave a performance at its 2014 launch.

The goal of #YesWeCode is to "connect 100,000 young persons with limited opportunities to high-paying employment in technology." The foundation links underprivileged youth with tools to help them learn how to code. They help young adults enter the thriving web development industry by offering technical training and apprenticeships through their Coding Corps program. Although Prince Harry kept his activism and philanthropy a secret, friends have started to talk about his advocacy. Like his musical legacy, his commitment to social justice will have an ongoing impact on the world.

Born: September 15, 1984

Nationality: British

American singer-songwriter-pianist-record producer John Legend also plays the piano. According to his organization's website, American artist John Legend had dreams of using his success to advance the causes of social justice and equality when he was a young man. He realized that dream with the Show Me Campaign, which he established in 2007.

The charity's goal is to eliminate the cycle of poverty, and among the things it has done in Africa is increase access to clean water, healthcare services, and economic ventures in underprivileged areas. The Show Me Campaign's main objectives in the United States are to ensure that every child receives a high-quality education and to address issues related to mass incarceration and the "school-to-prison pipeline." The organization supports giving those who are leaving the criminal justice system help and opportunity as they try to reintegrate back into society. In addition, Legend gave the Springfield City School District $500,000 to build an auditorium that bears his name and is located inside the Springfield Center of Innovation.

Born: December 28, 1978

Nationality: American

Jennifer Lynn Lopez, better known by her nickname J. Lo, is an American singer, actress, dancer, and fashion designer. In 1991, Lopez began her career as a member of the "Fly Girl" group of dancers on the comedy television show In Living Color. She remained a regular person until 1993 when she decided to pursue an acting career.

Jennifer Lopez, an American actress and artist, and her sister Lynda cofounded the Lopez Family Foundation in 2009 under the name Maribel Foundation. The present moniker was chosen in 2012. The foundation's mission is to guarantee women and children have access to high-quality healthcare, regardless of their capacity to pay for such care. It has collaborated with Children's Hospital Los Angeles to offer patients in other parts of the world without access to healthcare medical care via telemedicine (using videoconferencing technology). Additionally, it has partnered with the Montefiore Health System in the Bronx, New York, to offer services that encourage children and their families to lead healthy lifestyles.

Born: July 24, 1969

Nationality: American

Australian actor Hugh Michael Jackman AC. He began his career in theater and television before landing his breakthrough role as James "Logan" Howlett/Wolverine in the 20th Century Fox X-Men film series (2000-2017). Until his record was surpassed in 2021, this role earned him the Guinness World Record for "longest career as a live-action Marvel character." Jackman has long supported microcredit, which is the practice of giving extremely modest loans to aspiring businesspeople in developing nations. He actively backs Muhammad Yunus, a pioneer in microcredit and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Hugh Jackman and David Steingard launched Laughing Man Coffee in 2011 with the goal of combating poverty by promoting fair trade techniques that help farmers in underdeveloped nations. The Laughing Man Foundation was founded to assist the farming communities and others throughout the world with development, educational initiatives, and assistance for social entrepreneurship. The foundation is partially funded by the sales of Laughing Man Coffee. Among Jackman's other charitable activities is his work as an ambassador for World Vision, an organization that fights injustice and poverty by supporting children and their families globally.

Born: October 12, 1968
Nationality: Astralian, British

Reese Witherspoon, who was an active member in the Times Up movement, formed her own company, Hello Sunshine, in order to promote more representation in Hollywood for people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and women.

Witherspoon stated to Vogue in January 2019 that the intention of the story was to place women at the forefront. "I had become tired of playing the lone female lead in films. I was tired of reading scripts with one poorly written female role that every actress in town wanted because there wasn't anything else."

Kerry Washington, Witherspoon's co-star in Little Fires Everywhere, defended the actress and her activism, telling the publication that "there is a lot of pressure in the world about who is expected to care about politics, who is supposed to be in control, and who is supposed to be an activist." And Reese has given a very genteel, Southern, ladylike middle finger to all of it.” Reese Witherspoon will continue to be the stunning, blonde, polite Southern woman that she is while caring about intersectional feminism, who controls the country, and who has power.

Born: March 22, 1976

Nationality: American

Colombian singer-songwriter-dancer-record producer Shakira is also a dancer. She has donated significantly to charity organizations, particularly through the Pies Descalzos Foundation.

The Colombian singer offers assistance to those in need everywhere. She established the Pies Descalzos Foundation in 1997 to assist her own nation in building schools for underprivileged youngsters. When she was expecting her first child in 2012, the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and her ex-Gerard Pique asked fans to donate to UNICEF in lieu of a baby shower registry. In 2011, she was appointed by US President Barack Obama to the President's Advisory Committee on Excellence in Education for Hispanics/Portuguese – a group of four that will provide advice to the President and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. In 2014, she was ranked 58th on Forbes magazine's list of the most powerful women.

Born: February 2, 1977

Nationality: Colombian