Former Bad Boy Penn Uses Time to Help People.

Sean Penn was once best known for tearing up hotel rooms and punching paparazzi; he now uses his time to help people. In fact, last month he received the coveted Hollywood Humanitarian Award from the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards organization.

Penn’s Desire to Help People Now Centers on Haiti

Penn has always been a political activist; in 2002 he paid $56,000 to publish an open letter to then President Bush, imploring him to end the violence in Iraq. But Penn has also helped several charities over the years; two of these are Believe in Dreams and LA GOAL. Believe is dedicated to help people who are chronically ill to make their everyday lives easier, while LA GOAL is geared to help people who are developmentally disabled adults; individuals much like Penn’s 2001 character in I am Sam. In 2005, Penn was in Louisiana immediately after Hurricane Katrina; helping to rescue victims and begin rebuilding New Orleans.

These efforts, though, are pale to those Penn has dedicated to Haiti. Immediately following the January earthquake, Penn was in Haiti and established the Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization (JP HERO). JP HERO is the camp manager for a tent city with 55,000 Haitian residents. It has since become known as Camp Penn and is viewed as a city of hope. Working with multiple government entities and the US military, 70 volunteers work in the camp. It is run with no administrative overhead so that all donations given to JP HERO go directly to the Haiti effort. So impressive are the camp’s accomplishments, that the Clinton Foundation has donated $1 million to help JP HERO continue its work to help people. Thanks to Penn’s success, schools are opening, health care is available and rubble is being cleared away so that people might return to their homes.

Microgiving congratulates Sean Penn and the success of his humanitarian work. Like Mr. Penn, Microgiving strives to improve the lives of those in need. If you would like to join our recipients list, or would like to help people and learn more about becoming a donor, please visit our website.

Tags: act of kindness, charitable giving, Fundraising, Help People, MicroGiving