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On January 28, 1985, a day after the American Music Awards, stars gathered in Jim Henson studios under the direction Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie to record “We Are The World.” The goal was to raise money and awareness about hunger in Africa. Proceeds were donated to the newly formed charity, at the time, USA for Africa (www.usaforafrica.org). To date, over $63 million dollars have been raised from this original recording co-written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson.

Allstate joined President Barack Obamas call for a national day of service on Jan. 19, designating the 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday as Allstate Beyond February Give Back Day…Thousands of volunteers across the country answered Allstate’s call to service. Here are a few photos and highlights from Allstate Give Back Day 2010…

This February, in celebration of Black History Month, Payless ShoeSource will help support African American and other minority youth with the second annual Payless Inspiring Possibilities Scholarship program. For this program, Payless will be selling a limited-edition I Believe necklaces for only $4 that are available in more than 800 stores nationwide and Payless.com® while supplies last. Payless donates 100 percent of the net profits of the necklace to the Inspiring Possibilities Scholarship program, which was established with the National Urban League (NUL), last year.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed MLK Day into law making it recognized as a Federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday…Two years ago, the insurance company Allstate developed their own program called Allstate Give Back Day on MLK Day in an effort to do their part to realize Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision and demonstrate their own commitment to serving the communities in which they live. Additionally, Allstate Give Back Day annually selects Give Back Day Heroes who generously serve and positively impact their communities through year round volunteerism.

NEW YORK—The following is a statement by Wyclef Jean on yesterday’s magnitude 7.0 earthquake outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti: “Haiti yesterday faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced. The magnitude 7.0 earthquake – and several very strong aftershocks – struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince.

Here’s the latest from the Black AIDS Institute on the Trump AIDS campaign. In support of the campaign there is a bid whist tournament. Visit http://www.trumpaids.org/ for a listing of all of the cities that are participating and for more information…The Martin Luther King Jr. weekend kick-off event in Atlanta, GA includes a Bid Whist Qualifying Tournament and Health Fair in partnership with local Atlanta organizations Sister Love and AID Atlanta.

NBC Nightly News “Celebrities Making a Difference” special week long series. Country singer Tim McGraw talks about his charity founded with wife Faith Hill to help communities in need and it’s special focus in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina NBC’s Amy Robach.

In honor of World AIDS Day, I have posted several videos as well as a wealth of resources, at the end of this post, with links to articles/news about HIV/AIDS on this blog as well as organizations and news from around the globe.

Whether or not you wear a red ribbon, do something as simple as joining a Facebook group focused on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. The more we raise awareness on HIV and AIDS the greater our chances are for ending this worldwide epidemic.

Jenesse Center is proud to announce the dates for the 2010 Silver Rose Weekend, chaired by Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry. Celebrating its 30 year anniversary of continued service in the community, Jenesse will kick off the weekend event with the annual Silver Rose Gala and Auction on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, followed by the 2nd Annual Halle Berry Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, April 19, 2010 at the Wilshire Country Club.

(Thursday, November 12, 2009) NBC Nightly News “Celebrities Making a Difference” special week long series. Halle Berry shares her dedication to working with domestic violence survivors with NBC’s Natalie Morales.