Legendary comedian, actor, and activist Bill Cosby has a message. “You have to give, it has to be a part of you.”
Cosby teamed with The Stafford Foundation’s (TSF) CEO and founder, Earl Stafford, to announce the launch of a national Doing Good campaign on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Cosby is featured in a public service announcement promoting the project, which was created to motivate people to help others become self-reliant, according to TSF.
“Come on. Let’s do something.” said Cosby to an intimate audience at D.C. Marriott for Wednesday’s breakfast event. “We’ve got to spread the word, and spread it, and spread it and spread it…It will change you. It will change you all day long, and people need to know this.”
The announcement took place on the one–year anniversary of TSF People’s Inaugural Project, an endeavor that brought approximately 400 underprivileged citizens to the inauguration of President Barack Obama. “Since the inaugural event, the Stafford Foundation has engaged in new outreach activities, awarded numerous grants, and supported social entrepreneurial opportunities,” said Stafford.
Continuing its outreach, TSF launched The People’s Project Doing Good campaign. The campaign encourages “doing good” in many ways, while recognizing that many people who want to “do good” may not always know ways to do so, according to Stafford.
“America is home to the homeless, the hungry, the downtrodden and to the underserved,” said Stafford. “But America is also home to compassionate and caring people. We are helping people to understand that you don’t have to have a lot to do a lot.”
The Doing Good project focuses on providing the homeless with education, training and job placements. It shows how to provide children with a nurturing environment. It empowers children from low income families to develop ways to get the resources they need to attend college and improve their futures. It offers senior citizens opportunities to become positive forces in the community, provides low income neighborhoods with health programs, and brings cultural enrichment opportunities like music and art to underserved communities.
The campaign also provides an online forum where stories featuring good deeds done by either individuals or organizations will be showcased. These stories, according to TSF, are central to increase advocacy and inspire others to take action.
“I don’t care how small your job is, or how little you think you are,” said Cosby. “You are a leader. You are a leader. And when you lead, don’t forget to teach. It’s a sign that goes on and on and on, and it never stops healing anywhere. When you do good, you feel better.”
According to TSF, beneficiaries of good deeds will learn to be self-reliant, so that they may one day be capable of serving someone else in need. The announcement also featured speeches from both Stafford and Cosby. In his speech, Cosby shared his experiences from the four years he spent working as a physical therapist in the navy. “At the end of the day, I was spent from working with people, putting part of my spirit into their mind… and as I said, at the end of the day I was spent, but I did feel good.” said Cosby.
Also at the event, the N St. Village, an organization that works to empower low income and homeless women, shared success stories about clients like Mary Virginia. She was fortunate to have attended the People’s Inaugural Project in 2009.
Throughout the morning, guests were reminded of the TSF motto: “Do good, do good, do good”
See www.thestaffordfoundation.org for more information on doing good.
