NEW YORK CITY – Andrew Garfield, star of “The Amazing Spider-Man,” provides new reasons for why Spiderman trumps his rivals, Superman and Batman.
He and his girlfriend, fellow actress Emma Stone, made a joint appearance at a Worldwide Orphans charity event last summer, during which Garfield was proclaimed as the new Ambassador of Sport for the non-profit.
According to the organization’s founder, Dr. Jane Aronson, “Andrew’s partnership with the WWO is about that superhero within each child. Every child grows up loving superheroes and dreaming about doing great things. WWO is about children believing that they can do great things in the world.”
Garfield was inspired to work with the WWO after recently becoming an uncle and landing his dream role of Spider-Man, who grew up as an orphan.
The actor traveled to Ethiopia and Haiti to meet the children he supports in person through the WWO, which holds a unique vision and methodology. The non-profit aims to help orphans realize their full potential by integrating them with their communities. Thus, the foundation works with both orphans and other local children to better bridge the divide between the two groups.
WWO has a wide variety of programs. Not only does it provide one-on-one psychological counseling services to help orphans cope with their circumstances, but it also provides healthcare services, educational support and college assistance, as well as enrichment programs with extracurricular activities.
As an Ambassador of Sport, Garfield specifically serves in the latter niche—helping orphans adjust through recreational outlets and fostering their physical and emotional development.
He has also been tapping into his rising star power to promote WWO. Last fall, he and Stone carried quirky cardboard signs reading, “We just found out that there are paparazzi outside the restaurant we were eating in. So, why not take this opportunity to bring attention to organizations that need and deserve it? Have a good day,” with a link to the foundation’s website.
Garfield also caused quite a stir when he danced in front of hundreds of live audience members and millions of viewers on “Ellen” to raise $10,000 on behalf of WWO.
The superstar explained, “There’s a certain responsibility that I start to feel more and more as I stop denying the fact that I’m becoming a more public, visible person. If you find yourself in a situation like that, you have a responsibility to do something with it.”
A celebrity who is brazen enough to one-up the paparazzi and to make a fool of himself for the welfare of impoverished orphans? –Now that is a true superhero.
– Melrose Huang
Sources: Worldwide Orphans, Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, IBN Live, OK Magazine
Photo: Glamour