SEATTLE, Washington — Milo Ventimiglia is an actor best known for his starring role in This is Us. This role, among many others, has made him into a high-profile star. Because of this, he was selected by the organization Red Nose Day to see how people in developing countries live very differently than people in more developed countries do. Milo Ventimiglia visited Kenya for Red Nose Day to see how children there live and how Red Nose Day donations are improving their lives.
About Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Ventimiglia is a well-known actor, producer and director. Born in 1977, he is best known for playing Jack Pearson in This is Us. He has also played Peter Petrelli in Heroes, Ted Gray in Pathology and Chris Ford in Killing Season, among other roles. He won the Screen Actors Guild’s Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble in a Drama Series for his role in This is Us.
Milo Ventimiglia is also a humanitarian. When not directing, producing or acting, he spends his time trying to make a difference. He has worked with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, attending and raising awareness for ceremonies held in honor of famous veterans. This topic is near and dear to Ventimiglia’s heart because his father is a war veteran. However, Milo’s humanitarian work does not end there. Milo Ventimiglia visited Kenya for Red Nose Day in 2019.
About Red Nose Day
Red Nose Day is an organization that seeks to end child poverty. They do this by raising funds through two means. First, they sell their trademark red noses through Walgreens. Second, they entertain people by hosting events and posting videos only on March 24, the titular Red Nose Day. Since its inception in 2015, Red Nose Day has raised more than $200 million. This has impacted 25 million children worldwide. The organization has provided 19 million children with essential health services, 41 million children with meals and 54,000 children with access to educational resources.
In April of 2019, Red Nose Day officials asked Milo Ventimiglia to visit Kenya to see how people’s donations were helping the children there. The very first thing he saw was the many families scavenging for food and things to sell at a dumpsite. This was where he met an 8-year-old girl named Agnes who had to scavenge all day, every day. As a result, she was unable to go to school. For generations, Agnes’s family has had to scavenge in the dumpsite to survive.
Making a Difference
While he was in Kenya, Milo Ventimiglia brought a cameraman who filmed the whole experience. The film was posted online to raise awareness for Red Nose Day. Thanks to this film and the resulting donations, Agnes is now attending a residential school that is funded by Red Nose Day. She and the other students now have an education, uniforms, a bed, nutritious food and the chance to have fun with their friends. Agnes dreams of becoming a pilot. Thanks to Milo Ventimiglia and Red Nose Day, it looks like her dream could become a reality.
Milo Ventimiglia visited Kenya for Red Nose Day. When he did, he saw the far less than ideal circumstances in which many families have to live in order to survive. However, his efforts also showed that donating to Red Nose Day can give children who are living in those circumstances a better chance at life, including better education, better meals and even just the chance to be a child.
– Cassie Parvaz
Photo: Flickr