LOS ANGELES, California — Uma Thurman may be best known for her role as the Bride in “Kill Bill” Vols. 1 and 2. She has received multiple nominations for her acting and won a Golden Globe. However, after battling samurais and Yakuza gangs on screen, she continues to fight for children to live safely in her personal life. Now acting as spokesperson, activist and National Board member, Thurman has supported multiple charities over the last 18 years.
Room to Grow
Established in 1998, Room to Grow supports the needs of children born into poverty. This is done by providing personalized education and support to children through age three. Parents also receive community resources for each stage of their child’s development. While operations are held mostly in America, any family can travel to the Boston or New York sites for aid. The organization supported 600 families in 2016, a number which increases annually.
Uma Thurman is starting co-founder of Room to Grow. She continues to host and sponsor various programs in its name. She also resides on the National Board of Directors as part of the leadership team. In 2001, Uma Thurman hosted a baby shower, giving a portion of her gifts to expectant mothers. In 2014, she hosted a Fall Gala in Boston for Room to Grow. The funds raised went to supporting newborns. She has attended multiple other galas and benefit auctions. Most notably, she speaks on behalf of children in poverty, explaining the importance of having a safe, nurturing life early on.
“Research and time has shown that they [the first three years in a child’s life]are the crucial years as far as setting a child up for the potential of success and being able to grow into functional and successful adults,” Thurman said in an interview with the Knockturnal during Room to Grow’s 2016 Spring Benefit. She further discloses how much effort both the organization and the parents involved must exert. This has created bonds and a community that Thurman holds very dear. “Every single child that we give a better life to is another member of our community that will be able to give back.”
Thurman and Poverty
Uma Thurman also supports other organizations aiming to help those in poverty, such as the Children’s Defense Fund and USAID (United States Agency for International Development). By extending help and developing partnerships, USAID assists people in countries with high mortality rates and a rapidly changing environment. Assisted countries, in turn, create an economy and jobs.She acted as a spokesperson for USAID as well, starring in short commercials requesting aid in the Horn of Africa. The series of videos asks for donations regarding war, famine and drought in third world countries. While supporting multiple other organizations with varying aims, Thurman has stuck with Room to Grow to support the parents and children affected by global poverty.
To Uma Thurman, the organizations mean a lot more than just helping others, especially since she has two kids of her own. She still acts in movies and television shows, but her role in humanitarianism deserves just as much credit.
– Daniel Bertetti
Photo: Flickr