Rudy Gobert Quotes

Charity fundraising galas have always been a wonderful way to support a myriad of causes.

I'm obviously very involved with my own charity and foundation that I work with. Obviously, I'm very passionate about that.

'Giving 2.0' was born of my desire to redefine and democratize philanthropy.

I launched Chefs for Humanity, a national nonprofit, with my voice, heart and money from my own pocket. Money gives you the ability to make a difference in the world and, when used in a positive way, is a lot of fun.

Too often in our communities many families have not even been aware that certain charities exist; and at the same time, there are many who are willing to volunteer their energy and their resources to help these charities, yet they do not know these charities even exist.

One of my dreams in life is to do fund-raising for the youth.

I started off with making personal donations and eventually set up my own foundation, VTCY Foundation, now known as Better Malaysia Foundation. My contributions are also made through companies that I own.

The system of volunteerism is divisive. It pits one charity against the others for the charity dollar.

I was on the board of Andre Agassi's foundation, and seeing the way it operated blew my mind. In 2002, I told my wife, I want to start a foundation to give back, I want it to be for kids in hard circumstances, and I want it to be culinary-driven, because that's who I am.

I've long wanted to find a charitable cause to really get involved with and be passionate about. I get invited to a lot of charity events to sing, and I am happy to help and bring a source of entertainment, but I'm sort of disconnected from them.

I am currently doing about 30 charity auctions a year.

You can express your generosity in ways that are virtually limitless. This was what I wanted to convey in 'Giving 2.0' - that whether you have $10 or $10 million to give, if you identify the right opportunities and make the most of your resources, your impact can be tremendous.

But charity is a very complicated thing. It's important to find an area where you can really help and you can feel the results. Charity is not like feeding pigeons in the square. It is a process that requires professional management.

Charity is very difficult to do right. Thinking through what people need: You can't start a charity without that. It's like starting a business without the product.

Meeting people who want to start a charity, help out their families, or raise money for a good cause has been really fun.

Sometimes when I speak to groups or I'm interviewed by a journalist, I ask them to imagine their communities without Girl Scouts - to imagine the thousands of food drives and clothing and toy collections that would never take place if not for Girl Scouts.

I have failed a lot in my philanthropy, where I will make philanthropic contributions and they just won't be effective.

I support many organizations that I feel are doing the right thing, like Alonzo Mourning's foundation, Alicia Keys' foundation, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and other well-established foundations. I kick out a lot of time and money wherever I can.

When I was younger, I played sports and went to camp. As I got older, my parents began to instill in us the importance of giving back to the community, especially those places around the world that are less fortunate than my very privileged life growing up in Los Angeles.

I don't think I've got the expertise with which to nit-pick, and I freely admit that my motivation to support charities has been emotional, rather than as a result of being particularly well informed as to how the money is used.

If people see that I'm fully committed to my chosen charities and fully engaged in their issues, maybe they'll click a link to find out more.

I created my own charity called My Peak Challenge. We've been able to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds. It's helping change people's lives, and I've had lots of wonderful letters about it.

Support for charities takes many forms. Some people give their money, some their spare time. I give my name and my voice. We give what we can to make a difference to the people and issues that matter to us. But what's most important, especially for celebrities, is giving our genuine commitment.

Points of Light - through our affiliates in 250 U.S. communities and 15 international sites - engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year touching countless lives.

I think that with the success of the team, more people realize that Blackhawks charities exist.