Sophia Bush is known for her acting, activism and philanthropy work. She has been focusing on the latter and empowering others to leave a global impact. She has partnered with PayPal on an initiative this Giving Tuesday and she sat down with CelebMix to tell us all about this important cause that is close to her heart.
CelebMix: You’re extremely well known for you acting but how did you get started in your philanthropy work?
Sophia Bush: Perhaps it would look to someone on the outside as though one came after the other, in fact they were reversed. I am lucky to have grown up in a household that was accepting of and encouraging of my desire to be engaged in my community through my whole childhood and all of that simply carried over. The ah-ha moment for me was that the platform was given to me, with a million eyes on you it can be very intimidating – but I realized that I can use this, I can shed a light on environmental advocacy, political advocacy and advocacy for women and girls with a megaphone which has made this public attention really purposeful and the most more important part of our job.
CelebMix: Tell us more about Giving Tuesday?
Sophia Bush: Giving Tuesday is one of my favorite days of the year, the holidays are very overwhelming, stressful and the meaning can get a bit lost. Giving Tuesday offers us a day to breathe and take all of that energy and turn it outward because the best kind of giving is giving to the world around you, supporting a community. It has been very exciting to see it take off as a movement, the last two years has been the most impactful and partnering up with PayPal and their Giving Tuesday push has been amazing, last year they raised $64 million dollars for charity and I am hoping that this year we can match it or beat it.
CelebMix: That’s insane
Sophia Bush: It is, so the way that it works is PayPal will make donations go further. So on Giving Tuesday, they match 100% of donations up to $500,000. After Giving Tuesday all the way until the end of the year, they match 1% of all donations that are made on Paypal.com/giveback. That’s where you go to do your donating and that’s how they get all the matches going.
CelebMix: What advice would you give to a young person who wants to get involved in charity and make a change in their community?
Sophia Bush: “What breaks your heart and what makes you angry?” How are you affected by suffering and injustice? When you understand that, then you know where to go… then you know where to show up and help the helpers. There are advocates in every community doing the work and if you’re just getting started then you need to show up and help them do it. Whether that is volunteering at a local shelter, donating money or time at a local organization in your town that you believe in.. that’s really the way to start making an impactful change, that’s part of why I am excited about this partnership with PayPal because when you go on paypal.com/giveback you can search charities by topic and location… so you can figure out what’s going on in your local community and how to get involved.
CelebMix: So, what’s next for you?
Sophia Bush: Fall has been very exciting, I did a ton of traveling and campaigning around the election and I have been in a lot of casting all of the fall for my pilot and now we are in pre-production, gearing up to get shooting and it’s… one thing after another but in the best way possible.