Celebrities are not always about the glitz and glamour. They also advocate causes dear to their hearts.
ROCKER Amy Search is well-known for his crazy, wild antics on stage but what many do not know is that the singer has a philanthropic side to him as well.
When folks at the Armani Exchange invited the rock legend to be part of the A|X Loves Japan event in Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur, last weekend, he didn’t hesitate.

Amy Search

“I am inspired by the people in Japan who do not let natural disasters to tear them apart as a nation. They stand united through the adversity and this is one of the many lessons we Malaysians should learn from them,” said the rockstar.
“I agreed to be part of the event because it benefits the people affected by the deadly tsunami which happened in March. I feel that it is my responsibility as a human to help them. I cannot be in Japan to lend a helping hand, so this is the best that I can do to ease their suffering,” he said.
Amy also revealed that he is thinking about writing a song that would benefit not only the people in Japan, but around the world.
“I can’t reveal details about the song yet, but I really want to do something that can shed more light to the plight of the people in Japan and other parts of the world,” said the rock singer.
The rocker was one of the many celebrities who took time off their tight schedule to spend a few hours with their fans and encouraged them to donate to the fund.
The proceeds from the fund will benefit the Malaysian Red Crescent Society to assist the Japan Red Cross in the disaster relief efforts.
Many of the celebrities who were at the event hoped that their involvement would garner more positive attention to the cause and encourage others to do their part as well.
Despite her busy filming schedule, actress Carmen Soo also made an apperance, simply because she felt that it was only right that she did her part to help the people who are in need.
“This is seriously the least that I could do for the victims. Everyone helps in whatever way they can and this is how I show my support – by showing up and getting other people to take notice of the event.
“I wish I could do more but when everybody chips in to do their part, it definitely makes a big difference in other people’s lives,” she said.

Making a change

Also hoping to make a difference in people’s lives is none other than former radio personality Datuk Yasmin Yusuff who, for the fourth year in a row, is getting her celebrity friends to join the Relay For Life 2011 event, which raises funds for the National Cancer Society of Malaysia.
“I had lost a friend to cancer and most people would have definitely lost someone they know to cancer. There is so much to do to educate people on this illness and spreading the awareness,” said Yasmin.
The former beauty queen has managed to get celebrities like Daphne Iking, Chelsia Ng, Ramona Rahman, Sarimah Ibrahim and more to join the “celebrity lap” – in which the celebrities would walk during the event – and raise more funds.
Over the last three years, Yasmin’s “celebrity team” has raised over RM70,000 for the fund and she hopes that they can add to the sum substantially this year.
“The fight for cancer has never ended and everyone should be aware of that,” she said.
Also putting their celebrity status to good use are none other than entertainers Nazrudin Habibur Rahman, Jehan Miskin, Jaclyn Victor, Cheryl Samad and more.
They are all set to put on their running shoes and participate in the Ntv7 Feel Good Run 2011, during which they will run for 3km with their fans who registered for the race.
The proceeds from the run will be channelled to Yayasan Jantung Malaysia, Malaysian AIDS Foundation, The National Autism Society of Malaysia and National Cancer Society Malaysia.
Celebrities not only take time off to help people, they also pool their resources to help other causes such as animals and environment.
Celebrities like Elaine Daly and Lina Teoh are also involved with the RedRibbon Days’ Reduce Your Carboon Footprint: Experience it Locally programme which highlights the importance of reducing one’s carbon footprint.
The initiative allows the celebrities to highlight great activities that can be done locally thus eliminating the amount of carbon footprint and saving the environment eventually.
On June 5, Elaine and Lina will join 10 other personalities including Amber Chia and Hansen Lee on a bus to spread awareness about saving carbon footprints around KL.

For more information on Relay For Life 2011, go to cancer.org.my and for details about the Feel Good Run 2011 go to ntv7.com.my/feelgoodrun.