Kimberly Moore: A Heart as Big as Santa Claus
Here once again we at FVM Global follow Baroness Kimberly Moore, known as Mrs. Claus, on her journey of philanthropic endeavors through her Kimberly Moore Foundation and Adopt A Letter.
Ms. Moore has been very busy preparing for Christmas, partnering with Edu Powered Media, winning the Women Image Network Award, and celebrating the charitable life with Carlos Slim, Robert De Niro, and Larry King.
The Kimberly Moore Foundation was established as an umbrella organization for such pioneering programs as Adopt-A-Letter, Keeping Harmony Alive, When Opportunity Knocks, Hope Ambassadors, and Guinea Bissau Advocacy in Africa. “These programs deliver hope to those in need who are silently crying for help,” states Ms. Moore.
Adopt-A-Letter is the keystone of the Kimberly Moore Foundation. It began as a campaign to enable private citizens to adopt letters that children had written to Santa Claus. Moore created this program in 2007 just ten days before Christmas when after a visit to the post office she realized the volume of letters, really pleas, to Santa from underserved children that go unanswered. She immediately sprang into action and enlisted an influential group of concerned and caring individuals from her private Echelon Club to adopt the letters either by fulfilling specific requests personally or by making a donation, which Moore would use to buy toys, food, clothing, and gifts for the families of the letter-writers. To date, Adopt-A-Letter has made dreams come true for over 30,000 children.
The Echelon Club, founded earlier by Moore, is comprised of successful and civic-minded people from around the world who are interested in creating a better future for the planet. Moore uses Echelon as a platform to increase awareness of the most urgent issues today and to raise money for her various charities.
A consummate networker, Moore has partnered with Edu Powered Media, an organization which produces programming and DVDs that educate children on a wide range of topics from recycling to anti-bullying. Edu Powered Media also partners with schools to help millions of children become Change Makers, who serve as ambassadors for Edu Powered programs. Their mission to empower Change Makers fits in perfectly with the Kimberly Moore Foundation’s -Hope Ambassadors.
Hope Ambassadors are youth who have been groomed through Adopt-A-Letter to become leaders in their communities and to bring their own dreams to life. In this sense, the 25 Hope Ambassadors are paying it forward, and so far they have volunteered with Moore in making wishes come true for over 10,000 children and families.
Recently, approximately five thousand people gathered at Plaza Mexico in Lynwood, California, in support of the Kimberly Moore Foundation for an 8-hour event. Hosted by actress Cindy Martinez, the event was held to benefit the Adopt A Letter program, which makes seemingly impossible Christmas wishes come true for thousands of under privileged children, many of them Latino, in Los Angeles. Participants and Adopt-A-Letter fans in the event held signs reading: “Thank You, Kimberly” and “We love you, Kimberly.” “I was deeply touched by the passion of the crowd,” says the tearful Moore.
Xavier “El Cheyo” Carrillo, Latino heartthrob and teen singing sensation, captured the attention of his screaming fans, especially the young ladies, when he performed. Cheyo, who recently befriended Moore recently joined the Kimberly Moore Foundation as Celebrity Hope Ambassador and plans to go with her door to door this Christmas making dreams come true to those in need.
Xerveo, a health energy drink, sponsored the event and offered job opportunities for those who found themselves without a job this year. Five Samsung Galaxy tablets were raffled, donated by John Raygoza, an annual contributor to Adopt-A-Letter. Mailboxes were set up so children in the crowd could deposit letters to Santa.
TV, radio personality, Estella Sneider and Mexican Folk singer, Angeles Ochoa joined Moore on stage to share their personal stories about the importance of hope. Celebrity Hope Ambassador, Real House Wife of Beverly Hills actress Joyce Giraud was on hand to lend her support and pass out surprise gifts to the crowd. Hair stylist to the stars, Patrice Bisiot and the Ruby Makeup Academy was there to educate the ladies in the crowd with hair and makeup lessons and gave free makeovers and scholarships to a few lucky girls. Testimonials from individuals and families who have benefited from one of Moore’s many programs inspired the crowd. Celebrity fashion photographer Isaac Matthew White covered the event as did the popular online magazine Pynk Celebrity, which was on hand to pick the “Celebrity for the Day” winner, little Jasmin Perez who was interviewed live by TV host Sno E. Blac and featured on the front page of Pynk Celebrity.
The Kimberly Moore Foundation is also the home of two other noteworthy programs. “Keeping Harmony Alive” provides underfunded schools with instruments to sustain music classes which otherwise would be cut, denying children access to and awareness of a vital part of our culture. “When Opportunity Knocks” is an inspirational docu-series that is dedicated to helping those in need by surprising them in their homes and making their wishes come true. The program provides mentoring, encouragement, tutelage, and real life work experience for young teens or those in helpless situations and puts them on the path towards their dreams. Just one story from this program: A man who had been homeless for 25 years living on the side of the freeway was personally assisted by Ms. Moore and finally found a home.
This year Moore’s Echelon Club was invited to the Friars Club in New York to help celebrate presentations to the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim, for the Iconic Philanthropy Award and to actor Robert De Niro for the Entertainment Icon Award. The legendary newsman Larry King hosted the event.
Moore herself has received numerous awards and honors for her work. This month, Moore and Joan Rivers will be the 2014 Honorees at the 16th Annual Women’s Image Network Awards (WIN Awards) in Beverly Hills. Other WIN Award recipients include: Elizabeth Taylor, Angelina Jolie, Senator Barbara Boxer, Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Ralf Fiennes, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Bronson, to name a few. On November 16th, she received the Humanitarian Leadership Award from the Southern California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for her extraordinary qualities of compassion and dedication to the children of the community. Last year, John Alm, former CEO of Coca Cola, presented her with the C5LA Humanitarian Award for her tireless charitable efforts. She was also awarded with the Key to the City of Bell Gardens for building sustainable programs within the community and impacting the lives of thousands of children in need.
As the Christmas season approaches, the real work begins for Moore and her helpers. You can help, too.
For more information on Ms. Moore: