Barack Obama: Charity Work & Causes

The first African-American president and a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, Barack Obama has already made his mark on U.S. history. But that doesn’t stop the President of the U.S. to donate his time and volunteer wherever he can.

Last year, Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian efforts and for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy.

He spoke at an event for K.I.D.S., a charity supporting disadvantaged children. He says of the charity, “It is time for a sense of empathy to infuse our politics in America… K.I.D.S. has spent over 20 years making this a reality. Now it is time for the rest of us to catch up. I look forward to making that happen.”

Obama also spoke at a charity event for girls in Omaha, helping to raise $154,000 for the group.

Besides donating and volunteering, Obama also praises other people for their humanitarian work. He served as a surprise guest at the “Let Freedom Ring!” event. Obama heartily praised Dikembe Mutombo for his efforts to bring health care and education to Democratic Republic of the Congo.

As president, Obama has made changes to help young people with their student loan repayments. By doing this, he hopes to persuade more people to do humanitarian work.

The Obamas gave $60,307 to charitable organizations, like the Illinois Reading Council and Trinity United Church of Christ, in 2006. Barack Obama and his wife donated $240,000 to charity in 2007. In addition to all that money, he has also donated all of his Nobel Peace Prize money, a whopping $1.4 million, to charity.

In 2007, Obama created a “doodle” which netted nearly $7,000 in an auction for NF, Inc.

President Obama never ceases to give people hope for the future.