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The People Who Made a Difference in Our World – Billionaire Philanthropists
Think of a world without philanthropists. It would be a world of more suffering and struggle than we now know. But thanks to billionaire philanthropists like Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and many others like Warren Buffet and Jeffrey S. Skoll, families can put food on the table, get access to education and even better get medical intervention vaccines without money. These philanthropists are daily making the world a better place as they work towards the uplifting of every human being.
Billionaire philanthropists like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, and Warren Buffett all share the same story of humble beginnings. They all grew up with a strong work ethic, were determined to be the best at what they did, and were also willing to take risks and make sacrifices to succeed in business. These people were not born with silver spoons in their mouths, they were born into very normal families and suffered through the same hardships of being poor as most of us. They’re also all famous for their generosity.
A philanthropist donates to good causes. They may do so by donating their money, time, experience, skills, and talent. A philanthropist cares about the welfare of others and strives to make the world a better place. Though we often think of them as people with a high net worth, they don’t necessarily need to be that rich. However, there have been philanthropists who’ve made bigger strides than others to further the goal of philanthropy.
Pitbull
The list of billionaire philanthropists is quite long with celebrities like Pitbull aka “Mr. Worldwide” also giving back to society by donating to Sports Leadership and Management Academy to support the disadvantaged young people in Little Havana, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. The award winning pop singer was in 2015 inducted into a hall of fame that honors individuals who continue making notable contributions to children’s health. Pitbull is the celebrity ambassador for causes such as The Campaign For Miami’s Children and Together For The Children. Armando, Pitbull’s first legal name, has been involved in the opening of two charter schools located in Las Vegas and Miami respectively. His philanthropy efforts have primarily focused on the well being of children, especially improving the life of youths in Miami.
Bill and Melinda Gates
Bill Gates philanthropic efforts are known to almost everyone alive, and he is the most famous of all. He has a net worth of more than $130 billion and is believed to have donated more than $50 billion to different recognized nonprofits worldwide. His biggest donation was a 4.6 billion worth of 64 million Microsoft shares which he donated to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Foundation created in 2000 by the Gates Family shares the vision to better the “quality of life” for people worldwide. It has used its donations in funding the distribution of educational resources and providing access to healthcare. It has also donated $957 million to GAVI Alliance which has helped many countries get vaccines.
David Thomson
David Thomson is among the wealthiest billionaires, and is numbered with these Canadian billionaires. This is thanks to the large inheritance from the family business under the instruction of his grandfather, Roy Thomson. However, that does not mean that he wasn’t a successful businessman. On the contrary, David Thomson was already a billionaire running his Osmington Incorporated company. David is also a lover of art and has donated over $276 million to Toronto Museum.
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffet is another household name with over $46 billion in donations since 2000 and has a net worth of over $96 billion. He is the CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. He is known for donating to other Foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Sherwood Foundations, among very many others. He is said to have given among the biggest donations ever when he pledged to give over $1 billion to support his children’s Foundations.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is perhaps one of the most influential women in the world. One could attribute this to the fact that she is a “self-made” billionaire. She is also a philanthropist as her Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation has donated millions to further educational causes. For instance, she has donated over $140,000,000 to The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy. Not only has she inspired young women through her donations for their uplifting, but she has also supported Time’s Up, the Museum of African American History and Culture, and N Street Village.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan, the celebrated NBA player, also has joy in philanthropy. He has helped by donating $2,000,000 towards the Hurricane Florence relief, and he has also supported causes like Friends of the Children. He has also donated $10 million to help build medical clinics across his hometown.
Mark Zuckerberg
The Chan and Zuckerberg family is also a family with a passion for philanthropy. The Zuckerberg family pledged to donate 99% of their family wealth to support the uplifting of humanity. Mark Zuckerberg donated over $1.8 billion worth of stock in 2017 to the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation to support education initiatives, justice, and science worldwide.
Mark Scheinberg of PokerStars
Mark Scheinberg created PokerStars, the famous real money casino game, in partnership with his father in 2001. When working as PokerStars’ chief executive, the company grew to become among the largest poker sites on the internet. The company has managed to host online poker tournaments with worldwide participation. They acquired the Irish online company in 2015 called Full Tilt Poker. That saw the growth and stability of Mark Scheinberg’s net worth. He is giving back to society today with his philanthropic efforts such as providing access to clean water to people around the globe under the One Drop Foundation he founded. In 2012 the French Canadian billionaire played in the first ever $1 million buy-in poker tournament for charity that raised more than $5 million for the foundation. Two years later in 2014 another $1 million buy-in tournament held in Las Vegas raised about $4.6 million for the One Drop Foundation. In 2020 together with his family he formed the Scheinberg Relief Fund with an allocation of about $50 million to help during the Covid 19 pandemic.
These billionaire philanthropists have been leaving their footprints in the special causes for bettering human life for years. However, we also have hundreds of other philanthropists working towards this common good. Remember, anyone can become a philanthropist as long as you dedicate your skill, talents, and abilities to bettering the lives of fellow human beings.
