Is Jon Bon Jovi the New Bono?
We all know how involved Bono is in world affairs. He'd be the first to admit that he certainly won't allow us to forget it. It seems New Jersey's boy-made-good Jon Bon Jovi is starting to further expand himself into the do-gooder realm as well. Like Bono' s band, Bon Jovi has been making hit records for 20 years (in fact, Vh1 named their Livin' On a Prayer the top song of the 80s). Anytime an artists has been on top that long, they often begin to look for new adventures. Both Bono and JBJ have done the movie thing, with Bono writing one and Jon taking on several acting roles. And, they both have looked to non-music business interests. Bono and pals have invested in Dublin real estate and he recently acquired a stake in Forbes. Jon co-owns the Philadelphia Soul arena football team. Beyond these similar off stage pursuits, the two stars also share a passion for helping out. We're all aware of Bono's efforts on Debt, Aids, Trade and Africa, but not as many may realize JBJ's penchant for lending a hand.
Unlike world citizen Bono, Jon is still very much a local boy. Iain 2001, he was named Humanitarian of the Year by The Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties near his hometown for his charitable work in the Garden State. That same year, he. was very heavily involved in post 9/11 fundraising and was one of the first stars to lend his name and time to the effort. But, he does work for global issues as well. He is a vocal part of the One Campaign and performed at the Philly Live 8 show. According to Wikipedia, he's also Jon Bon Jovi has worked on behalf of the Special Olympics, the American Red Cross, and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Most recently, Jon's forays into helping others landed him the newly created role of Founding Ambassador of the Habitat for Humanity Ambassador program as part of the nonprofit's new advocacy outreach initiative. In selecting Jon, Habitat looked to his prior service with the organization. In 2005, he Bon provided funds to build homes in Philadelphia and helped build the homes Whit the new owners. The band even used the construction site for their "Who Says You Can't Go Home" video. Earlier this year, Bon Jovi made a $1 million donation to build 28 Habitat homes in Louisiana as part of the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts Earlier this month, Bon Jovi announced a new project that will rehabilitate an entire block of homes in north Philadelphia. Like Bono, Jon backs up his talk, by walking the walk. Now, all he needs are some cool shades!