Every now and again, my focus shifts from fashion and beauty (the so-called superficial things in life,) and I shine a spotlight on the more philanthropic aspects of celebrityhood! I had the opportunity to speak with the charming and charitable Téa Leoni about her lifelong involvement with UNICEF. She was ever-so gracious, accommodating and informative. (And don’t worry… I did ask her one fashion question… You can always count on me for that.) 

 (Great Pic, Right? Haha.)

You are very involved with UNICEF. How did you get involved?

Since I was a kid. I think my first major UNICEF appearance was on the David Hartman show – not to date myself.  But that was some time back and I was wearing a bear costume and we were running on the stage with our orange UNICEF trick-or-treat boxes. And that’s where it all started. That’s where I got the idea that later on I’d be an actor.

My daughter is now seven and she has an understanding of what I’m up to… so that when I’m traveling the field out in Honduras or Vietnam, she’s very supportive. She’s come to the age where she’ll say my mom is doing what her grandmother did. And I love that.

Tell me more about being a Hollywood mom! Tell me about your children! Is your daughter keeping you active and in shape?

Actually she’s mellowed out. It’s the four-year-old boy that keeps me in shape. Yeah. Well, we like to wrestle; which is a really good work out as it turns out. You know, we like to wrestle and both my kids love to swim. And I don’t know we just get goofy.

Does your son have an understanding about UNICEF?

No, not yet. I mean he did when we went trick-or-treating and he understood that the orange box was for kids that maybe didn’t have so much like he has and you have to sort of put it in those terms for now. But he’ll get it.

When did you first get an understanding of UNICEF?

I think for me it certainly growing up with my grandmother. I was always aware of what she was up to but I think that – I would say that – truly, I think it all came together when I  first went into the field when I went to Honduras. When we went to Honduras we were working with the salt farmers to get iodine into the salt, because iodine deficiency can cause mental retardation and a bunch of other problems and this was an endeavor my grandmother had started over thirty years ago and we were there to see the UNICEF program… And thinking that this was something that my grandmother had worked on so long ago. I think it put in perspective for me that this will always be an endeavor. It will forever be an effort that can be made and should be made on behalf of the world’s children and it’s not something that you do once. I think you have to be vigilant and – and hopeful…. My grandmother passed in 1987 but I’ve got an idea she’s watching.

What are you wearing?

Nicole Miller. And then I had this made – this wrap – with the UNICEF blue which is, as it turns out, kind of hard to find. This jewelry. This piece is designed by Di Modolo and I’ve been working with Di Modolo jewelry for three years now and we had suggested that maybe we could design a piece together that we could sell where the proceeds – all of the profit – would go to the US fund for UNICEF. So we did. We designed one piece that’s just pure gold and no diamonds but it has the UNICEF emblem inside one of the circles.

What’s your favorite thing about your husband, David?

Oh gosh so many things. The kids he gave me. The mind he has. The heart. The soul. God, and the humor for sure.

xoxo,
Lauren

P.S. Check out more star-supported Charities: Celebrities and Their Causes

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