The actress who had become famous for
roles on 21 Jump Street, Hangin with Mr. Cooper, For Your Love, and Like Family was now becoming well known for the fo- undation she started with her husband. The HollyRod Foundation was originally star- ted to give a voice and support those who were striving for a quality of life due to Parkinson’s disease. The HollyRod4Kids Foundation embraced children’s causes and raised funds for to assist children and their families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford services and treatment for autism. In 2009, Holly Robinson Peete decided to join Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice alongside many other well known celebrities in a chance to raise and win a large monetary donation for the charity of her choice. Holly was motivated to join Celebrity
Apprentice because she was able to discuss the demands, challenges and opportuni- ties that come with an autism diagnosis. Although she had denied the offer to be on the show several times, she admitted that it was a difficult decision because of the way that the producers of the show would portray her passion for her charity, “In the end I came to win for my charity, I came to win for the families affected by autism and I had a record big win and was sa- tisfied with that. My soul motivation was the HollyRod Foundation and I knew that with this show I would be able to take this to another level.” During her season on the show, Holly
treated every board room like an IEP me- eting, she was tough and fought for what she wanted. Her most challenging task on the show was the fundraising task where she had to get on the phone and creatively beg for money knowing that if she lost that competition, all that money would go to another person’s charity. However challenging the show was, her overall best experience was meeting the other celebri- ties and making lifelong friends, “The very best thing was making the money, the opportunity to interact with people and be serious with them was stronger than what I thought it would be.” While working with others on the show, she le- arned about the things that people will do for charity, however connected they are to it, they will do whatever it takes. Holly Robinson Peete set a record on
the show by raising more than $350,000. As a program manager she learned that
The Black E.O.E. Journal Clockwise from left: RJ Peete, Rodney Peete, Ryan Elizabeth Peete, Holly Robinson Peete, Robinson Peete, Roman Peete.
she had to learn about people’s strengths and weaknesses and what it was you nee- ded to create a good team. But the number one component she learned was managing time, “that’s not what you see on Celebri- ty Apprentice, you see the concept but a lot of the time you don’t see that you are driven by time constraints.” Having years of experience in fundraising assisted Hol- ly in becoming the runner up to win the 2010 Celebrity Apprentice. Fundraising is a challenge and requires a special and ta- lented person to ask for money. One of her secrets to getting the money almost every time is to, “know when to ask and who to ask, it’s all about timing and there is a lot of psychology involved it as well.” So what is Holly Robinson Peete going
to do with the money she won for her cha- rity? “We are trying to build a school, an education center in Los Angeles. The au- tism center is a 360° center that will pro- vide autistic children and their families with treatment and resources for what we call a neuro-biological disorder. We want to find out about their blood work and their insides; we want to treat them com- pletely from the inside out. We want to treat them behaviorally as well. One thing to understand is that when they do not feel well physically, their behavior does not do well either.” Holly adds that there are also many psychological issues that families have to deal with; there is a lot of stress
www.blackeoejournal.com
and higher divorce rate among these fami- lies. The center will provide family coun- seling to assist them in providing a stable environment for their child, “It’ll be like a one-stop-shop, where all the options are under one roof, including a barber!” Holly is undeniably dedicated to her
family and to their charity. In March 2010, she and her daughter Ryan Elizabeth Pe- ete published a book titled, My Brother Charlie. Ryan’s experience with her twin brother’s diagnosis of autism is shared in this book to bring awareness about living and coping with a sibling with autism. Around the same time, Holly’s husband Rodney Peete published Not My Boy! A Father, a Son, and One Family’s Journey with Autism, a book written from a father’s experience of denial and struggling to ac- cept his son’s diagnosis and adapting to his son’s way of life. “This book is really crucial in explaining autism and how dads can often be the forgotten parent because they process things differently. I’m very proud of him because of his honesty and he expressed himself so eloquently and I’m sure that was hard. He’s come such a long way and to share his evolution with other dad’s is absolutely priceless,” states Holly. A portion of the proceeds for both books support the HollyRod Foundation and its mission to assist people in living their life to the fullest. In addition to her work through her
63
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100