Charlize Theron, Travis Scott & More Receive RAD Impact Awards

RAD, a female-founded social enterprise that celebrates culture through cause by driving impact for charities, announced TODAY that Charlize Theron, Travis Scott, Margot Robbie, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Laverne Cox will receive inaugural RAD Impact Awards. The RAD Impact Awards will honor cultural icons who inspire purpose. Each of the RAD Impact Awardees will pick a charity to share their award with and that charity will receive an impact donation to fund a project benefiting others. The RAD Impact Awards will launch virtually on April 22nd and run through April 29th.

"After a year plus of unimaginable devastation, we were inspired to launch the RAD Impact Awards to honor and amplify positivity and purpose," said RAD founders Arianne Phillips and Carineh Martin. "We could not be more excited about our inaugural awardees, who are inspirations to us and so many people around the world for their authentic support of the causes they believe in. Empowering their advocacy and helping them create impact for their charities, while also inviting the public to get involved, is what RAD is all about."

RAD has partnered with Luxury Stores at Amazon, a new shopping experience for both well-established and emerging luxury fashion and beauty brands, to underwrite the impact donations for the five charities chosen by the RAD Impact Awardees.

"Rarely do [awards] come with such an amazing, positive impact like this one does. This is the most meaningful award I've ever been given and I'm really happy that it's going to change the lives of other people," said actress and award recipient Margot Robbie

MARGOT ROBBIE is advocating for young people with high care needs in Australia by selecting Youngcare, a non-profit organization she has previously partnered with RAD to support. Her Honoree is Emily Dash, a young woman with Cerebral Palsy, who is both a beneficiary of Youngcare's work and also serves as an advisor for their grants, advocating for the needs of youth with high care disabilities. Their RAD Impact Award will enable 15 young people with disabilities to live independently, through the love and service of Youngcare.

CHARLIZE THERON is supporting education for South Africa's youth with her RAD Impact Award, which will provide the opportunity for every child in Buffalo City (Eastern Cape province) to return to school. COVID-19, social and economic issues have caused school dropout to increase dramatically to 30% in the Eastern Cape Province in the last year. These children need to be returned to school if they are to succeed and thrive (escape the vicious cycle of poverty). Her charity is CTAOP and her Honoree is Aya Jezile, a 26-year old black woman from the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, who used her experience working for a CTAOP program to advocate for the empowerment of youth in her community and educating young girls especially to stay in school.

TRAVIS SCOTT is using his RAD Impact Award to provide several Waymon Webster scholarships to empower and enrich deserving students at HBCUs through his Cactus Jack Foundation. His honoree is Raquel Simpson, a sophomore at Howard University, who he selected to receive the first scholarship in this series. The Cactus Jack Foundation believes the youth should not be prevented from attaining their lifetime goal and is committed to extending educational opportunities to all, regardless of their circumstances to achieve their dreams.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS is supporting girl's education in India with her RAD Impact Award and the positive, direct effect it has on mitigating climate change. She is sharing her award with Devishi Jha, a youth climate justice activist who works with ZeroHour and UNICEF's national council in support of girl's education. Their RAD Impact Award will provide technology for girls in rural areas of India, through the work of Avanti Fellows, so they can benefit from equitable access to high-quality colleges and professional growth that will create a better life and future for them.

LAVERNE COX is advocating for positively impacting the quality of life for vulnerable communities who identify as LGBTQIA-2S, immigrants and refugees and for those who are experiencing behavioral health challenges, housing insecurity, and are at-risk for HIV/AIDS through her support of APAIT. She has chosen Kadence KING as her Honoree. Kadence is a black trans-female who has benefitted from bridge housing provided by APAIT and is now "thriving not surviving" in Los Angeles. Their RAD Impact Award will provide a safe and loving home at Casa Zulma for 32 LGBTQ homeless individuals in Los Angeles.

Luxury Stores is providing additional support by creating a shop dedicated to the awards season and guest curated by Sarah Andelman, called the RAD Impact Edit. The new storefront presents an 'awards at home' theme and features luxury brands including Altuzarra, Aquazzura, Car Shoe, Charlotte Chesnais, Charvet, Clé de Peau, CVC Stones, Deveaux, Dundas, Elie Saab, For Restless Sleepers, L/Uniform, La Bouche Rouge, La Perla, Marina Moscone, Mark Cross, Mateo, Oscar de la Renta, Révive, Rodarte, Roland Mouret, and an assortment of luxury beauty brands from multi-brand retailer, The Conservatory. Luxury Stores is donating to the RAD Impact Award charities, including 100% of Amazon's sales proceeds from the RAD Impact Edit between 4/22-4/30. Customers can visit the Amazon mobile app, then enter "Luxury Stores" in the search bar to shop the RAD Impact Edit."

Michelle Obama has accepted the RAD ICON Award for her extraordinary commitment to inspiring purpose, positivity and progress and Amanda Gorman has accepted the RADVOCATE Award for inspiring youth through prose. RAD worked with Mrs. Obama's When We All Vote for an Emmys campaign with ten nominees, called RAD at Emmys, and a talent-driven Voter Registration Day campaign. RAD worked with Gorman last fall on a social unity campaign to empower the youth vote through a performance of her poem, "Vote 4 the Future," which RAD co-produced and amplified through its network and across five national voting organizations.

Each of the physical awards is an original piece of art by Jacky Marshall, a female artist in New York, which features the following verse from Amanda Gorman's inauguration poem: "For there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it." Each Awardee and Honoree will receive an award. The RAD Impact Awards launch April 22nd on RAD's website and Instagram page. For more information, please follow @RADvocacy and #RADonLuxuryStores.

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