The ‘O Ambassadors’
In 2008 Oprah headed another initiative that succeeded in building a school in Kenya. The idea was to give students a mission to change the world in a small way. Oprah and her Angel Network teamed up with the Free the Children organization and launched the initiative.
Thanks to the program, students were able to build a school in Kenya and raise money for school supplies. No doubt, they made an actual difference in their communities.
Hot Meals for All
In addition to the rebuilt homes, Oprah forked out even more money for Hurricane Katrina's reparations. Thousands of people needed so much help, with many needing nothing else but a hot meal. The daytime star donated $1 million from the Angel Network to an initiative that handed out hot meals to the hurricane victims.
The $1 million went to America’s Second Harvest (now known as Feeding America) which is, according to the New York Times, a food bank that feeds hungry people all over America.
Pajama Program
Genevieve Piturro, the founder of the Pajama Program, a philanthropic organization that provides pajamas and books to disadvantaged children, was once a guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2007. She appeared on the show to share her story about how she created the organization.
Little did she know that prior to the taping, Winfrey and her producers challenged all of her audience members to see how many pairs of pajamas they could give. Thanks to that, 32,046 pairs of pajamas were collected that day. Piturro was utterly speechless by the gesture.
Oprah's Favorite Things
It's no secret that the daytime star loves to spoil her loved ones, and Oprah certainly loves her audience. To add some holiday magic during the festive season, Oprah annually picked her favorite things that she bought that year and featured them on the show's segment, aptly named "Oprah's Favorite Things".
These things ranged from lobster truffle and mac and cheese to laptops and iPads and even some diamond-encrusted watches worth thousands of dollars. Year after year, Oprah would treat all her audience members to these wonderful goodies, treating them like royalty for a day.
Making Dreams Come True
One of the country's biggest providers of after-school mentoring, The US Dream Academy is a leader in education for at-risk youth. Oprah could not resist making her contribution to this organization.
In 2009, the superstar donated $900,000 to the charity, singlehandedly transforming it into an even better, more sophisticated, and technologically advanced after-school educational center. Gotta love her.