© U.S. Fund for UNICEF/Sandeep Biswas

"I think that the celebrity is a really important thing, because we have the voice that's recognizable, that can educate people to make a difference and empower them to make a difference, and to also get things in motion with the people in charge that can effect change."

 

Profiled in the April 2006 issue of InStyle, Alyssa Milano was appointed U.S. Fund for UNICEF Ambassador in 2003 and gives her wholehearted support to UNICEF in a variety of ways.

Here's the latest on her efforts.

In early 2007, Alyssa Milano is participating in UNICEF UpClose, an awareness-building campaign powered by Yahoo! Answers. The UpClose program is a new forum for discussing the challenges facing the world's most vulnerable children. She asked: "What can we do to make the world's children a priority in '07?"

In November 2005 and 2006, Alyssa lit the UNICEF Snowflake in Los Angeles for the holiday season. The UNICEF Snowflake is a dazzling crystal ornament which graces the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills during the holiday season as a beacon of hope, peace and compassion for vulnerable children around the world.

As a round table panelist, Alyssa discussed the importance of youth involvement in HIV/AIDS awareness during the October 2005 launch of UNICEF's global campaign against AIDS.

Alyssa's second official field visit, to India in June 2005, coincided with the six-month anniversary of the tsunami disaster.  While there, she visited some of the worst-affected areas to witness UNICEF's relief and rehabilitation efforts. MTV DJ Cyrus Broacha accompanied Alyssa on her journey, capturing a video that was later broadcast on MTV.

Alyssa voiced her hopes and concerns for the world's children in an interview for the Spring 2004 issue of the U.S. Fund's Every Child publication.

Visiting UNICEF-assisted projects for children affected by HIV/AIDS and landmines in Angola in May 2004, Alyssa narrated a virtual field trip, including some of her own photographs from the visit.

Alyssa served as spokesperson for the 2004 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign and hosted the kick-off event at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York City.

Alyssa appeared on CNN in December 2003 to help celebrate 50 years of celebrity support for UNICEF.