© U.S. Fund for UNICEF/Chau Doan

"There is no greater cause than making the world fit for children. I feel very strongly about carrying on the family tradition by working with UNICEF to help improve the lives and well-being of children everywhere." 

Téa Leoni was appointed U.S. Fund for UNICEF Ambassador in 2001.  A third-generation UNICEF volunteer — her grandmother Helenka Pantaleoni founded the U.S. Fund for UNICEF — she continues a 50-year family tradition of improving the lives of children worldwide.

Here's the latest on her efforts.

In early 2007, Téa Leoni 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 teach our kids about the world's children?"

In October 2006, Téa appeared in Life magazine along with fellow UNICEF Ambassadors Sarah Jessica Parker and Angela Bassett to discuss her work with UNICEF and raising global citizens.

Traveling to Viet Nam in October 2005 on her second official virtual field trip for UNICEF, Téa helped raise awareness of the global spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly as it affects women and children. She visited several UNICEF-assisted projects, including a hospital which provides services that help prevent mothers infected with HIV/AIDS from transmitting the virus to their babies and a support group that helps women whose husbands and/or children are living with the disease.

In October 2005, Téa co–hosted, along with Eric Idle of Monty Python fame and co–writer of the Broadway musical Spamalot, the Concert for Bangladesh DVD launch and screening in Los Angeles. All artist royalties from the new DVD and CD are being allocated to the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF, which provides support services and aid to women and children in Bangladesh and other countries in crisis.

Promoting Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF to schools across the nation in 2003, Téa encouraged students' and teachers' participation in this long-running volunteer campaign.

In 2004, Téa helped initiate the U.S. Fund for UNICEF's AIDS Action Team to build financial backing for UNICEF programs that provide care and support for children orphaned by AIDS, prevent mother–to–child transmission of HIV and prevent young people from becoming infected.

Téa arranged to have a donation made to UNICEF in exchange for her participation in Di Modolo's jewelry spread in Vanity Fair magazine's October 2004 issue.

Téa traveled to Honduras on her first official field visit in August 2004.  She recorded her experiences in a virtual field trip.