Christy Turlington is another example of a beautiful supermodel who puts her good looks to green use.
Turlington, who is married to actor Edward Burns, served as a guest correspondent on the “Today Show” back in the early 2000s. She reported on educational opportunities for Afghan girls in 2002 and also did an interview with the Dalai Lama in Dharmsala, India.
She became interested in the health care field after her father died of lung cancer. It prompted her to not only quit smoking, but also participate in public service announcements for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Cancer Society, and the American Lung Association. She also created the website www.smokingisugly.com which made people aware of lung cancer and listed ways to quit smoking.
Turlington began working with CARE, the organization that helps fight poverty worldwide. It was her work with CARE that moved her to complete a Masters in Public Health at Columbia University’s Mailman School. She has also partnered with such organizations as Adopt-A-Minefield, Cancer Cure, the One Campaign, and Peacewomen.org. She also served as a spokeswoman for RED, which raises money and awareness for The Global Fund. Proceeds for this go to help those affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.
After the birth of her daughter Grace in 2003, Turlington began to hemorrhage. Everything turned out fine, but she later realized had she not had immediate healthcare, she could have easily died. She filmed the 2008 documentary No Woman, No Cry, which focused on maternal health in such places as Tanzania, Bangladesh, and Guatemala as well as the U.S.
She then launched Every Mother Counts http://www.everymothercounts.org/issue, an organization to educate others about maternal and child health. Turlington’s web site points out that every 90 seconds, a woman dies due to complications of childbirth, but that 90 percent of those deaths could have been preventable.