On Tuesday night, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson attended a benefit concert at Manhattan’s Carnegie Hall to raise money for Sting’s Rainforest Fund and the charity auction that took place at The Pierre hotel afterwards. Guests at the action included Sir Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson, Bruno Mars and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

The charity helps indigenous people who have been affected by the destruction of rainforests. The auction was a great success and helped many of the funds. For example, a guest paid $26,000 for Tom Hanks to record his voicemail message. Tom Hanks offered to leave a personalized greeting in the voice of any of the characters he’s made famous, from Forest Gump to Woody from “Toy Story”. “I’ll do your whole menu,” he shouted during bidding. “Press 1 for Parts and Service! Press 2 for Speedy Delivery!”

We've added some photos of the evening to our gallery.

That's right, on March 31, we celebrate Tom Hanks all over the world ! It all started in 2003 in Chicago with some of his biggest fans, including Kevin Turk and a handful of Western Michigan University students. It was first a joke, then a national event before going international a few years ago. Tom Hanks himself supports the event as it helps raise money for his favorite charity, Lifeline Energy, of which he is the US ambassador.

Founded in 1998, the Freeplay Foundation is now called Lifeline Energy. The foundation is committed to providing innovative and practical energy solutions and to ensuring sustained access to information and education via radio. The organization donates specially designed wind-up, solar powered radios to remote villages in Africa to provide information and communication.

This year, Fizz Bar & Grill in Chicago will host the event and show Tom Hanks films and television shows from noon to 6:00 p.m., host drink specials and even Tom Hanks trivia and costume contests. The theme is the 1988 coming-of-age classic Big, and guests are encouraged to sport attire that plays along. There will also be a screening of the movie.
Admission is a five-dollar suggested donation (raffle ticket included) and T-shirts will be sold for 20 bucks a pop.
100% of the proceeds raised from the event in Chicago go directly to Lifeline Energy, and there have even been a few years that Tom has matched out donations.

Happy International Tom Hanks Day !

Last night, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson attended Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XIII in Phoenix, Arizona. We've added photos of the evening to our gallery.

Recognized as one of the nation's elite charity events, Celebrity Fight Night is a star-studded evening presented in honor of the featured guest, Muhammad Ali. Celebrities and professional athletes from all over the country participate in a night filled with incredible live auction items and live musical performances by many stars. Throughout Celebrity Fight Night's 17-year history $70 million has been raised with the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute as the primary beneficiary. Numerous other charities have benefited and countless lives have been changed thanks to the tremendous generosity of our supporters.