Project 365 – She’s Not Katharine Hepburn

Both women were actresses.   Both were slim, both beautiful.

But unlike the woman whose last name she shares,  Audrey Hepburn, the elegant, beautiful fashion plate, the woman who shared the screen with a Who’s Who of Hollywood’s leading men, turned away from acting in films to acting on a far larger stage – saving the lives of children around the world.

Her drive to do that may have come from her stint as the  goodwill ambassador for UNICEF but Hepburn didn’t just do her bit and walk off stage.  She used her name and fame to tell the world about the needs of children living in the United States and the half dozen continents she visited.

From 1989 until just before her death in 1993, Hepburn continued to travel, talk, testify before Congress and tell anyone she could reach just how important the work of saving children’s lives was.

Her dedication to this cause lives on today in the fund started by her sons and her long time companion –  the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund.

So, why write about a woman, an actress, long dead and no longer able to be heard?  Because she may be gone but her work, the personal investment that this one woman made in helping to save children continues 18 years later.

Sure, she had a leg up.  She had wealth, fame and a following but so did Katharine Hepburn.  Only one of these Hollywood legends used all of the weapons she had to make a difference in our world.   That’s why Audrey Hepburn made my list of 365 people and organizations who are changing the world.