Audrey Hepburn

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"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, 'I'm possible" (Audrey Hepburn). Audrey Hepburn seems to take her own saying to heart as she goes through award after award and continues to do what she loves each day while, at the same time, providing aid for children in foreign countries. Hepburn was born in Brussels, Belgium on May 4, 1929. She lived with only her mother, Ella van Heemstra, due to her father, Joseph Hepburn-Ruston, abandoning her and her family at age 6. World War II struck and Hepburn had to go through so much during this time (hunger, sickness, and disease); she received remarkable aid from UNICEF. After the war finally came to a close, Hepburn and her mother moved to England to pursue her career in dance. ("Audrey Hepburn."). Her dance career kicked off as well as her acting career which she used to earn money for her family. Soon Hepburn became so scarce in food she was forced to quit her dancing temporarily. Hepburn joined UNICEF in the 1970s and devoted the rest of her life to the cause and to the children; during Hepburn's lifetime she received many awards for this inspiring humanitarian work. But even as Hepburn fell to colon cancer, the awards didn't stop there; she was rewarded with one last award: the Jean Hershot Humanitarian Award for her work with UNICEF ("Audrey Hepburn Biography" AETN UK).Audrey Hepburn rises above being just a typical movie star; she is a role model to many people due to her kindness at heart, her motivation to make a difference in children's lives, and her many accomplishments.

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Hepburn is kind hearted because she didn't join UNICEF for money; she joined out of the kindness of her heart. Throughout out all of her major accomplishments in her life there is one she always wants to be remembered for: "While Hepburn's acting was highly appreciated in her lifetime, she would doubtless prefer to be remembered as UNICEF's hardworking fairy godmother." ("Audrey Hepburn Biography" AETN UK). Hepburn exceeded many of the goals she set in her life but one that she is most proud of is her role as the Ambassador of UNICEF. Her pride in her humanitarian work shows how her heart is in all the right places and how she uses her kindness, as well as experiences, to help others. Though Hepburn didn't ask for a reward, people believed she deserved many: "'She knew better than anyone else that the [reward] for such work lies in the eyes of those in need of [help]," Sir Peter Ustinov wrote in the European. "It is they who bring it home, in all its simplicity, that such work is worthwhile'" ("UNICEF People"). She sees when people need help so she helps them; other people noticed this and believed she should get a reward for her kindness. Hepburn acts out of the kindness of her heart; not for money or publicity on her part; if anything she was getting publicity for UNICEF so that more people would join the cause. Hepburn showed, throughout her whole life, how much pure kindness she has in her heart; she does what she thinks is right, not what she thinks she can get more money for.

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Hepburn is an extremely motivated person who tries her best at everything. She traveled to so many different countries to try and make a change. Because of Hepburn's motivation, if she set a goal she exceeds it, but the main thing that kept her motivated towards the end of her life was UNICEF:"'I can testify to what UNICEF means to children, because I was among those who received food and medical relief right after World War II...'" "...Towards the end of the 1960s Hepburn retired from films to devote herself to family life, emerging only for a handful of films in the 1970s and 1980s. She devoted the final years of her life to UNICEF" ("UNICEF People"). She was motivated to become an Ambassador of UNICEF because she went through similar tragedies as the children she helped. She doesn't want any child to have to endure what she went through during her childhood; therefore she devoted herself to UNICEF and her humanitarian work. Hepburn was motivated to make a change in the many lives of underprivileged children in foreign countries: "Making more than 50 trips, Hepburn visited UNICEF projects in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. She won a special Academy Award for her humanitarian work in 1993, but she did not live long enough to receive it" ("Audrey Hepburn Biography" A&E). Hepburn's motivation came from her experience of being unprivileged during her childhood due to the war. She was motivated to make a change in hungry, cold, and scared children's lives. She was so motivated that she went to all those different places all the way up to her death. Hepburn showed a great deal of motivation all the way up to her death in 1993; she continues, even after death, to motivate many people around the world to make a difference and support effective charities such as UNICEF.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Hepburn ())

Hepburn is good natured because, although she isn't forced by anyone to join a charity, she feels like it's the right thing to do to pay them back for the kindness they exhibited during her grief. Hepburn participates in a worldwide group called UNICEF that helps underprivileged, hungry, and ill stricken children in foreign countries by raising money as well as going straight to the many countries in need: "She became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF in the late 1980s. Traveling the world, Hepburn tried to raise awareness about children in need. She understood too well what it was like to go hungry from her days in The Netherlands during the German Occupation" ("Audrey Hepburn Biography" A&E). It's in Hepburn's nature to help with UNICEF because of the events that took place in her childhood. Hepburn knows what it feels like to go hungry and be sickly with disease due to her experiences. She is good natured because she doesn't want any child to go through what she did and she definitely doesn't want any of the children to die from causes she knows she can prevent. Through pain and heartbreak, Hepburn perseveres and continues as a humanitarian all the way up to her death: "In 1992, Hepburn was diagnosed with colon cancer and she died in January 1993. She was posthumously awarded the Jean Hershot Humanitarian Award for her work with UNICEF" ("Audrey Hepburn Biography" AETN UK). Even after Hepburn fell to a tragic unpreventable illness she was still honored with well-deserved awards for her continual sincerity and humanitarian work. This just comes to show how inspirational she is and will continue to be for many years to follow. Hepburn is good natured because, even though she wasn't forced to do anything, she still did it anyways because she had a certain respect and loyalty to UNICEF because of their hospitality and overall greatness towards her and many others.

Audrey Hepburn rose above being just a typical movie star; she is a role model to many people due to her good nature, kindness at heart, and her motivation to make a difference through UNICEF. Throughout Hepburn's life she has showed all the characteristics of a true hero; volunteering for UNICEF, all of the goals and accomplishments she went above and beyond for, and her commitment and devotion for what she loved to do. Audrey Hepburn inspires me and many others each day to think about other people around us rather than be selfish and only think about ourselves. I try every day to incorporate other people into my schedule and help them; I have Audrey Hepburn to thank for that. Through all of her heartbreak, hunger, and illnesses, Audrey Hepburn will always be remembered as an inspiration, role model, and as UNICEF's fairy godmother.

Work Consulted

"Audrey Hepburn." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 5 Dec. 2012.

"Audrey Hepburn." Newsmakers. Detroit: Gale, 1993. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 5 Dec. 2012.

"Audrey Hepburn Biography." Audrey Hepburn. AETN UK, 2005-2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2012..

"Audrey Hepburn Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012..

"Hepburn, Audrey." Britannica Biographies (2012): 1. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

"UNICEF People." UNICEF. UNICEF, 19 June 2003. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. .