Duet Between Warren Buffet and Jon Bon Jovi for Charity

The Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy got some surprise entertainment this week as Warren Buffet and Jon Bon Jovi joined together for a duet. The Berkshire Hathaway chairman pulled out his ukulele on Tuesday to sing Bette Midler’s song, “The Glory of Love.” Mr. Bon Jovi, when getting ready for the duet, admitted that, “I’m more nervous now than I’ve been on stadium stages.”

Their performance was intended to emphasize the main points of the private meeting about charitable giving. The lyrics began, “You’ve got to give a little…” Mr. Buffett, with a net worth estimated at $44 billion has encouraged many other wealthy families to give away most of their fortunes to charity.

Jon Bon Jovi, similarly, has done a great deal of charitable work. He heads the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation which offers food and affordable housing to the needy.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation seeks to “help all people lead healthy, productive lives.”  It firmly believes all lives have “equal value” and thus tries to provide the resources people are lacking to ensure they have enough food and live above the poverty line.  Health and (adequate) wealth are the foundation’s main aims.  In America, the charitable organization (headquartered in Seattle, Washington) works toward facilitating and enabling access to educational opportunities for all, leading to a greater chance of being successful in life. The foundation’s co-chair is William H. Gates Sr., CEO Jeff Raikes, and directed by Bill and Melinda Gates as well as Warren Buffet.  Their mission is to “increase opportunities for people in developing countries to overcome hunger and poverty.”

The three main areas the foundation works in are: Global Development, Global Health, and United States.  In the first, work is done to reach as many people as possible in the areas that have the most potential for “high-impact, sustainable solutions”; in the second, attempts are made for progression in science and technology to save lives in poor countries, focusing on health issues and in the third, the  United States Program work, is geared towards citizens achieving the best – and most – education possible.