Supermodel Heidi Klum was just honored by the American Red Cross for her volunteer work. She received the organization’s Crystal Cross Award which honors celebrities who have shown exceptional support of the Red Cross and its goals.
Klum, who is constantly doing charity work, was honored for her particularly hard-working endeavors during Hurricane Sandy in the fall of 2012. Klum offered many items from her Truly Scrumptious line of baby and toddler clothes and nursery décor for those in need.
Held at the French Embassy in Washington D.C., the event was star-studded. Klum told People magazine,
“I try to give back. After Sandy, we got a gigantic truck and we loaded it with blankets, diapers, kids’ clothes and toys because it was right around the holiday season and we went to Long Island (New York). So many people had lost everything, and everything was wet and it was a big mess. The Red Cross has such an infrastructure to help you, you need all these hands.”
She adds, “I try to get a lot of goodies from the people I work with. I realize how fortunate I am. When you go out into these desperate situations, when you sit at a hospital with sick children, of course it changes you. We are used to seeing horrifying catastrophes on television, but when you are about to go and be there and see the sadness on people’s faces and the things they just lost, it makes a huge difference.”
Past recipients of the award include Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Josh Duhamel, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sean Penn.