With a new year people often try to turn over a new leaf, this is the case for actor Charlie Sheen who recently embraced social responsibility by helping Alabama tornado victims. Many remember that he started off 2011 with his Aristotelian fall from grace. It was his manic interviews; comments about winning, tiger blood and other antics that ultimately lead to being fired from the CBS hit comedy Two and a Half Men and replaced by Ashton Kutcher. The embattled star made headlines and was the punch line of many jokes last year. 

Charlie Sheen poses with police officers and National Guard soldiers in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (May 2011 Photo/Alan Blinder)

Things seemed to have shifted for Sheen and he appears to be back on track. Not only has he managed to keep his name off the gossip blogs, but has begun this year a little differently by donating $25,000 to aid with tornado relief in Alabama.

Sheen had visited the area after the April 27 twisters, which took nearly 300 lives, and he promised to help. His grand fundraising suggestions included a relief show and arranging a celebrity baseball game, with the goal being to raise $25,000. Unfortunately, these plans never came to fruition, and many believed he had forgotten about his promise. This was just more fuel to the tabloid fodder that was Sheen’s life in 2011.

However, Sheen turned out to be a man of his word and made the donation as promised. He made this contribution to the Alabama tornado relief fund without fanfare through the aid website he set up. In the end he personally gave $15,000 and the other $10,000 came by way of donations to the site. “He said he wanted to raise $25,000, and he made good on that,” said Bob Maron, one of Sheen‘s managers.

This is a good example of social responsibility and how people can grow and change. Sheen has begun to calm down and act more like a responsible adult rather than the frenzied playboy persona he lived up to last year. One of the best parts about Sheen’s donation was the way that this brought media attention back to the tornado victims. This donation, though it was done discreetly, made headlines. Sheen’s contribution to the victims will hopefully spur other notable figures and everyday people to help. With disaster relief, aid comes directly after an event, but given the twenty-four hour news cycle, stories are often pushed to the backburner and forgotten about. So kudos to Sheen for not only making good on his promise, but for bringing the spotlight back to this needy cause.
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