She may not be a Hollywood A-lister… But Katia Gomez is being touted for her A-list efforts to help those less fortunate.
The 24-year-old Latina philanthropist was the big winner at this year’s Do Something Awards, organized by DoSomething.org, which recognize celebrities and philanthropists for their charitable and activist efforts.
Gomez, who grew up in a single parent home where her mother always found time and money for Katia’s education, received the Do Something Award – along with a $100,000 grant – for creating Educate2Envision, which provides education for young citizens of Honduras.
While on a volunteer trip to Honduras, the third poorest country in Latin America, Gomez saw firsthand the effects of a young population in extreme poverty, where almost half of the population is 16 years old and younger and more than half of all Hondurans survive on only $2 a day. Gomez took her own passion for education and created Educate2Envision to show the opportunities that education can bring. Educate2Envision works in three remote and has brought secondary education to more than 450 students.
Lea Michele took home the TV Star: Female award. The 25-year-old part-Spanish Glee star thanked PETA’s Michelle Cho and reminded the audience to not ride horse-drawn carriages in New York, an issue she’s been speaking about alongside PETA.
New American Idol judge Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon picked up the Do Something Award in the Couple category.
The Do Something Awards, which also featured performances by Flo Rida and fun., will be presented on VH1 on Tuesday, August 21 at 9:00 pm ET.
Here’s the full list of winners:
The Do Something Award Katia Gomez
Athlete Hope Solo
Comedian Joel McHale
Couple Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon
Facebook Ben Affleck and The Eastern Congo Initiative
Music Artist Will.i.am
Style Giuliana Rancic
TV Star: Female Lea Michele
TV Star: Male Cory Monteith
Twitter Kristen Bell
Winners revealed online following the show:
City Miami, Flor.
Film Invisible Children Kony 2012
Movie Star: Female Emma Stone
Movie Star: Male Josh Hutcherson
Reality TV Show Dancing With the Stars
TV Show The Big Bang Theory