28
Feb
Sarah McLachlan: Empowering Women through Harmony and Charity
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in That Girl
Her ethereal voice has been heard all over the airways lately in commercials for the Society for the 
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). But Sarah McLachlan’s charitable soul has been giving back to a variety of causes since she stepped on stage and into the limelight.
This Canadian singer/songwriter/activist has been putting out hits for over two decades. Starting with her 1988 debut album, Touch, McLachlan has been rewarded with a slew of gold and platinum selling albums — not to mention four Grammys. But her contributions outside the recording studio definitely rival in resonance any sonic accomplishments.
Her most well-known contribution was Lilith Fair. The music festival celebrated the power of femininity while offering more than 100 female artists the opportunity to perform in front of millions of fans. But McLachlan’s altruistic ambitions have only continued to grow since then. She started the Sarah McLachlan Foundation in 1999 which introduces music into the lives of young Canadians in under-served communities. She also has been advocating for animals through her touching SPCA commercials and as the spokesperson for the B.C. SPCA. Her commercials have already moved animal lovers to donate $30 million to the rescue organization.
McLachlan took the majority of the $150,000 production budget for her 2004 video, “World On Fire” and donated it to eleven charitable organization including War Child, Help The Aged, Engineers Without Borders and CARE. Proving money isn’t everything, the music video (which only cost $15 to produce) ended up receiving a Grammy Award nomination for best short form music video.
In recognition of all her charitable work in her native Canada, McLachlan is set to receive the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award on March 28, the night before the annual televised Juno Awards show — basically the Canadian version of the Grammys. This selfless entertainer continues to grace the world with her uplifting melodies and generous heart and she’s inspiring a world of bellists to do the same.
photo by duane storey