Kevin Bacon helps gay families

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • April 23, 2007 - 11:00

Bacon partnered with Network for Good to create SixDegrees.org in January 2007. photo: sagindie@flickr.com

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The organisation Family Pride has won a $10,000 grant from www.SixDegrees.org, a charitable organization created by the popular actor Kevin Bacon.

Family Pride also raised more than $30,000 for their group via a fundraising campaign conducted through SixDegrees.org.

It was one of six groups who won this fundraising campaign challenge, and in doing so, went beyond their original goal of getting 1,138 donations.

"We were thrilled with our success in the Six Degrees campaign," said Family Pride executive director Jennifer Chrisler in a press release.

"In addition to receiving money to fund our training programmes, publications, and legislative work, we have achieved new levels of visibility with Kevin Bacon's help.

"When more people know what LGBTQ-headed families look like and how we treat one another, it becomes clear that, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender, love is truly what makes a family."

Bacon partnered with Network for Good to create SixDegrees.org in January 2007.

It was inspired by the well-known trivia game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, which is played on the basis that every actor can be connected to Bacon via their film roles.

SixDegrees.org extends the concept of the game to say that everyone is connected to everyone else through their relationships-electronic and real-life ones.

The group wants people to use those widespread connections to change the world and make it a better place. Bacon refers to this idea as "social networking with a social conscience" on the official Web site.

On SixDegrees.org, people can donate to their favourite charity; create a special, computer-generated charity badge that informs their site and blog visitors about their charity; check out celebrity badges; and join Bacon's buddy list on AOL. According to SixDegrees.org, the site is already responsible for getting $632,654 (£316,212) out to various organisations.

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