PHILANTHROPHY

When it comes to being benevolent and

giving to charity, one person comes to mind:

Oprah Winfrey.

She has donated millions of dollars to

various charities and organizations, with

most of her money going to three

foundations: The Angel Network, The Oprah

Winfrey Foundation, and The Oprah Winfrey

Operating Foundation.

Given her commitment to empowering

women, it’s no surprise that Oprah Winfrey

has contributed to the Time’s Up campaign.

She’s reportedly donated $100,000 to the

cause as of January 2018, according to

CNBC.

In June 2016, Winfrey pledged $1 million to N

Street Village, according to The Washington

SOURCES: OPRAH
Post. Based in Washington, D.C., the

WINFREY
nonprofit provides services, housing and

advocacy to homeless and low-income

https://www.liveabout.com/oprah-
women in the region. Winfrey — one of many winfreys-personal-life-2535833
celebrities who donates millions — attended https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah
a fundraising luncheon for the charity and
_Winfrey
praised it for transforming the lives of

women in need. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/201

7/05/13/oprah-winfrey-untold-
story/amp/

“I believe that
SUBMITTED TO:
one of life’s
Ms. Grace Dela Peña
greatest risks is
SUBMITTED BY:
never daring to
risk.” John Lloyd B. Tabañag
Jasmine Marie O. Baluyos
- Oprah Winfrey 12 ABM 2A - Wisdom

EARLY LIFE &
EDUCATION
Oprah Winfrey was a clever and imaginative
child who developed a love of reading at an
early age. When living in Milwaukee with her
mother, Oprah earned high marks at Lincoln
High School, which led to her being transferred
to Nicolet High School in the rich suburbs.
After a tumultuous and troubling time living
with her mother, Winfrey ran away from home
at the age of 13. She was then sent to live with
her father Vernon in Nashville (although
doubts have been cast that Vernon Winfrey is
indeed Oprah's biological father). Her
biological father or not, Vernon Winfrey gave
Oprah the structure she needed and placed a
high value on education, requiring her to read
a book each week and write a book report on
it. Oprah attended East Nashville High School
when living with her father, where she enjoyed
public speaking. She was an honors student
and a member of the school's speech team.
After graduating from high school, Oprah
attended Tennessee State University on a full
scholarship she had won in a public-speaking
competition. She majored in Speech
Communications and Performing Arts.
CAREER
Winfrey launched The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986
as a nationally syndicated program that ran for 25
years, until 2011. With its placement on 120
channels and an audience of 10 million people, the
show grossed $125 million by the end of its first
year, of which Winfrey received $30 million.
She soon gained ownership of the program from
ABC, drawing it under the control of her new
production company, Harpo Productions ('Oprah'
spelled backwards) and making more and more
money from syndication.
In 1994, with talk shows becoming increasingly
trashy and exploitative, Winfrey pledged to keep
her show free of tabloid topics. Although ratings
initially fell, she earned the respect of her viewers
and was soon rewarded with an upsurge in
popularity.
Projects with Harpo have included the highly-rated
1989 TV miniseries, The Women of Brewster Place,
in which Winfrey also starred.
In 2004, Winfrey signed a new contract to continue
The Oprah Winfrey Show through the 2010-11
season. At the time, the syndicated show was seen
on nearly 212 U.S. stations and in more than 100
countries worldwide.
In 2009, Winfrey announced that she would be
ending her program when her contract with ABC
ended, in 2011
PERSONAL LIFE
Oprah's Homes
While Oprah spends much of her time  taping  in
Chicago, her main residence is in Montecito,
California. The 42 acre estate is named "The
Promised Land" and has amazing ocean and
mountain views. Oprah also owns a large amount
of land in Maui, Hawaii with a renovated
"American Farmhouse". Oprah sold her once
cherished 164 acre farm in LaPorte County,
Indiana. The farm she purchased in 1988
contained a 9700 square-foot home and
swimming pool. While taping, Oprah lives in a
penthouse condo in Chicago.
Her Love Story
Stedman Graham has been Oprah's long-time
love since 1986. While the couple was engaged
to be married in 1992, the ceremony never
happened. Many fans, to this day, are waiting for
Oprah and Stedman to tie the knot. In 2003,
Oprah told  Essence Magazine, "The truth of the
matter is, had we gotten married we wouldn't be
together now, because in no way is this a
traditional relationship."
Precious Children
At 14, Oprah did give birth to a baby boy that passed
away within 2 weeks of his birth -- aside from this
moment in her history, Oprah considers the girls who
attend the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
in South Africa her daughters. The 152 girls Oprah
hand-picked will be well taken care of by their
surrogate mother. To be close to them and be able to
watch over their care, Oprah is building a home for
herself on the campus.
Oprah loves her dogs and has made them the focus of
several of her shows. Sophie and Solomon are Oprah's
black and brown Cocker Spaniels. When Oprah decided
to add more "children" to the home, she asked Cesar
Millan to help the dogs, especially Sophie, to adjust to
one another. Oprah added 3 Golden Retrievers in 2005,
Luke, Layla, and Gracie. While training the puppies,
Tamar Gellar helped Oprah learn techniques to teach
her dogs proper manners. In May 2007, Oprah's Golden
Retriever, Gracie, died from choking on a ball that
belonged to Sophie.