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http://social.entertainment.msn.com/blogs/post--simpsons-creator-sam-simon-earmarks-entire-fortune-for-charity?ocid=ansent11
'Simpsons' creator Sam Simon earmarks entire fortune for charity
Terminal illness won't stop the giving
By Pop Spy -- Jennifer Odell Thu 10:44 AM
The sheer act of co-creating "The Simpsons" should give Sam Simon enough karma to rival his character, Lisa, in terms of do-gooderism. But it's apparently not enough for Simon to bring joy to the world through cartoons.
Diagnosed with terminal cancer in late 2012, Simon, 58, has spent as much time as possible in recent months focused on the same charitable efforts that have defined his non-TV-related work since his departure from "The Simpsons" in 1993. (The former showrunner for "Taxi" still puts in one day a week on "Anger Management.) As he tells The Hollywood Reporter in an extensive interview for the Aug. 2 issue, his fight to protect animals and end hunger via his Sam Simon Foundation and other endeavors won't stop for a little thing like the end of his life.
During a Marc Maron podcast in May, Simon announced the news of his terminal prognosis. He also told listeners that the "tens of millions" of dollars that "The Simpsons" earns in royalties each year will all go to charity. Speaking to THR, Simon clarifies that he's worked with the Rockefeller Foundation to ensure that his own charity work -- from rescuing animals to utilizing the principles of veganism to feed the hungry -- is "something that will be living after I'm gone."
"We are going to expand all this stuff," he tells the magazine. "Everyone in my family is taken care of. And I enjoy this."
The Sam Simon Foundation was estimated to be worth $23 million in 2011, but the writer and producer's influence extends so far beyond the foundation itself that other charities have lately been recognizing his contributions in earnest. As THR points out, PETA named its Norfolk, Va. headquarters in his honor. His support of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society earned him another namesake in the M/Y Simon, one of the boats used to stop whalers and illegal fishing. And Simon's own organization offers days of free surgeries for cats and dogs in its mobile clinic -- a program he says will soon expand to meet a growing demand.
Simon also supports Save the Children, and he recently headed the opening of a center in Malibu, Calif., where dogs rescued from kill shelters learn to work with the deaf as companion dogs.
But he admits that some of his samaritanism has been inspired by his illness.
"I started to buy these zoos and circuses in December. I just wanted to have some days where I get to see animals walk in grass for the first time. Through PETA, we rescue animals in roadside zoos and circuses. They are some of the most abused animals in the country. Freeing those animals, that's something I'm not sure I would do if it weren't for the cancer," he says.
As for his other goals, he says he wants to help put an end to medical experiments on animals: "They don't do anything, and they don't work. Veganism is an answer for almost every problem facing the world in terms of hunger and climate change. It helps people's health. Meat is the biggest greenhouse gas producer. There's also the cruelty and suffering aspect. When people do meatless Mondays, and when people adopt instead of buying a dog, that's a PETA victory."
Asked "at what point [he] felt morally compelled to go all the way" with his giving, Simon says simply that it makes him happy.
"I get pleasure from it. I love it. I don't feel like it is an obligation. One of the things about animal rights, which is not the only thing that I care about in this world, is that your money can bring success. I see results. There is stuff happening, really good stuff, every week."
It's safe to say that we have a new hero.