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Four years after Worldwide Orphans Foundation founder Dr. Jane Aronson met Amy Poehler at an event, the star’s life has taken on a whole new role—supporter of Aronson’s cause to transform the lives of orphaned children in third-world countries. “Like most people who meet her and hear her, I instantly believed in her and fell in love,” Poehler said of Aronson. In January, the Parks and Recreation star traveled to Haiti on behalf of the foundation to experience its work first-hand, and her involvement came full circle last night when she hosted a WWO fundraising soiree in Los Angeles, where she inspired her star pals Aubrey Plaza, Ahna O’Reilly, Sean Hayes, and Alison Pill to learn more about the issues at hand. “Amy told me that when she went to Haiti it was the littlest things that she did that mattered,” Plaza told InStyle.com at the event, where she perused photos of the organization’s work put together by the photo-printing site Shutterfly.com. For Poehler, the evening was about proving that change can happen one step at a time. “The orphan crisis almost seems too enormous to fix, right? Jane has taught me, and I’ve learned by example, that’s not true,” she said. “You just roll up your sleeves and start working. You’re creating a better future, you’re creating a better world, you’re creating a world that’s full of more love and you’re easing the pain of children all over the world.” Click the photo to see more from the party, and to learn more and donate to the cause, visit wwo.org.

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— Nicola Jones

Debra Messing is a celeb with a cause: On page 112 of the new May InStyle, the actress takes us on the road with her as she journeys to Zambia with Population Services International (PSI), a nonprofit that saves lives around the world by providing small but highly effective health interventions to battle the spread of HIV. ”I lost my acting teacher, Paul Walker, to AIDS in 1993,” Messing says in the issue. “It’s a cause that runs deep for me.” While in the country, she even had a public HIV test while there to prove that it’s important for everyone to get one. “Each day in Zambia was an emotional assault—you come face-to-face with people who are ill when they don’t have to be,” Messing says. “That’s where PSI comes in: It brings tools like HIV testing, counseling, condoms, and medicine to communities that need them.” And there are ways you can help, too: Head to the Facebook page of Make (+) More Positive, “like” it, and PSI will donate one HIV test kit to an area in need. Follow @PSIimpact on Twitter for updates, and head to psi.org to donate—just $30 can buy the needed supplies to give one person a year of healthy life. Learn more about Messing’s important cause in InStyle’s May issue on newsstands now—or download it to your iPad, Nook, or Droid tablet.

Plus, learn about more great celebrity causes.

MORE INSIDE THE MAY ISSUE:
• Kerry Washington Mixes Prints
• Tommy Hilfiger Partners With P.S. Arts
• Download the Magnetique App to Shop the Issue

— Sandy M. Fernandez

Eco designs aren’t just a fad. The Council of Fashion Designers of America is making going green a priority for designers with the launch of the organization’s first-ever sustainability committee, which will encourage its hundreds of members to follow environmentally-responsible practices. The committee is co-chaired by Loomstate designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn and sustainable jewelry designer Melissa Joy Manning (shown above, middle), and also includes designers like Pamela Love and Victoria Bartlett, shown above left to right, in its steering committee. “Our buying behavior is connected to nature,” Hahn said in a statement. “More than any other association, I look to the CFDA and our community to create beautiful high-quality fashion that inspires the world toward responsible consumption.” And you can get involved: To raise awareness about the initiative, post a photo to Instagram of sustainable subject matter and be sure to include the hashtag #CFDAEarthDay. Or join a Google+ Hangout video chat Wednesday, April 24 at 1 p.m. EST, co-hosted by Hahn, Manning, and model-slash-green activist Amber Valletta. For more information, head to cfda.com.

Plus, see our favorite eco totes for this spring!

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