Matthew Broderick posed for a picture on Wednesday night and helped to raise awareness for Margarita, a Ukrainian orphan sponsored by Maya’s Hope, a NYC-based children’s charity. Founder Maya Rowencak has been walking the streets of New York City and asking people to pose with the poster-sized picture as part of her fundraising project to help Margarita and the other children in the Girls Orphanage in Zaporzhye, Ukraine.
Margarita is a seven-year-old girl who was born with profound developmental challenges. Her parents abandoned her at birth and she receives her nutrition through a tube. She often suffers cardiac and respiratory problems. It seems the actor had no hesitation to pose with the picture of the little girl.
The Tony Award winning actor was finishing up a night at his successful Broadway revival show, It’s Only A Play, which was just extended from January 4 to the spring. Maya approached him with Margarita’s picture and he agreed to pose with the poster in front of fans outside of the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Broderick has been headlining the show opposite Nathan Lane, and Martin Short will be taking on Lane’s role for the show’s extended duration, beginning January 7. Broderick recently shared during the Meredith Vieira Show that friendship and laughter have been the secret in his marriage to Sex and The City star Sarah Jessica Parker.
The Inquisitr recently reported on Maya’s Hope and their use of social media to raise funds for another child, Chesca, who is battling Ewing’s sarcoma in the Philippines. For that child, the charity made YouTube videos with messages of hope for the sick little girl, raising money towards the child’s chemo treatment. Updates from the charity reveal that Chesca’s tumor has decreased in size thanks to the donations and awareness efforts by Maya’s Hope in NYC.
Maya’s Hope has also encountered street performers, veterans, models and other artists in NYC, all willing to smile and show support for Margarita and other children in need. Matthew Broderick is not the only celebrity to show support for the children of Maya’s Hope.
Bradley Cooper, who is playing the lead in The Elephant Man, which is previewing at the Booth Theater in New York City, also signed one of Margarita’s poster-pictures. Cooper was recently spotted taking the NYC subway en route to his Broadway show, which opens Dec. 7. It’s no surprise that he would be down-to-Earth and help support a local charity for children by autographing the poster, too.
Maya’s Hope continues to use social media to generate buzz for a good cause. The charity is also holding a black tie fundraising gala on November 18 at The Player’s Club in NYC. From Matthew Broderick to Bradley Cooper, Margarita has certainly been capturing the hearts of people in NYC and around the globe. It’s particularly nice to see celebrities take a few seconds from their busy schedules to help a charity raise awareness for children in need.
[Photos courtesy of Maya’s Hope]