A Hollywood actress turned the flack she received from the gown she wore at the Golden Globes into a donation to The HALO Foundation, an international charitable organization started by a Jefferson City native.
Bryce Dallas Howard, who starred in "Jurassic World" and "The Help," drew media attention by wearing an off-the-rack dress at the Beverly Hills, California, awards ceremony. Her aim was to show she's an ordinary woman - one who doesn't wear a size 2 designer gown.
But she also drew criticism for her off-the-rack gown when people realized it cost $4,800 from Neiman Marcus.
Howard recently auctioned off the gown through website Charity Buzz, bringing in $13,100, which was donated to The HALO Foundation. The organization serves more than 1,000 at-risk youth each year, some in Jefferson City and the surrounding area.
Howard met HALO founder and president Rebecca Welsh during the making of a short film Howard directed.
The film was part of the "Inspired by Women" campaign to inspire, celebrate and empower women around the world. Welsh was featured along with some of the children helped by HALO, including several from the Jefferson City Learning Center created seven years ago. Welsh's mother, Joyce Neuenswander, serves as the director of the center.
HALO operates centers in Kansas City with programs in New York, Portland and Los Angeles, as well as supporting 21 orphanages in Uganda, Kenya and Mexico.
Welsh and Howard appeared on the "Today" show with Hoda Kotb and Kathy Lee Gifford in late 2014 to promote the film and the campaign. HALO's film, along with the other women's stories in the series, can be viewed online at www.inspiredbywomen.com and on YouTube.