Pop-folk singer Natalie Merchant not only sings about issues close to her heart - she uses her position as an artist to do something about these issues. Natalie's songs have tackled issues like teen pregnancy, alcoholism, child abuse, animal rights and homelessness. Here's a look at some of the causes Natalie Merchant has supported and why Kidzworld thinks she's a hero.

Natalie Merchant and Doctors Without Borders

For years, Natalie Merchant has been donating proceeds of her concerts to Doctors Without Borders, the world's largest independent international medical relief agency. The organization is a group of volunteer medical professionals who give emergency medical help to victims of war and natural disasters all over the world.

Natalie Merchant and The Boys and Girls Club (Jamestown, New York)

Natalie was a member of the Girls Club when she was younger, before the club merged with the boys. She's grown up now but she's returned to the club. Natalie's donated time and money to the club which provides counseling, academic programs for kids with learning disabilities as well as help for troubled kids and teen pregnancy prevention.

Natalie Merchant and the Fight Against AIDS

Like many artists, Natalie Merchant has also been a part of various AIDS charities. In 1996, she sang on For Our Children Too, a benefit CD for the Pediatric Aids Foundation. She also joined a benefit concert for Red, Hot & Blue and contributed a song to Red, Hot & Rhapsody, a CD to raise money for AIDS research.

Natalie Merchant And Scholastic Writing Contest

In 1993, Natalie Merchant (with her ex-bandmates from 10, 000 Maniacs,) Elektra Entertainment and Scholastic organized a songwriting lesson plan and lyric contest (nationwide) for students from grades six to 12. The program encouraged kids to write and explore their creativity. Natalie visited a ninth grade English class to hear what some students had written. The winner of the contest got a concert from the band (10, 000 Maniacs) at their school. "I just wanted kids to see that writing is a really good outlet," said Natalie. "It's saying, 'use your words.' I think we could all benefit by using our words effectively."

Natalie Merchant and Other Charitable Causes

Some of the other projects Natalie Merchant's been involved in include, the Tibetan Freedom Concert, Mind Body Self Festival for breast cancer and A Very Special Christmas which benefits the Special Olympics organization.

You may wonder when Natalie finds time to write songs, make albums and tour - not to mention take a vacation - but when she has the time she loves to travel to different countries for a little R&R.

Official Sites:

www.nataliemerchant.com

www.natalie-merchant.com

Doctors Without Borders

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