Article: Nancy Cartwright: Actress, Voice Actor, Producer, Philanthropist and Author (2016)

[…] Nancy is known in the non-profit world as a generous and active philanthropist who gives of her time, energy and resources equally. She loves what she does on The Simpsons, however she sees it as a means that fortunately allows her to support many non-profit organizations, particularly those that help children.  Whether it is hosting fundraising events at her home to build the local Police Community Youth Center, or appearing at events for Boys and Girls Clubs, or personally tutoring youth to help raise literacy and moral compass standards, Nancy cares about bettering the lives of our future generation.  Some of the beneficiaries of her good works include American Library Association, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Cal State Northridge’s Teenage Drama Workshop and the Valley Performing Arts Center, The Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara and the West San Fernando Valley & LA region, LA Police Department Police Activities League Supporters (PALS) throughout Los Angeles, Kiwanis and The Way to Happiness International Foundation.  Many of these programs also contain art elements, as Nancy believes firmly that the arts are an integral part of every child’s life and certainly enrich lives for every community resident.  She is equally committed to helping those in her hometown in Ohio, where she has established a perpetual scholarship for forensic students to attend Ohio University.

Nancy is in her 13^th year as the Honorary Mayor of the North San Fernando Valley, and in 2013, she was honored with the 55^th Annual Fernando Award, for her dedication to volunteerism in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.  This prestigious award is supported by the Valley Chambers of Commerce,  civic and philanthropic organizations, along with private individuals and corporations located in the San Fernando Valley.

In June 2012, Ohio University bestowed upon Nancy an Honorary Degree Citation – Doctor of Communication in recognition of achievement in her field as an actress, as a philanthropist and through her scholarship endowment established at OU.  Nancy was the Commencement speaker and addressed an audience of 14,000 graduates and their families delivering her 6 Rules of Success.  The raucous response to her animation characters – Chuckie from The Rugrats, Bart Simpson and others from The Simpsons – opened up the graduates to her deeper messages including her own Six Rules for Success and the response was very strong. The University also produced a highly professional documentary of her visit and ultimately submitted it to film festivals in the region.

Since its inception in 2004, Nancy is very proud of her role as the co-founder of Happy House, a non-profit organization dedicated to “Building Better Families”. Through outreach, books and educational programs, the volunteers are currently helping many hundreds of youths in a unique and proven character-building program, called How to Make Good Choices based on The Way to Happiness.  The program is delivered in after-school venues throughout California and is gaining traction in other U.S. areas and abroad. The results have been outstanding so far, prompting the Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club to bestow their “Shining Star Award” on Nancy, and the Mayor of San Jose to commend Happy House & its San Jose Community United charter group for exemplary public service and benefit to the community. […]¹