International superstar Matt Damon was chosen to speak at this year’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduation. The actor will deliver the commencement speech to the institute’s class of 2016.

MIT announced the selected speakers in December 2015, as which Damon assured to grateful to speak at the graduation of a school he “couldn’t have gotten into”. But the reality is, Damon attended a large and recognized school, known as Harvard, where he majored in English but didn’t graduate to pursue his acting career.

Matt Damon and MIT have a long history, the last time the actor was in the school was in 1997 when the movie “Good Will Hunting” premiered starring the cast as an unrecognized genius that serves as a custodian. Image Credit: Daily Mail
Matt Damon and MIT have a long history, the last time the actor was in the school was in 1997 when the movie “Good Will Hunting” premiered starring the cast as an unrecognized genius that serves as a custodian. Image Credit: Daily Mail

The film was directed by Gus Van Sant and starred Robin Williams, Minnie Driver and Ben Affleck with a $10 million budget earning $222.9 million at the Box Office.  Good Will Hunting was also nominated for nine Academy Awards such as Best picture.

Williams took the Academy Award for the Best supporting role in the movie, while Damon and Affleck took the price of Best writing, screenplay written directly for the screen. This film served as the trampoline for Damon’s career.

A promising career and philanthropic work

Damon is currently known for being a well-recognized actor, film producer and screenwriter he is also Forbes magazine’s most bankable star and has gained world recognition for his acting abilities.

The 45-year-old actor has received several nominations for the Academy Awards has earned two Golden Globes and has received nominations for a variety of recognizing awards. After his breakout role in Good Will Hunting, the actor represented the role of First-class Private James Francis Ryan in the known movie Saving Private Ryan.

The actor has been the face of the Bourne franchise that started in 2002 and had provided several papers in different franchises such as the Ocean’s trilogy and Invictus. Last year, Damon was nominated for supportive and best actor at the Oscars.

Apart from being a prominent business person, actor, and screenwriter, Damon has used his world fame and economic resources to give back to charity work.

MIT’s president L.Rafael Reif, Damon’s invitation to the commencement speech is due to his philanthropic work, being the founder of the Water.org organization.

The non-profit organizations seek to provide water resources for low-income communities all over the world. According to the foundation’s website, it’s primary belief is that “Water is the way” and with it the cycle of poverty can be broken.

660 million people in the world lack access to this fundamental resource and 2.4 don’t have access to basic needs such as a toilet. Giving these communities the effort to seek and collect water for the central part of their day.

The organizations provide water and sanitation worldwide, making this primary resource more accessible to people from all over the world.
The organizations provide water and sanitation worldwide, making this primary resource more accessible to people from all over the world. Image Credit: Boston Globe

The organization was founded by Gary White and actor Matt Damon on 1990 and has worked for the last 25 years.

Water.or started as a founding of WaterPartners International, as a fundraiser that raised $4,300 to provide water resources for a small village in Honduras called “El Limon.” After the fundraiser, WaterPartners was founded.

The organization grew slowly, and it wasn’t until 2003 when they started “WaterCredit” a tool that helped the company raise more economic resources to provide more support around the world. In 2006 the website Water.org was created after Damon co-founded the H20 Africa in 2006.

Damon’s organization helps 4 million people from Africa, Asia, and Latin America by responding to these communities specific needs.

“One child dies every 90 seconds from water-borne illness. It’s completely insane. But beyond just senseless death, this is robbing people of their humanity, of their hopes and dreams. And also of simple day-to-day things like a kid having time to play,” said Damon in an interview with Town & Country magazine.

The actor has explained his desire to give back, not only because of his celebrity status but because the way he was raised. Damon’s mother took the young actor to service trips to Mexico and Guatemala when he was only a teenager and since then the actor has been committed to helping others.

Thanks to the evolution of his organization Water.org, Damon has managed to gain significant financial partners such as Cartier, Bank of America, Hilton, The behemoth Ikea Foundation among many others.

The actor talks proudly about the 4 million people his organization has reached and assures there’s still a lot of work to be done in these abandoned areas.

Committed to the cause

The actor takes at least one trip per year, to the communities he and his partner White are currently helping, the artist has also participated in several other causes that search better life conditions for the less-fortunate.

African Children’s Choir, Clothes of our Back, Feeding America, LIVESTRONG, World Food Programme and Save The Children, are just some of Damon’s collaboration and philanthropic work in the world.

Source: Boston Globe