Five Celebrities Who Use Their Powers Of Influence For Good!

Now a days being a celebrity means more than just influencing which movie you're going to see or which album you're going to buy next. Through the power of social media, celebrities have the ability to set new trends, make or break consumer products, and even affect the value of a company's stock, all with a single phrase. Think about that for a second...pretty intense right? Having so much power could certainly be intoxicating, but it's nice to know some celebrities are using their powers for good. Here are 5 times celebrities used their powers of influence to help real people in trouble.

1. Kal Penn Fires Back at Racist Tweet.

Perez Hilton / Via i.perezhilton.com

* Kal Penn is an American actor and producer best known for is iconic role as Kumar in the popular "Harold and Kumar" movie franchise. Although his career has primarily been in the entertainment industry, he has always had a passion for politics and recently had the chance to serve as Barack Obama’s public engagement advisor. Born to immigrant parents, Kal faced some racist comments via Twitter after President elect Donald Trump's inauguration. A trump supporter had tweeted Kal, telling him that he "...doesn't belong in this country (America)...". Kal promptly responded with his own tweet : "To the dude who said I don't belong in America, I started a fundraising page for Syrian Refugees in your name...". Within a month, Kal's page raised over $800,000!

2. Ricky Gervais: Dog's Best Friend

Twitter: @rickygervais / Via boredpanda.com

Anyone who knows Ricky Gervais knows he's a fierce animal rights activist as well a vocal supporter on Twitter. Gervais, a British actor and producer known for his role on the hit tv show "The Office", heard about the Romanian shelter that was about to receive 650 rescue dogs and decided he was going to do something to help. K9 Angels, a UK based rescue agency, had established an online fundraiser in an attempt to try and raise the funds necessary to help all of the rescued pets, but feared their efforts weren't going to be enough. It was then that Gervais retweeted (above) the fundraising campaign. Almost overnight the support poured in and the funds soared, saving over 650 dogs and proving that Ricky truly is dog's best friend.

3. Ellen Believes In Education

ellentv.com / Via gofundme.com

Michael Bonner, a teacher at South Greenville Elementary in North Carolina, appeared on Ellen DeGeneres recently in hopes of spreading awareness about neighborhoods in poverty and the importance of stable education for underprivileged youths. He explained to Ellen how his neighborhood had a 100% poverty rate and that many of the children attending his school were even homeless. To Micheal's surprise, Ellen responded by starting a GoFundMe page to raise money for school supplies, clothing and meals for Greenville Elementary. Thanks to Ellen's vocal support over social media, Greenville elementary's GoFundMe Page has raised $86,425 of $25k goal...by 2,306 people...in 1 month!

4. Leonardo DiCaprio, the new captain planet!

AFP / Getty Images / Via dailymail.co.uk

Leonardo DiCaprio is an American actor and producer best known for his roles in iconic films such as Titanic, The Wolf of Wall street and The Revenant. In 1998 however, Leo established the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting environmental awareness, but particularly global warming. In April of 2016, prior to the signing of Paris Climate Change Agreement, Leo spoke at the UN about the very real impact this problem is having on the planet . His social media campaigns as well as the numerous documentary films he's produced have faced strong criticism, but DiCaprio remains committed to his passion for the environment. His foundation recently raised 15 million dollars toward environmental projects!

5. Stephen Amell: Real World Super Hero

mettermedia / Via mettermedia.com

Hit television series star Stephen Amell is no stranger to the superhero role. Best known as the lead character on the superhero tv series "Arrow", Stephen also tries to help those in need offscreen. Known to be an active humanitarian with a strong online presence Stephen has started numerous Facebook campaigns including a massive t-shirt Campaign for "F&ck Cancer" which went viral and is now hosting it's 3rd annual fundraiser, as well as "JoJo's Journey", a campaign aimed at helping Johanna, a 6 year old little girl struggling with Metachromatic Leukodystrophy. With Stephen's help, they were able to raise $31,500 for Johanna...in just three days!