See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Bob Hope Story.
Life Lesson #86 – Notice the Big Picture.
The year was 1913. The place—Brooklyn, New York. A baby boy was born named David Daniel Kaminsky. Very early in life, Danny, as they called him, wanted to be an entertainer. In fact, his first acting role was to be a watermelon seed in his kindergarten play. And a fine watermelon seed he was! By age 13, he made money by singing in the streets near his home. He later worked for a radio station and began performing comedy at camps and at hotels. By age 20, Danny Kaminsky changed his name to Danny Kaye, and started becoming very successful in show business. Everyone loved Danny Kaye!
It’s true that all of his life he made people smile with songs, dances, and funny stories, but what really made Danny Kaye a HERO had nothing to do with show business. You see, Danny was very concerned about poor children all over the world who didn’t have enough food to eat, clothes to wear, or opportunity for education. So he joined an organization sponsored by the United Nations called UNICEF. That stands for “United Nations Children’s Fund.” He believed that it was everyone’s responsibility to HELP, and along with making speeches and giving his own money, Danny flew his own airplane all over the world to take things to needy children. Once, he flew to sixty-five different cities in just five days!
In 1987, Danny Kaye was honored by the United Nations as the man who first “heightened global awareness of the plight of unfortunate children throughout the world.” Those are big words to say, simply, that Danny Kaye became a very special HERO.
– Jim Lord