Angel and Jeremiah Caleb at the Caleb Hope Foundation gala in Beverly Hills.
Jeremiah Caleb stays busy not only with his acting career and his writing but also with the Caleb Hope Foundation, which he runs with his wife Angel.
The inspiration for the foundation came in 2006, when he went to India for the first time. Of Indian descent, he went to film a documentary and trace his father's footsteps for a novel.
"The legacy he left behind was profound, and I have always wanted to write about his story. My father was a Hindu. At the age of 15, he became a Christian, and his family disowned him for it. He began his life in the slums, became a storyteller for children via the Indian radio, and eventually became a pastor and missionary. Until this point I had never been to India in my life. I was "Indian' by appearance but basically a Southern boy at heart. I felt compelled to get in my father's skin in order to truthfully write his story.
"I traveled to India with my guitar, wearing clothing like my father wore back in the "60s. A couple of friends accompanied me and documented my journey on camera. My main intention at that point was to produce a novel that documented the life of my father. So I was unprepared for "the call' that would change the entire course of my life," he says.
That call was the poverty that he saw all around him on his pilgrimage.
"My documentary went on the shelf, and my book was delayed, as I focused my attention on gathering actors from the Broadway community to help me raise funds for the destitute slum orphans. Since then we have evolved into a full non-profit charity focusing on education and hunger issues among the poor and empowering young girls to rise up in an otherwise ostracized society. Ten years later, the documentary I originally went to film is being released next summer. It is being produced by Orange Leaf Media in Johnson City, Tennessee.
"Just this past Memorial Day weekend, we celebrated 10 years of our work with a fundraising gala in Beverly Hills. Celebrities in attendance included comedian Ron Pearson, Daniel Hall from "Young & Restless," Sophia Morris (Stevie Wonder's daughter) and a few more working actors in Hollywood who participated, presented and supported our cause.
For information about his foundation, visitwww.calebhopefoundation.org.
