Wetpaint: How did the Foundation come about?
Kim Klingler: The inspiration has probably been there Ian’s whole life long, but what was the catalyst to kick it into full swing was the BP oil spill. Ian dropped everything he was doing and went down and helped out with a variety of organizations, speaking with people and learning about the real tragedy that was on the ground. From there I think Ian realized that he had the opportunity to reach out to a large, critical mass of people and work together to create positive change.
What is the organization's biggest focus right now?
The organization is an interesting body. It doesn’t have an absolute particular focus, but it does. It’s an interconnected web, so we focus on the environment and its creatures. They go hand-in-hand with each other. The main vehicle for it is youth. We’ve got a variety of ISF youth groups all over the world, either educating or spreading concepts and strategies for projects that they’re working on. Obviously, Ian’s got a strong youth audience and they just happen to be the most active audience out there. I’ve never seen anything like this group. They are so willing to roll up their sleeves, they so want to make a difference. They just didn’t have an outlet to connect them with other teens to do it together. And Ian’s provided that outlet with ISF. We’ve got more than 100 teen groups all over the world and 80 ISF kids groups for the elementary school ages.
How hands-on is Ian Somerhalder in the organization?
He is extremely hands on. A lot of people will watch Ian in interviews where he’s got a lot of passion and a lot of energy, but it’s really quite something to see Ian talk and think and strategize over his love of this foundation. He’s included in all of our processes; he’s included in dialogues, with the volunteers, with our corporate team. He’s keenly aware of what’s going on with our groups. This is his baby. This is his love. He is so extremely happy to have an opportunity to work with a larger group of people for betterment that he would not miss a heartbeat with this organization.
More after the jump!
Source: Via