Scott Neeson

SCOTT NEESON

Scott Neeson is a Scottish-Australian film executive turned philanthropist, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Cambodian Children’s Fund.

Early life and career

Scott Neeson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. At age 5, he and his family moved to Australia.

He was raised in the industrial city of Elizabeth, South Australia, and never completed high school. Delivering movie posters for a company that operated drive-in cinemas launched what was to become a successful career in the film business. He quickly climbed the ranks of the Australian film industry, and in 1993 accepted a position with 20th Century Fox International in Los Angeles.

20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures Entertainment

Neeson spent 10 years at 20th Century Fox, ultimately becoming president of 20th Century Fox International, overseeing the releases of films such as Titanic, Braveheart, Independence Day, X-Men, the Star Wars prequel trilogy and more than 100 other films.

In 2003, Neeson was offered a position at Sony Pictures Entertainment. He accepted the role but allowed time for a period of travel in South East Asia.

Cambodian Children’s Fund

During his travel in South East Asia, Neeson visited the Steung Meanchey dump, located in an area just outside Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh. At the dump, Neeson saw countless people and many children without families, who earned a living by sifting through mountains of burning, hazardous waste for plastic and metal recyclables.

Stunned by the desperation and unlikely courage of the families and children there, Neeson spent the remainder of his 2003 South East Asian holiday laying the foundation for Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF). He returned home, began his new role with Sony Pictures Entertainment but made monthly trips to Cambodia to continue to build on this dream. In 2004, he had resigned from his Hollywood job, sold his home, boat and cars, hired his first local staff member and moved to Cambodia as founder and executive director of CCF.

CCF was initially developed to provide a safe haven for 45 children in critical need. By 2007, 200 students were enrolled with CCF. That same year CCF opened its community center, providing a drop-in school, clean water, rice distribution and other basic community services. In 2008, the first CCF satellite (non-residential) school was opened and the food relief and nutrition program was launched. By 2009, the number of students at CCF had reached 500 and CCF celebrated the opening of the community medical center, providing consultations and treatment to all people regardless of age, and completely free of charge for the patient. The Maternal Care Program was established in 2011 to address the high maternal death rate in Steung Meanchey and has achieved a 0% maternal death rate across more than 700 births. In 2013, CCF founded the Child Protection Unit which trains and co-operates with the Cambodia National Police to investigate crimes against children. That same year CCF partnered with World Housing to open the doors of World Housing’s first micro home building factory, providing low-cost homes to qualifying CCF families from Steung Meanchey.

CCF now offers education, medical treatment and leadership training to more than 2,400 children and has constructed over 300 World Housing homes for the community. Nearly two-thirds of these children once lived and worked atop the Steung Meanchey garbage dump and almost 60 percent are young girls. The dump was relocated in 2009, but many families remain and continue to rely on garbage scavenging as a means of survival, now wheeling their carts into the city each day or night. CCF provides award-winning, comprehensive care for these families and others from under-served rural regions of Cambodia.

Neeson at CCF

Today, Neeson’s work centers on managing executive and international operations, fund-raising and furthering relationships with supporters. When time permits, he takes part in student meetings and student award ceremonies at CCF facilities. He continues his tradition of taking evening walks through the slum villages surrounding Steung Meanchey to keep in touch with the people of the community and ensure they are being well cared for.

Awards

In 2007, Quincy Jones awarded Neeson the inaugural Harvard School of Public Health “Q Prize” in recognition of his extraordinary leadership in advocacy for children, calling Neeson’s “selfless, remarkable commitment to the children of Cambodia” a “genuine profile in courage.” In the same year, CCF received the Rex Foundation Bill Graham award for creating a sanctuary for Cambodian children to thrive, learn and grow.

In July 2008, Neeson was awarded the Peace Award by the non-profit organisation Ambassadors for Children, for his devotion to serving the disadvantaged, abused, and abandoned children of Cambodia.

Neeson was honoured with the Ahimsa Award in 2012, presented annually at the House of Commons to an individual who embodies non-violence and compassion. Previous Ahisma recipients include Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. Years later, Neeson had the honor of sharing his journey in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at an Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (WA) event in Perth. CCF also received a 2012 WISE Award, recognising the organisation’s transformative impact on education and society. The WISE Awards identify, showcase and promote six innovative educational projects each year.

Neeson was selected as a South Australian finalist in the 2013 Australian of the Year Awards.

In 2014, Neeson was a finalist for Rotary International’s The One humanitarian award and the recipient of the Standing for Something award, presented by the Church of the Latter Day Saints in recognition of “the powerful contribution that he has made to those in need”.

Media

Neeson was featured as one of the “Heroes Among Us” in the December 2012 issue of People Magazine. Earlier in 2012, a documentary chronicling Neeson’s move from Hollywood to Cambodia, titled “Streets With No Names”, was featured on the TV show Australian Story, and CCF’s first restaurant, the Star Restaurant, was the focus of an episode of the Australian TV show Poh’s Kitchen. Neeson has also been ABC TV’s Person of the Week and featured in a three-part series on PBS.

His story has also featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Times, The Los Angeles Times, Variety, Reader’s Digest, Tatler Magazine, The South China Morning Post, The Australian and other publications. CCF has featured in numerous media, including BBC News and CBS News, as well as Conde Nast Traveler, The Huffington Post and Elle Magazine.

References
Scott Neeson Wikipedia
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