She explains one reason for her social commitment as follows:
"I just always felt - especially in this industry - there is so much excess, there is so much privilege. And... I felt guilty. I thought, 'Wow, I really am [an actress]... I've always wanted to do this and now I'm doing it and I'm SO lucky.' And I think it broke my heart - even as a child - whenever I saw someone in trouble, or someone who was under pressure or being excluded. So I think I have this empathy gene - and my daughter definitely has it. And I... you can't ignore it. You kind of listen to your heart and say, 'Okay, well, my heart is telling me I have to do something.'
All pictures © by Amanda Tapping
Amanda Tapping has always used her talents for the benefit of others
and has supported dozens of charities through her personal convention appearances and through her work.
When asked at a convention in 2013 what project she would like to be remembered for, she answered "Sanctuary for Kids." This nonprofit directed resources to projects that helped children in need around the world and raised many hundreds of thousands of dollars for such projects worldwide through online memorabilia auctions, fan experiences, and their own fundraising convention in the UK, run every 18 months by Gabit Events. Sanctuary for Kids supported charities in Vancouver (Watari), Nepal (NOH, NGN, Asha Nepal), and Haiti, raising over $1 million CAD over the course of ten years. Having achieved what they set out to do, the charity closed its doors in December 2018. The funds raised through fans, friends, events, and fundraisers over those years accomplished so much and left a legacy that will never be forgotten and has changed the world.
Amanda continues to support charities privately such as the Obakki Foundation. For years, Amanda has also supported several other charities such as the Coast Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Pollution Probe, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. She sits on the leadership council of the Waterkeeper Alliance. She has participated in other projects and fundraising/awareness events such as the PinUps for Pink calendar to support the fight against breast cancer, the Once Upon A Cure fundraiser raising money for therapy research for Mucopolysaccharidosis and V-Day where she performed on The Vagina Monologues to help end violence against girls and women. In 2018 she performed at two events, one to raise money for a boy with cancer and to raise awareness for bone marrow donations, the other to raise money for two charities that support children in critical situations (VACFFS and KIND).
Amanda is a spokesperson for UNICEF, which involves visiting local schools and educating students about the issues children face in some countries, such as a lack of clean water and medical care.
The combat bracelet or loyalty is a virtue!
When Amanda Taping, who plays U.S. Air Force Major Samantha Carter from Stargate SG-1, left Vancouver in mid-December 2001, she had no idea where she was going or who she would meet. Signed with other cast members from the hit series SG-1 [Teryl Rothery, Don S. Davis and Christopher Judge] - to take part in the USO's "Operation Starflight" - she knew only that she would be heading to the Middle East to meet Allied troops stationed there in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. "For security reasons," says the actress, "we didn't know exactly where we were going, although we were confident that wherever our destination was, we would be out of harm's way."
Safely back in Vancouver, Amanda reflected on the trip with great pride and enormous respect for the men and women stationed in the area. She and her colleagues were asked not to disclose the destinations visited. This request Amanda readily complied with, sharing only that the group "located brave men and women near the combat zone.
Amanda and her Stargate SG-1 co-stars were only in the region for a few days, but that didn't stop her from quickly forming bonds with those she met along the way. "A couple of U.S. soldiers I met showed me this," she explains, pointing with enormous pride to a braided fabric bracelet on her right arm, secured in place by a khaki button. "Every member of this particular unit wears one of these. They're called 'combat bracelets,' and the troops make them from the cords attached to the hems of their pant legs to keep them in their boots, and then each one is fastened with a button at the start of each mission. Each member of the unit gives a button from their own uniform for another buddy's bracelet. Members of the unit make the bracelets at the start of each mission and wear them until the mission is completed and each member has returned safely. It's a very moving tradition," says Amanda, "and I was very honored to be included in its ranks." When she returned to the set of the SG-1 production, her first stop was the wardrobe department, where she explained to costume designer Christina McQuarrie that "Samantha Carter would be wearing an accessory for the foreseeable future." "Christina thought that was great," Amanda recalls. "I explained the circumstances surrounding the real-life tradition and she agreed that wearing the bracelet was exactly what Carter would do. I've worn it ever since - both on camera and off." The show's executives weren't happy about it, but in this case, Amanda didn't care. "I would have tucked it under my sleeve if necessary, but there is no way I am taking this bracelet off until this mission is complete. These men and women are risking their lives for our freedom and safety. This is the least I can do."
