Maria Bello Joins Law & Order:SVU And Fights For Haiti

TV Guide exclusively reported that blonde and beautiful actress, Maria Bello has signed on to appear on Law & Order: SVU, TVGuide.com.

According to TV Guide  which obtained the info from a close source to The Golden Globe- and SAG-nominated actress (A History of Violence, The Cooler) will appear in two episodes, playing a woman with a secret past that Detective Benson is investigating, according to a source close to the production.

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It's also a reunion of sorts for wavy haired Bello and SVU executive producer Neal Baer, who worked together on ER. Her episodes have not been currently scheduled.

Maria is currently training for the movie Abduction with Taylor Lautner, where she plays his mother.  According to the media she's been busy training in Muay Thai kickboxing along with learning some knife moves.

Dedicated Activist

The actress is also a dedicated activist on a mission to help the women of Haiti. She has created a custom designed necklace to benefit Femmes En Démocratie which is a charity designed to get more women into government as Haiti rebuilds.  She's been working to promote women's rights for 20 years.

Maria's new limited-edition Judith Leiber Donʼt Forget pendant necklace designed to benefit Haiti will be unveiled soon.  She named it Don't Forget because she's concerned that people will begin to forget all about Haiti and their struggles.

She partnered with Sean Penn a week after the earthquake to help in the wake of the destruction.  She explained that many people were shocked at the devastation after the earthquake, but that what they don't realize is that Haiti looked similar before the earthquake as it did after.

Why does she want to help women gain power in the rebuilding of Haiti?  She said that in her work helping to rebuild Rwanda it's been shown that the more woman that hold office, the more democratic the country becomes, the more economically sound and focused on children, health care and education the government tends to be.

She Put On Her Work Boots

When Maria heard about the earthquake she immediately flew to the island country and put on her work boots to help dig people out of the rubble.  She had high praise for Sean Penn and his group of volunteers who Maria said was more effective than some of the big aid relief organizations because the bigger the group the longer it takes to help people get their needs met.

She explained on the Bonnie Hunt talk show that the earthquake was "devastating beyond words".  She said "I held the hand of a 16-year-old boy who was getting his leg amputated with no anesthesia."  She said "that little boy, William Joseph and 18 other kids were evacuated out from St. Damon's Hospital where we were."  She nothing it was good because "thank goodness they all had spinal cord injuries."

Sean Penn's Relief Group

She noted that Sean Penn's group had cases of medication and antibiotics which they were able to immediately provide to those in need.   They took medicine directly to the general hospital when they needed it most.

Maria told Bonnie Hunt she's been back about ten times since the earthquake and she feels "so fortunate that she gets to do it."  She said "we all have our own strengths and mine, which my mom taught me, is to dig in the dirt and be there."  She was working in a refugee camp with makeshift tents made out of sheets and said the people get in line at 4 am for food distribution scheduled at 8 am.

She also said the people "sing while they're in line waiting for food and it sounds like angels singing" and the songs that they sing are tied to both mourning as well as gratitude for what they've received.  She pointed out the Haitian people are very resilent and good people.

She told Bonnie "I’ve been back about ten times since and I work with the women there.  The actress started a women’s clinic in Sean’s camp, which is needed because of the recent outbreak of violence and sexual abuse.

Partnering Up With Judith Leiber

Maria's best friend is Amy Carpenter who is the publicist in LA for Judith Leiber.   As a result of this connection Maria met Mary Gleason and Anna Goldman and was so impressed with them. They were about social justice and helping women. She feels like the Don't Forget necklace represents an edge with the pewter and leather strings.

Don't Forget Pendant

The Don’t Forget pendant features a clear crystal ring and a faceted pewter Donʼt Forget medallion, which hangs from an adjustable leather cord. The piece retails for $95 with 100 percent of profits benefiting Femmes En Démocratie, a chapter of Vital Voices Global Partnership based in Haiti that gives women the tools to fulfill their potential in the areas of economic and entrepreneurial opportunity, political participation, and legal/human rights. You can purchase the necklace at JudithLeiber.com.

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