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"       Who: Jennifer Hudson, Cofounder, The Julian D. King Gift Foundation  Day Jobs: Singer, actress.  How She Got Here: In October 2008, less than two years after a breakout performance in Dreamgirls won Jennifer Hudson an Oscar and made her a hero in her hometown of Chicago, Hudson&amp;#039;s mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, were murdered. The shooter was her brother-in-law; the crime scene was her childhood home. It was the kind of tragedy that could have hardened someone. Not Hudson. Passion Project: With her sister, Julia\u2014Julian&amp;#039;s mother and the only other surviving member of her family\u2014she founded a nonprofit named for Julian that distributes school supplies on his birthday (and gifts at Christmastime), turning the day on which their grief is most searing into a day of grace, love\u2014and healing. &amp;quot;We used to dread it,&amp;quot; she says, &amp;quot;but now we count down the days and look forward to it because we find joy giving to others.&amp;quot;         Family Ties: The foundation is also a tribute to her late mother, a church secretary, whom Hudson talked to on the phone every day. &amp;quot;My mother used to always tell me, &amp;#039;Jenny, the thing I love about you is you always find the positive in things, no matter how negative they may be,&amp;#039;&amp;quot; says the 33-year-old. &amp;quot;Every day, I hear her voice in my head. I know that she&amp;#039;s smiling down on her girls and she&amp;#039;s proud of us.&amp;quot; How could she not be? Get Involved: juliandkinggiftfoundation.com or donate here Related: 19 Other Women Who Are Changing the World Photo via Peter Hapak "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.marieclaire.com/culture/news/a10535/jennifer-hudson-julian-d-king-foundation-women-changing-the-world/>