Every celebrity has their fan following: Taylor Swift has “Swifties,” Beyoncé’s got a “Beyhive,” and Ms. Rachel has her “little ones.”
Rachel Accurso — better known to her fans as Ms. Rachel — is the “Bill Nye” and “Mister Rogers” of the next generation. Her online television program — geared towards infants, toddlers, and preschool children — has over 9 million subscribers and her videos have collectively received 6 billion views.
Her original songs are a huge hit with kids and parents alike, and she prides herself on teaching milestones like pointing, clapping, and sounding out words.
But children can’t sing and learn if they’re living in dangerous environments.
On May 12 — Mother’s Day — Accurso pitched a fundraising idea to parents.
“An idea came to me this morning called ‘messages of love: to children, for children’ and I’m wondering if I could get your help with it,” Accurso began. “Please tag Cameo in the comments so we can make this happen together.”
Cameo — a site that allows users to buy personalized videos from celebrities and influencers — does not currently list Accurso on their roster. But she’s willing to collaborate with them for a good cause.
“The idea is: I’ll make videos for little ones and all the money raised on my end will go to Save the Children’s Emergency Fund, which will go to children living in conflict,” Accurso explained.
Save the Children is an international nonprofit that lists Accurso as an ambassador. Through the funds raised from her “to children, for children” campaign, Accurso plans to prioritize supporting children in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ukraine.
“Hopefully I can make little ones smile by giving them a personal video, and then the money will go to help more children living in unimaginable circumstances,” Accurso said.
The music education teacher wrapped up her message by expressing that her heart was “completely broken” by the array of violence happening around the globe.
“Children should never experience the horrors of war, these are grave violations of their human rights,” Accurso pleaded. “Children should be protected, children should have healthy food, clean water, protection from violence, a safe place to live.”
Viewers heeded the call from Accurso’s post, tagging Cameo’s account in the comments and adding their own messages of support.
“Not all heroes wear capes. I’m truly in awe,” wrote one user.
“I’m crying, thank you Ms. Rachel!” said another. “My son is three and you have been [a part] of our lives [every day].”
“Happy Mother’s Day Ms. Rachel!” said a fellow mom. “You are amazing and we love you so much!”
Last March, Accurso took a break from social media “for her mental health” teaching her fans — young and old — the importance of self-care. But it wasn’t long before she was back, singing songs, cooing to babies, and checking in with parents to see how she could help them too.
Over the years, Accurso has regularly used her platform for good, by giving out over 3,500 children’s books and supporting the nonprofit Room to Grow, which donates essential items to low-income families in need.
This is also not the first time Accurso has used her TikTok to speak directly to children in crisis. On October 19, she released an original song on her TikTok that evoked the same compassion she’s now echoing 7 months later.
“Peace, peace, peace, all children deserve to have peace. Safe, safe, safe all children deserve to be safe,” she sang to the camera, sending her voice out to thousands of little ones. “Time to wonder, and time to learn and play. Love, love, love, all children deserve to be loved.”
Editor's note: Since this article was first published, Ms. Rachel has launched her Cameos — and they’ve already fully sold out. You can learn more about her fundraising success and sign up to be notified of future Cameo drops from Ms. Rachel.
Header image courtesy of Ms. Rachel
