Actor Brad Pitt‘s brother, Doug Pitt, and sister, Julie Pitt Neal, are making names for themselves in the world of philanthropy.

Brad, Doug and Julie were all born to William and Jane Pitt in Shawnee, Oklahoma, but later moved to Springfield, Illinois. Brad dropped out of a local Missouri University without finishing his journalism degree and moved to Hollywood to pursue his acting career, while the rest of the Pitts stayed behind.

While Brad was working on sets in Hollywood, Doug built a computer company back home and developed his entrepreneurial career (though he has starred in several commercials throughout the years). Julie got married and built a home and family.

The siblings share a love for philanthropy.

Jane has always supported her children in their charity-driven efforts. “I’m very proud of all my children. They see a need and try to step in, and fill it,” she said in an interview with WorldServe International. “Whether it’s a disaster in New Orleans, or all the things in Tanzania that Doug will do, or Julie’s wonderful, wonderful work in Ethiopia. It’s an amazing thing.”

The Pitt siblings look back on their time growing up in Springfield fondly. “Well, it was Springfield, Missouri, which is a big place now, but we grew up surrounded by cornfields,” Brad told GQ. “Ten minutes outside of town, you start getting into forests and rivers and the Ozark mountains, stunning country.”

Doug and Julie both are raising their families in Springfield.

In 2008, Doug founded Care to Learn, an organization that is dedicated to meeting the needs of students in the Missouri area. In 2010, he was named the Goodwill Ambassador of Tanzania for his work there to increase access to clean water.

He stated in an interview on The Mystery Show in 2015 that “helping people is fun, and I get a lot of enjoyment out of it.”

Julie is a water ambassador for WorldServe International, where Doug also serves as a board member. She also does international non-profit work in Ethiopia, from where she adopted two of her children.

“Honestly, I lived in a bubble here in our town with my three older kids, and I really didn’t think about much beyond here, and God just called my family to adopt,” she told WorldServe International. “We have the space, the love … all of our kids were on board.”

The three Pitt siblings worked together to donate $1 million to open a new wing in their local Missouri hospital and named the wing after their mother – the Jane Pitt Pediatric Cancer Center.

Brad was known for working to build affordable housing in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Last month, Brad stunned at the Bob Marley: One Love movie premiere with his youthful looks at 60.

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Morgan Lee Powers

Article by Morgan Lee Powers

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