Jane The Virgin star Gina Rodriguez gave a very emotional, heartfelt speech when accepting the young humanitarian award at Variety’s Unite 4 Humanity benefit this weekend.

“I can’t lie, among the many emotions of pride and honor and appreciation for this award, I also can’t help but feel like I shouldn’t be accepting this award alone,” Rodriguez said before she described growing up in “the hood” of Chicago and how much her parents helped – not just Rodriguez and her sisters – but the rest of the neighbourhood too.

“[My parents] taught me that being good was a standard that doesn’t need praise or recognition. That the more you help others succeed, you too will succeed.”

Then she imagined what Hollywood could be like if everyone was more caring:

“I love what-ifs. What if I book a show? What if I win a Golden Globe? Or what if we lived in a world where booking a show and getting a Golden Globe was just an excuse to do good for others? Confession — that’s the world I’m trying to create. A place where Oscar winners eradicate homelessness. A place where Grammy winners help provide and contribute to curing cancer. A place where we all leverage our social currency to do something that truly matters. Adopt children that need homes, finance tuition for kids that don’t have the money to go to college, the list goes on. It’s a world where the true award is giving.”

Screenshot from Variety.com video
Screenshot from Variety.com video

Rodriguez established the We Will foundation, designed to focus on arts education and scholarship funding for the less fortunate, with the aim of empowering young women.

The non-profit has already donated $10,000 to the Westside Family Health Clinic and $10,000 to the Mar Vista School Enrichment Group to finance dance classes for one year.