Natalie Portman is using her celebrity for good!
On Thursday, March 21, the Best Actress winner participated in Children Hospital Los Angeles' "Literally Healing" campaign, reading to sick children during their weekly story time.
The 37-year-old mother of Amalia and Aleph posted a collection of photos from the visit on her Instagram. "I felt so lucky to meet so many incredible people yesterday @childrensla," she wrote. "Thank you to all the children, parents, doctors, nurses and everyone from #literallyhealingchla for welcoming me so warmly. For those of you who'd like to support the incredible work done at #CHLAcan donate today @MakeMarchMatter #MakeMarchMatter."
In the photos, Portman read picture books to the kids and posed for fun photos. Her celebrity friends loved her photos, with Reese Witherspoon commenting, "I love @childrensla" and Jennifer Garner writing, "Thank you for being out there xxx."
Earlier that day, a slew of celebrities — including Kaia Gerber, Charlotte McKinney and Rowan Blanchard — volunteered at Third Thursday, a special service and volunteer day, as part of the hospital's fourth annual Make March Matter campaign. The celebs did arts and crafts, played Uno, read to the patients, and created Play-Doh sculptures.
Children's charities have been of longtime importance to Portman. She has worked extensively with WE (formerly Free the Children), donating her gown from the "Black Swan" premiere to raise money, raising money through her Dior Lipstick partnership and traveling to Kenya to meet the girls who are in school because of the scholarship money she's raised. She has also worked with CHLA since 2008, and in 2017, wrote an article in InStyle about her experiences with the hospital.
"I participate in Make March Matter —a monthlong fund-raiser for patients receiving critical care—because I'm impressed by the programs and positive environment the hospital provides for so many kids and their families. It has created support systems that are social as well as medical, so when I volunteer, I'm able to play games like Uno, Scrabble, Wii Sports, and more with the kids to help lift their spirits," she wrote.
"I've connected with many patients over the years, but one child with cystic fibrosis stands out in my mind," she continued. "He had the soul of a poet—every time I visited him, he was so full of wisdom, joy, and life. It's horrible that he or any child should have to struggle. I'm happy to work with a fund-raiser that partners with local businesses to assist these families. When we're in a position to alleviate some suffering, I believe we should."