By Mark Hrywna and Marla E. Nobles
As the self-proclaimed "youth spokesperson for probably everything," Brooke Shields admits she's guilty of saying no. "I get really safe in my own world. But when you step out, that means you have to step up to the plate," she said.

"No comes a lot easier because yes comes with a lot more responsibilities," Shields said of being a celebrity spokesperson.

At Sunday's opening plenary session of the 44th annual Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) conference in Dallas, Shields told attendees that life is all about choices, and described the choices she's made that led to her active support of certain charities.

More than 4,000 fundraisers and exhibitors from 24 countries are expected at the AFP conference. Along with Shields, cyclist and fundraiser Lance Armstrong, renowned social entrepreneur Craig Kielburger and former senior White House official Maria Echareste are also scheduled as keynote speakers. There are also multi-tracks of education sessions.

"We are very excited about the dynamic line-up of speakers and wide array of first-rate sessions for this year and hope that all nonprofits and fundraising professionals will do their best to take advantage of this international opportunity," said Paulette V. Maehara, CFRE, CAE, president and CEO of the AFP.

Shields, who's been in show business 40 years, 30 of them dedicated to charitable causes, said everyone is given the opportunity to make choices. "That's what today, philanthropy, this speech is about."

As a child actor, Shields was "paraded out" for the cause du jour, but when she left an event, she left the cause. "I was too young to really invest in all of this," she said, but she learned the power of celebrity. Over the years, though, she also learned that the power of passion yields much more commitment to a cause.

"Celebrity doesn't make me an expert on anything," Shields said, but it does provide a huge opportunity to help others.

"I'm asked to do everything all the time. You want to do everything, but you don't want to spread yourself too thin," said Shields, adding that she tries to concentrate on the things that matter most to her. An ambassador for Ronald McDonald House, Shields also has been a supporter of Toys for Tots and various other charities.

Shields sprinkled her 47-minute remarks with self-deprecating humor about her declaration of virginity years ago and her recent flap with Tom Cruise, while also touching on her battle with post-partum depression. "That was the most defeating period of my life," she said of the time after her daughter's birth in May 2003. Her book, "Down Came the Rain," has helped bring awareness of post-partum depression into the mainstream. "That's the path I was placed on," said Shields of her career. "But it was up to me to continue on that path."

In a business that admittedly "devours its young," Shields made decisions despite naysayers. "Had I listened to them, I never would have found that I had my own voice," she said. That voice led her own version of teen rebellion: attending public high school, and against the advice of her counselor, applying to Princeton University.

"It never felt fair to me not to do anything. There's no effort too small," Shields said. "Apathy is probably the biggest problem that I've seen."

Maehara urged attendees to use "your platform to educate, about what you do, why you do what you do and how you do it." AFP's president, decked out in a red cowboy hat and Lone Star shirt, told fundraisers to "stop apologizing for your fundraising costs," which was greeted with strong applause. "When you share the facts, your volunteers, your public will understand.

"We are a critical force for change," Maehara said. "We can effect a change in attitudes, because we have the power of our numbers behind us. Use the power of our numbers to influence, educate and communicate, because it starts with us."