Tonight, a call into Fox's top-rated series American Idol (NWS) will do more than aid one amateur's dreams of stardom. Your call tonight could save a life.

That is because April 9 marks the second annual Idol Gives Back event, which last year raised $76 million for the needy here in the U.S. and in Africa. Now Idol contestants and Hollywood’s elite will again come together to raise awareness and money for six different not-for-profit organizations that aid children in need. The organizations are Save the Children, Malaria No More, Make It Right, The Global Fund, Children’s House Fund and Children’s Defense Fund.

A slew of celebrities will also make an appearance on tonight’s broadcast. They include Brad Pitt, founder of Make It Right, Reese Witherspoon, a Children’s Defense Fund board member, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Fergie, as well as past Idols, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, and Fantasia. Judges Randy Jackson, a Save the Children ambassador, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell will also appear.

During the show viewers can make a general donation to Idol Gives Back via the phone or internet. The Idol organization will then distribute the money to the beneficiary organizations, the majority of which benefit needy children.

The newest organization to benefit from American Idol’s charity is Pitt’s Make It Right which is focused on rebuilding the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. According to Rachel Traux, Make It Right's spokesperson, the organization will use 100% of the money that they receive from tonight’s event in their efforts to provide sound and environmentally safe housing.

“American Idol has not only encouraged people to donate money but it has raised the awareness of poverty in America and Africa," says Mark Shriver, vice president of Save the Children’s U.S. division. "That is an invaluable thing.”

Last year Save the Children received $14.5 million from Idol Gives Back. That money was then used to provide more than 14,000 children with literacy and nutrition programs across the country. More recently 10,000 children in California and the south benefited from the donations after their families were endangered by wildfires and other natural disasters. Shriver says that 90% of all the money donated to his organization will reach children in need.

The Children’s Defense Fund, also used funds raised to help young people. “The money raised will enable [us] to sustain and expand our work," says Ed Shelleby, a spokesperson for the organization. "[Including] ensuring access to health care, quality education, and a moral and spiritual foundation to help [children] succeed.” To do this, they support programs such as Beat the Odds Celebrations, which provides college scholarships for youth who have overcome adversity.

Carol Sumkin, vice president of development for the Children’s Health Fund says that 100% of the money that they receive from American Idol’s efforts will be used to provide mobile medical units for the organization and for project grants to hire nutritionists, dentists and doctors.

The Global Fund is actually a partnership of governments and private organizations dedicated to ridding the world of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Since 2002, the fund has provided more than 6 million people with HIV counseling and testing, more than 2 million with treatment for tuberculosis, more than 7.3 million with treatment for malaria, among other projects. According to the organization’s website more than 97% of money donated reaches people in need.

Malaria No More also provides protection against malaria as well as education about the disease. Martin Edlund, the Director of Communications for the organization says that 90% of the money donated will go directly to providing life-saving bed nets to families in Africa and 10% will support bed net management and awareness building efforts in the U.S.

All in all the organizations are grateful for any amount of money that they receive and for the way that American Idol has brought about an awareness of their causes. “I don’t know of any other fundraising event that has energized the American public in such a unified way,” says Sumkin. “It is so great to be able to utilize such a vast audience and show people that there are real problems out there and real ways that they can help.”

For a look at MainStreet's effort to help give back, check out Jim Cramer's weekly top charity auction picks.