Hayden Panettiere: Power of Youth 2011

Hayden Panettiere steps out with a beaming smile on her face at Variety‘s 2011 Power Of Youth event presented by The Hub at Paramount Studios on Saturday afternoon (October 22) in Hollywood.

The 21-year-old actress recently chatted with Yahoo about how she got involved in The Whaleman Foundation, which she was recognized for.

Hayden shared, “Well, I was on a film when I was 15. It was an independent film called Shanghai Kiss, and the founder of the Whaleman Foundation, Jeff Pantukhoff, pulled me aside on the last day and said, ‘I know you’re a fan of animals. Can I show you what I do?’ He showed me footage of the dolphins and whales, and what was going on, and I said, ‘Absolutely, let me know what I can do.’”

30+ pics inside of Hayden…