Talk about using star power to make a difference! A multitude of celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Stephen Colbert, and so many more came together last night (Sept. 12) to raise money for hurricane relief.
With Hurricanes Harvey and Irma both having massive devastation to not only parts of America but also in the Caribbean as well, relief efforts have sprouted all over to work towards rebuilding. A lot of big names came out for the Hand In Hand telethon, helping to raise over $44 MILLION for those affected by the hurricanes!
Throughout the night, celebs like Justin Bieber, Kerry Washington, Jamie Foxx, Reese Witherspoon, Dwayne Johnson, and so many more hit the phones and the TV screen to encourage people to donate to the cause. Stevie Wonder, Usher, and Blake Shelton, among others, also performed at the hour-long event.
Watch behind the scenes action below!
In addition to others, it was shared during the event that big names and companies had made pretty big donations to help. Apple donated $5 million, Albertsons Cos. and Merck each gave $1 million, and the NBA Players Association, which already donated $500,000, also stated that they would match any professional basketball player’s donation up to $20,000. All proceeds are going directly to charities directly working towards this hurricane relief including the Rebuild Texas Fund, ASPCA, Best Friends, Direct Relief, Feeding Texas, Feeding Florida, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, and United Way.
Amazed at all of the good that was done in just one hour! Of course, this doesn’t erase the damage and the loss that so many have endured in this terrible time, but hopefully it gives them hope and encouragement, as well as a starting place for rebuilding. My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to those affected.
Imperfectly B 