Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson create a fund for Hawaii residents and contribute $10 million | the people

Maui burned like never before in its history, destroying trees, homes and lives. Hawaii watches in despair as its historical and cultural heritage, centered in the ancient capital of Lahaina, fades into ashes. The deadliest flames in the United States claimed one hundred lives and there are still many missing people who have not been found. This is in particular contrast to what the islands have meant mentally and emotionally to millions of Americans for decades, especially for the wealthy: a paradise where they can spend the off-seasons, away from the annoying crowds. That’s why many of them have dedicated themselves to those affected from day one, and now Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock, are stepping up to help by creating a fund and contributing an initial $10 million.

This contribution (for 9.2 million euros) is only the beginning of what the presenter and actor intend to raise through this invitation The People’s Fund Of Maui, Or the Maui People’s Fund where they encourage everyone to donate what they can so it goes directly to the islanders. So they promise that anyone who requests it and meets the requirements will be able to receive $1,200 per month (just over €1,100). Petition forms are open as of this morning.

La Rocca (51 years old) and Winfrey (69 years old) reported the creation of the aforementioned fund through A message shared on their Instagram accountsIt has 23 million followers, which is no less than 390, which makes it one of the most followed people on this network in the whole world. “In recent weeks, I have met with people in the community who have suffered the impact of the fire, and asked them what they need most and how I can help,” the broadcaster, actress and producer said in the joint statement. For both stars. “The most important thing that reached my ears is your interest in how to move forward in light of this enormous financial burden.” Then they decided to distribute that money directly.

In addition to their contributions, in just eight hours, they were able to raise more than 400,000 dollars, or about 370,000 euros. They mention in the joint video that they came up with the idea when Oprah, who was exchanging text messages about how to help, discovered that singer Dolly Parton had given money “directly to her community,” and they decided to follow suit. “This direct will go to one of the many affected residents, and we guarantee it,” she says, while the actress explains that there are many people who have doubts that the financial contributions will reach their destination. They both say: “In disasters like this, the first need is money,” and they, as is known, want to be a guarantor of the authenticity of the shipment.

Both The Rock and Winfrey have strong ties to Hawaii. The Fast & Furious saga actor is a lover of the archipelago’s culture and married his girlfriend Lauren Hashian, whom he has been dating for 12 years and has two daughters, Jasmine and Tiana, in 2019. The actor has had a foundation since 2006 through which he helps terminally ill children and is a philanthropist. Great: It has helped hospitals and universities with natural disasters, abandoned animals, or more recently, actors on strike. In Hawaii, he had already donated large sums of money to set up a gym on a military base and to help with hurricanes. For her part, Winfrey has a home on the island where she spends long periods of time and was determined from the first moment to broadcast long hours of television programs about the fires, even though they were not always well received in the facilities she wanted them to. To do her program, where there were people in a vulnerable position who had lost everything. The TV star owns a huge farm on Maui, with an area of ​​about 3.5 square kilometers in the Kula area in the center of the island.