Arnold Schwarzenegger Pledges to Donate $1 Million to L.A. Wildfire Relief: 'I'm Going to Lead the Way'
"I don’t like when companies or rich people ask their fans to make their donations for them," Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote
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Arnold Schwarzenegger on April 4, 2024Arnold Schwarzenegger is giving back to Los Angeles.
The actor and former governor of California shared a post on Instagram Tuesday, Jan. 21, in which he wrote that he is donating $1 million to three foundations to assist in relief efforts more than two weeks after a series of devastating wildfires broke out in L.A.
"A lot of my fans have asked me how they can help LA. I’m going to lead the way. I’m sending a million dollars of my own money, split between @lafdfoundation, @cafirefound, and @habitatla. I don’t like when companies or rich people ask their fans to make their donations for them," Schwarzenegger, 77, wrote in the caption to his post which features a t-shirt that bears his likeness and the phrase "L.A. Strong."
"But I know you want to help. So I had my team design a shirt. 100% of the profits will go to those organizations," the Terminator actor wrote. "The shirt might look familiar - it’s based on an LA classic, the knock-off version of me they sell to tourists on the Venice boardwalk, except I can use my image. You can get it at the link in my bio."
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Multiple wildfires in Los Angeles first broke out on Tuesday, Jan. 7 that have since sent tens of thousands of residents — including celebrities like Leighton Meester and Adam Brody, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Joshua Jackson, Anna Faris, Ricki Lake and Cary Elwes — displaced from their homes. Thousands of structures have been affected so far in what is considered the most destructive firestorm in the city’s history. As the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner announced on Thursday, Jan. 16, there have been at least 27 deaths.
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A new fire, known as the Hughes Fire, sparked around 10:53 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Jan. 22; the fire has grown to 3,407 acres and is considered 0% contained, according to Cal Fire. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire is 91% contained and the Palisades Fire is considered 68% contained.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger on April 4, 2024Schwarzenegger is no stranger to acts of charity. Back in November, he shared a video of himself speaking to local news outlet Fox 11 as he volunteered at a youth center in east L.A. on Thanksgiving Day.
"Giving back is, to me, everything," he said in the news clip, which noted Schwarzenegger has been donating turkeys to the youth center for more than three decades.
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