We have seen numerous celebrities and sports stars step up big time to give donations to the Houston area following the devastation left by Hurricane Harvey. Stars like Sandra Bullock (Who gave a very generous donation of $1 million), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, J.J. Watt, Kevin Hart, Robert Kraft, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Kacey Musgraves, DJ Khaled, The Chainsmokers, Drake, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, the Kardashian family, Rachel Ray, Fall Out Boy, Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, Ellen DeGeneres, the cast of “Supernatural,” rapper T.I., and country singer Chris Young. Joining the list in a big way is Leonardo DiCaprio, who is giving $1 million to the important relief effort.
As Variety reported, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has pledged $1 million as the inaugural donation to the United Way Harvey Recovery Fund. The fund was only created recently and is said to be “a national fund which will distribute 100 percent of donations for recovery in the affected areas, community by community, in the months and years ahead,” according to the United Way. “The fund will facilitate the donation process for United Way donors and partners who want to offer financial support to storm victims in Texas, Louisiana and the affected areas.”
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“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of Leonardo DiCaprio and his foundation,” said United Way Worldwide president and CEO Brian Gallagher. “Responding to Hurricane Harvey requires the best of all of us — and that’s what this gift represents.”
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has provided disaster relief aid in the past, including to the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Major companies have also given generous donations to the Harvey relief efforts including Verizon ($10 million), the Houston Astros led by their owner Jim Crane ($4 million), Toyota ($3 million), Carnival Cruise Line ($2 million), Apple ($2 million), Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo ($2 million), United Airlines ($1.1 million), Bank of America ($1 million), Chevron ($1 million), Coca-Cola ($1 million), Comcast NBCUniversal ($1 million), Dow Chemical Company ($1 million), ExxonMobil ($1 million), Home Depot ($1 million), Intercontinental Exchange ($1 million), Jefferies ($1 million), JPMorgan Chase ($1 million), Lennar ($1 million), PepsiCo ($1 million), UnitedHealthcare ($1 million), UPS ($1 million), Walmart ($1 million), Hilton ($500,000), and Wells Fargo ($500,000).
If you would like to donate to the Hurricane Harvey relief effort, donations can be given to the RED CROSS, UNITED WAY OF GREATER HOUSTON, THE SALVATION ARMY, GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, and GLOBAL GIVING.
[Variety]