Ellen DeGeneres announces her bushfire donation effort
Ellen DeGeneres has launched a GoFundMe page to help raise $5 million for the Australian bushfire crisis.
The celebrity talk show host made the announcement on her show yesterday morning.
“I love Australia,” she said. “I love Australia so much; I even married an Australian.
“A few years ago, I got to see how incredible Australia is in person. We took our show there.
“And I fell in love with the country and the people.”
DeGeneres said right now, Australia needed help.
“Wildfires have been burning for four months and with record-breaking heat, the winds are so strong, and it’s getting worse,” she said.
“Thousands of people have been displaced. Homes have been burned. Lives have been lost. Nearly half a billion animals have been killed. It’s unbelievable. Nearly a third of their habitat has been destroyed.
“Our goal is to raise $5 million.”
She then started off the campaign with a $100,000 donation from Shutterfly, The Ellen DeGeneres Show’s philanthropic partner.
“It’s going to take years for Australia to rebuild and they need our help, so please donate,” she concluded.
Her page joins dozens of fundraisers on GoFundMe that have raised millions of dollars already.
OverSixty, its parent company and its owners are donating a total of $200,000 to the Vinnie’s Bushfire Appeal. We have also pledged an additional $100,000 of product to help all those affected by the bushfire crisis. We would love you to support too! Head to the Vinnie's website to donate.