How Hollywood helps Ukraine

In late February, when Russia began invading Ukraine, Hollywood responded immediately to help the war-torn country. Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher launched the GoFundMe relief effort, which raised $30 million in two weeks, including $3 million from their own contributions; Hayden Panettiere founded Hoplon International to provide critical funding for medical supplies and protective equipment for those on the front lines; Bethany Frankel’s BStrong raised nearly $20 million at the end of March; And Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds made a $1 million donation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

He died four months later and the war is still raging in Ukraine, but public attention, and therefore financial support, has disappeared.

“They saw the photos. “They invested, they got scared, they read the news: ‘It’s very horrible what happens to all the kids,’ but they forgot because something terrible is happening elsewhere,” said Frankel, whose organization he works with. The Global Empowerment Mission provided $250 million in assistance and supplies. “Children were dying in Ukraine and now there is a terrible tragedy in Texas. [where BStrong also has donated to the families in Uvalde]. But we can’t just give up; This is real life and this is real death.

BStrong eased the crisis after Hurricane Maria in Florida, Surfside in the early days of the condom crash and COVID-19, but Frankel says Ukraine has become a “Super Bowl Hall of Fame” when it comes to basic food and water . , Housing, Warzone Mining, Relocation and Storage Operations in Eastern Europe, as well as Pandemic Challenges. He stopped asking for donations, seeing March and April as a “hunt and gather now” phase. “Now that my salary has increased, it wouldn’t be an efficient use of my time; It’s not going to attract a lot of money, because it’s not what people think.”

Chef José Andrés also continues to actively help through his World Central Kitchen, which since June has provided 40 million meals to Ukrainian refugees in eight countries. “A plate of food may not solve the war, but it can bring comfort and hope, some light during a long and difficult journey,” he said. Andrés, whose work is currently documented in a National Geographic film by Ron Howard we feed the people. “For me, food is the best way to fight.”

And the Entertainment Industry Foundation is partnering with Dr. Irwin Redler and Karen Redler for the Ukraine Children’s Action Project to meet the needs of more than 150,000 displaced Ukrainian youth in their home country. Michael Keaton and Joan Baez are among the members of the UCAP Advisory Committee, as Irwin Redlener promises: “We will continue this work for as long as necessary. Now we need everyone’s support.”

Panettiere, whose ex-boyfriend, former Ukrainian prosecutor Vladimir Klitschko, joined the Kiev Territorial Defense Brigade in February to fight the Russian invasion, he says. THR That, “I founded Hoplon International to bring about change in Ukraine and to ensure that donations from those seeking help go to the right place. I have been in regular contact with Vlad and am well aware of the great need for medical kits and protective gear for those struggling. Hoplon sends 100% of its donations forward. Soldiers are the ones who help refugees evacuate and we must ensure that they remain equipped and protected. “This war is far from over and my foundation will continue to help the Ukrainian ombudsmen for as long as necessary.” Klitschko, who sent the message THR Through Panettiere, he adds that “everyday war crimes and the murder of Ukrainians by the Russian army are no longer news, because they just happen. We need heavy weapons and isolation from Russia at every stage to show that the world is against this senseless aggression!”

Meanwhile, outspoken activist Sean Penn and his CORE group have teams in Poland and Romania providing flexible cash assistance, supporting refugee shelters, distributing hygiene kits and supporting health and safety services. Ben Stiller also recently traveled to Ukraine for a personal and corporate conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky, with NBC hosting a one-hour primetime broadcast on July 3. Ukraine: answer the call, Fundraising for education and crisis. John Batiste, Kristen Bell, Brandi Carlisle, Brian Cox, Jeff Daniels, Vera Farmiga, Lena Headey, Alicia Keys, Simu Liu, Julianne Moore, Brad Paisley and Rosie Perez attend the televised event.

Liv Schreiber, born in the United States but with family ties to Ukraine, also played a long-term active role in this, launching BlueCheck Ukraine in the spring, an initiative that provides critical financial assistance to Ukrainian aid groups.

“People called me because they thought I was Ukrainian because of my movie [2005’s Everything Is Illuminated] And click on grandpa and ask how they helped. I didn’t get a good answer and that’s what led us to find a good answer,” explains Schreiber, because his organization identifies credible frontline organizations that need an ambulance. As the war progressed and these needs arose, BlueCheck now provides education and mental health services, primarily needed medical care, food and shelter.

“I think of America as a nation of grandchildren and the grandson of a Ukrainian grandfather,” Schreiber said. “I feel like I owe it to my grandparents, for what they went through, for giving me the life I have now, the suffering they went through. If I can do something, if we can do something, to alleviate the suffering of Ukraine, which is undergoing a rather brutal and, in my opinion, inexplicable and undeserved invasion, we must do it.

The story first appeared in the June 22 issue of The Gossipify. Click here to subscribe.