PA ImagesAustralia needs the world’s help, as Down Under continues to irrepressibly, uncontrollably burn. After a number of celebrity donations, Ellen DeGeneres has launched a GoFundMe to raise $5 million for bushfire relief.
Since September last year, bushfires have taken the lives of at least 25 people and more than a billion animals. In New South Wales (NSW), an area particularly afflicted by infernos, 1,588 homes have been destroyed and a further 653 damaged.
Folks all across the globe are offering their support, whether it be Canadian fire crews or models fundraising via nudes. Now, the popular talk show host is urging people to give what they can to help the crisis.
Ellen says she has already donated to the Red Cross, and Australian Wildlife fund and the NSW Rural Fire Service – but she wants her fans to do the same.
On an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the host said:
I love Australia. 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. And right now, Australia needs our help.
Wildfires have been burning for four months and with record-breaking heat. The winds are so strong and it is getting worse. Thousands of people have been displaced. Homes have been burned. Lives have been lost. Nearly half a billion animals have been killed. Nearly a third of their habitat has been destroyed.
The celeb host joins a roster of other high-profile actors and musicians contributing to the relief effort. Nicole Kidman is donating $500,000, while Chris Hemsworth and Elton John are each pledging $1 million to help with the bushfire crisis.
PexelsIt’s hoped Ellen’s GoFundMe page will reach the target of $5 million, helping ‘the firefighters, people, and animals of Australia’ – so far, after just 22 hours, it’s already raised more than $650,000.
Ellen also raised awareness of the ongoing chaos in Australia after winning a Golden Globe for Outstanding Contribution toTelevision.
PA ImagesWhile accepting the Carol Burnett Award, Ellen said:
There are people that have lost everything. I mean, Australia is such an amazing place! The people are so amazing. The number of animals that have been lost…
One of the show’s partners, Shutterfly, kicked off the GoFundMe with a $100,000 donation.
You can donate to the Australian Red Cross here. Alternatively, you can donate to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service here, or the Queensland Fire Service here.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.