Oprah And The Rock Have Promised To Send Money Directly To The Victims In Maui:
The Individuals’s Fund of Maui wants to give $1,200 (£950) a month to each of the thousands of people who lost their homes in the fires this month. The two stars gave $10 million to start the fundraiser, and they are now asking the public for more money.
The stated number of deaths is 115, but three weeks later, many people are still missing. The money will be distributed to Lahaina and Kula residents on Maui whose homes were burned by wildfires. It can be used by landlords as well as renters, but not by owners who don’t live in the damaged houses.
Winfrey lives part-time in Maui, while Johnson grew up in Hawaii. He is of Samoan descent and used to go by the ring name “The Rock.” He then did the role of Maui, a god, in the Disney movie Moana.
Says Winfrey She Came Up With The Idea For The Fund After Hearing Regarding How Successful Dolly Parton, A Veteran Of Country Music Was:
Winfrey said she was moved to start the fund after hearing about the success of Dolly Parton’s My People Fund, which was set up after the 2016 wildfires within Sevier County, Tennessee, to help locals financially.
Winfrey and Johnson posted a video on Instagram together in which they talked about how “devastating” the fires had been and how they wanted to find a way to make sure that gifts would go “immediately into the hands of Lahaina residents.”
She said, “We were so worried about what was going on on Maui that we were talking back and forth. I read a story that said Dolly Parton gave cash to her community, and I said, “I think that is the answer.”
This New Fund Will Be A Way To Get Money Straight To Those With Loved Ones Who Have Been Hurt:
The fundraiser said, “By working closely with a respected advisory board and getting support from the local community and esteemed elders, this new fund will be a bridge to give cash to the families and individuals influenced so they can decide for themselves how best to use the money.”
In an Instagram video with The Rock, Winfrey said, “Our goal is for people to possess their own agency and be able to make their own decisions about what they need as well as what their family needs.”
“Even when things are bad, the citizens of Maui stick together and pull through. That’s what makes ourselves stronger,” said the Rock. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has given an initial payment of $700 for urgent needs, but many people have said that the money doesn’t do much to help with long-term healing.
Johnson Said, “I Meet A Lot Of People Off There, As Both Oprah And I Are Finding.”
“So, we made the People’s Fund of Maui, which will give money straight to the people who need it now. If you make a gift, we promise that it will go to a few of the many people who had to leave their homes in Maui.
Johnson went on, saying, “I know that a lot of individuals out there, like Oprah and me, have trouble believing where their money goes. It goes straight from you to them, and it happens right away. This is important because, as you all know, the most important thing after a disaster like this is having cash in hand.
Winfrey Has Spent Part Of The Last 15 Years Living In Maui:
“We want people to be able to make their own decisions regarding what they need as well as what their family needs. That’s what we’re trying to get to the people right now.”
Rich buys from the mainland, like billionaires Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos, as well as Oprah Winfrey, have pushed out some of the workers who keep Maui’s booming tourist industry going.
She has lived part-time on Maui for more than 15 years, and earlier this year she purchased 870 acres of land within Kula for almost $6.6 million, according to the local media site Maui Now.
