Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson launch fund with $10 million for displaced Maui residents

1 year ago 38

- What I love is that when I texted you you texted me right back. - Right away. - You did. - Well, when Oprah texts you, you text back. (laughs) - Well, sometimes people are busy. But he texted me right back and I texted him with this idea that I had seen a story about Dolly Parton who when Gatlinburg so many people lost their homes in her hometown, she started a fund called My People's Fund. And I said, "This is what we've been looking for," because we've been talking back and forth about what could we do and how could we best serve? And this is what we've done. We've created the People's Fund of Maui. People's Fund of Maui where your dollars sent to this link are going to go directly into the hands of the people. Now let me just tell you, there's been a lot of meetings. We've been on Zoom- - Forever. - Forever. - Yes. A lot of meetings. - Been Zoom, zoom, zooming forever to organize, strategize, get the logistics, get the cross-referencing, get the verification in place, put the infrastructure in place. I told you all that I was working on something and working on getting the infrastructure right. We think we got the infrastructure right. And now you can send your donations to help families directly without all the red tape. And lots of organizations have done really amazing, phenomenal work here on the ground. But none of it is gone as far as I know, directly, on a regular basis into the hands of people who need it. And that's what we're trying to do. - And you are right. And this is why it makes the People's Fund of Maui is so special. Not only the hard work we put in, but also so many other people with one intention in mind is to help the families who have been displaced, their homes destroyed, their lives completely destroyed. And I do wanna underscore something I think is always important is that when we all give money, sometimes we're, a lot of times we're hesitant or maybe all the time we're hesitant, concerned of where the money goes. How long will it take for the money to actually get to the people and affect them? There's a real immediacy here with our fund from you guys directly to the people within days. - Within days. And let's just say we started with our own money. We started the fund with $10 million and are asking you to help us as we extend payments to each person who has been displaced from their home who is an adult for at least the next six months. That is our hope. We will go as long as the donations allow us to but our goal is to get the money to the people for the next six months so that there can be a level of consistency for every family. - And one last thing too as well. What Oprah and I did, we made sure that we had pulled in the community leaders and the cultural leaders to make sure this is the number one thing that they need. What is your number one need that we can help meet? - Right now. - Right now. And it was money. - And it was money. Right now. There will be other needs in the future, like the whole rebuilding process, but right now it's getting money directly in the hands of the people. And we thank you all ready for your support giving to the People's Fund of Maui. - Mahalo. - Mahalo. Thank you, Dolly. - Thank you Dolly.

Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson have committed $10 million to make direct payments to people on Maui who are unable to return to their homes because of the wildfires, through a new fund they announced Thursday.The People's Fund of Maui will give $1,200 a month to adults who are not able to return to their primary residences because of the recent wildfires, including people who owned and rented their homes, according to the fund's website. The fund will also seek donations to extend the length of time it can provide the support."How do we help?" the "Young Rock" star said he and Winfrey asked each other during the wildfires, saying in a video released along with the announcement that they grappled with how to best direct their efforts. "You want to take care of the greatest need of the people, and that's giving them money."They are looking forward to the help of "every person who called me and said, 'What can I do?'" Winfrey said in the video. "This is what you can do."The pair were inspired by a similar fund set up by Dolly Parton after wildfires swept through Gatlinburg, Tennessee in December 2016, killing 14 people and destroying 2,400 structures.Jeff Conyers, president of The Dollywood Foundation, said he consulted with Winfrey's team multiple times in the past weeks to share the lessons that they'd learned from administrating the fund, which eventually granted $11 million to families who had lost their homes."Dolly's idea was that, 'Hey, look, these are my people and I want to take care of them and we trust them to know what recovery looks like for themselves and their families in the days and weeks following this immediate catastrophe here,'" Conyers said.Parton's fund, called My People Fund, worked with first responders and a local utility company and asked residents to help them determine which structures were destroyed and who lived in those homes, Conyers said. Around 1,000 families eventually received assistance from the fund, according to an evaluation from the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Social Work. That included a final $5,000 lump sum transfer at the end of six months.Winfrey, who lives on Maui part-time, visited an emergency shelter on Maui in the days after the wildfire hit and worried about effectively getting resources to residents. At least 115 people were killed in the fires, though an unknown number are still missing. The fire that ripped through the historic town of Lahaina on Aug. 8 was the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century.Forecasters warned Wednesday that gusty winds and low humidity increased the risk that fires could spread rapidly in the western parts of each Hawaiian island, though they were not as powerful as the winds that helped fuel the deadly blaze three weeks ago.To qualify, applicants must show a government ID and a utility bill in their name for a lost or uninhabitable residence, the fund's website said.In the announcement, Winfrey and Johnson said they consulted with "community elders, leaders and residents including Hōkūlani Holt-Padilla, Keali'i Reichel, Archie Kalepa, Ekolu Lindsey, Kimo Falconer, Tiare Lawrence, Kaimana Brummel, Kaleikoa Ka'eo, Brian Keaulana, Kaimi Kaneholani, Henohea Kāne, Paele Kiakona, Ed Suwanjindar, Shep Gordon and Jason Momoa."The Entertainment Industry Fund, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that helps celebrities administer their charitable work, is sponsoring the fund, the announcement said.Johnson and Winfrey hope the fund will continue to make transfers to qualifying residents for at least six months, but Winfrey said it would be up to the American public to determine how long the fund extends, based on their support and donations.

The People's Fund of Maui will give $1,200 a month to adults who are not able to return to their primary residences because of the recent wildfires, including people who owned and rented their homes, according to the fund's website. The fund will also seek donations to extend the length of time it can provide the support.

"How do we help?" the "Young Rock" star said he and Winfrey asked each other during the wildfires, saying in a video released along with the announcement that they grappled with how to best direct their efforts. "You want to take care of the greatest need of the people, and that's giving them money."

They are looking forward to the help of "every person who called me and said, 'What can I do?'" Winfrey said in the video. "This is what you can do."

The pair were inspired by a similar fund set up by Dolly Parton after wildfires swept through Gatlinburg, Tennessee in December 2016, killing 14 people and destroying 2,400 structures.

Jeff Conyers, president of The Dollywood Foundation, said he consulted with Winfrey's team multiple times in the past weeks to share the lessons that they'd learned from administrating the fund, which eventually granted $11 million to families who had lost their homes.

"Dolly's idea was that, 'Hey, look, these are my people and I want to take care of them and we trust them to know what recovery looks like for themselves and their families in the days and weeks following this immediate catastrophe here,'" Conyers said.

Parton's fund, called My People Fund, worked with first responders and a local utility company and asked residents to help them determine which structures were destroyed and who lived in those homes, Conyers said. Around 1,000 families eventually received assistance from the fund, according to an evaluation from the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Social Work. That included a final $5,000 lump sum transfer at the end of six months.

Winfrey, who lives on Maui part-time, visited an emergency shelter on Maui in the days after the wildfire hit and worried about effectively getting resources to residents. At least 115 people were killed in the fires, though an unknown number are still missing. The fire that ripped through the historic town of Lahaina on Aug. 8 was the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century.

Forecasters warned Wednesday that gusty winds and low humidity increased the risk that fires could spread rapidly in the western parts of each Hawaiian island, though they were not as powerful as the winds that helped fuel the deadly blaze three weeks ago.

To qualify, applicants must show a government ID and a utility bill in their name for a lost or uninhabitable residence, the fund's website said.

In the announcement, Winfrey and Johnson said they consulted with "community elders, leaders and residents including Hōkūlani Holt-Padilla, Keali'i Reichel, Archie Kalepa, Ekolu Lindsey, Kimo Falconer, Tiare Lawrence, Kaimana Brummel, Kaleikoa Ka'eo, Brian Keaulana, Kaimi Kaneholani, Henohea Kāne, Paele Kiakona, Ed Suwanjindar, Shep Gordon and Jason Momoa."

The Entertainment Industry Fund, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that helps celebrities administer their charitable work, is sponsoring the fund, the announcement said.

Johnson and Winfrey hope the fund will continue to make transfers to qualifying residents for at least six months, but Winfrey said it would be up to the American public to determine how long the fund extends, based on their support and donations.

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