Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Donate $500,000 to Charity Supporting Homeless Youth in Canada
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have opened their wallets to at-risk youths struggling with homelessness in Canada.
The couple donated $250,000 to both Covenant House Vancouver and Covenant House Toronto, an organization which Reynolds, 44, has supported for a long time, according to a press release.
The nonprofit provides homeless youth with basic needs like food and shelter as well as helps to prepare them to live independent and successful futures, according to its website. It also helps those who are victims of sex trafficking.
"Covenant House provides love, hope and stability for at-risk youth who’ve fled physical, emotional and sexual abuse. They do the work of heroes," Reynolds said in the release.
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"For us, helping Covenant House this way isn’t a donation, but an investment in compassion and empathy; something the world needs more of. The young people who pass through the doors of Covenant House more often than not have a story marked by extraordinary trauma. They are so much more than that trauma. They have so much to offer the world," he continued, urging others to donate as part of a matching campaign.
Reynolds added, "Matching this gift is saying you believe in them. You believe in the power of compassion to transform the trajectory of a human being."
"Ryan and Blake truly understand that young people who are facing homelessness deserve unconditional love and absolute respect. Their generous donation and compassionate support mean so much to Covenant House and we are truly grateful for their continued friendship," Krista Thompson, CEO of Covenant House Vancouver, shared in a statement.
Reynolds and Lively, 33, have donated to several social causes over the past few months.
In March, the pair wanted to do their part to help those who have been “brutally impacted” by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
RELATED: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Donate $1 Million to Food Banks Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
In a post shared on his Twitter and Instagram, the Deadpool star announced that he and his wife would be donating $1 million to two organizations representing food banks across the United States and Canada during the COVID-19 health crisis.
“If you can give, these orgs need out help,” he wrote. “Take care of your bodies and hearts. Leave room for joy. Call someone who’s isolated and might need connection.”
A few months later, in July, Reynolds and Lively gave $200,000 to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Legal Defense Fund to help protest the death of George Floyd.
"We stand in awe of this organization and its leader, Sherrilyn Ifill. And this is just a start," the couple shared on Instagram. "We also pledge to star educated and vote in every local election. We want to know the positions of school board nominees, sheriffs, mayors, councilpersons. We want to know their positions on justice. But mainly, we want to use our privilege and platform to be an ally. And to play a part in easing pain for do many who feels as though this grand experiment is failing them."
"We've never had to worry about preparing our kids for different rules of law or what might happen if we're pulled over in the car," their statement read. "We don’t know what it’s like to experience that life day in and day out. We can’t imagine feeling that kind of fear and anger. We’re ashamed that in the past we’ve allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is."
