by Mark Silva
One week after an earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people and left hundreds of thousands homeless in Haiiti, Leonardo DiCaprio, the actor, has donated $1 million for a relief effort operated by two former American presidents.
DiCaprio has donated $1 million to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the Clinton Foundation announced tonight, to support near-term assistance and long-term recovery efforts. DiCaprio's donation came from the Leonardo DiCaprio Fund, which fosters awareness of environmental issues, will help with immediate relief efforts as well as with longer-term redevelopment and infrastructure projects.
President Obama recruited former Pesidents George W. Bush and Bll Clinton to spearhead a fundraisng drive for Haitian earthquake relief.
""I am grateful for the generous gift Leonardo DiCaprio and his foundation have made,'' Cinton said. "Combined with the outpouring of donations from Americans and citizens around the world of all means, this support will go a long way to help save more lives, reach more people with emergency assistance, and help the Haitian people build their nation back stronger and more secure than it was before the earthquake."
"I salute Leonardo DiCaprio for his extraordinary generosity," Bush said. "This donation sends a clear message to the people of Haiti that America's commitment to helping rebuild their country is strong.''
Comments
A titanic gesture. And now he really is "on top of the world."
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | January 21, 2010 7:41 PM
Leonardo stood up tall and gave One Million, unlike our commander-in-cheap did, with a paltry $15,000 out of his millions.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | January 21, 2010 9:35 PM
In olden days, we would call him a "mensch".
Posted by: ornery | January 21, 2010 10:44 PM
Very nice and worthwhile donation from Leo. Hopefully more actors and musicians will do likewise.
Posted by: John D | January 22, 2010 12:40 AM
That is the least, all of the over-priced artists, athletes, bankers, investors, religious hucksters, executives and all the others who just turn around, in place and make another million, could offer the suffering nation of Haiti, barely off our shores. While we have factory workers, laborers, painters, carpenters and other skilled and semi-skilled and unskilled laborers barely making ends meet, if they are lucky enough to have a job, after the job the Weasels of Wall Street did on our economy !! Throw all of the bums in jail, those who stole from America. Anything less, will not do !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | January 22, 2010 2:45 AM
Hey Paulo. We're still waiting breathlessly for you to tell us how much of your fortune you contributed. How about fessing up?
Posted by: Kenneth Janowski | January 22, 2010 11:03 AM
Please Paulo...spare the hypocricy. Anyone who has been on the swamp for any length of time knows you didn't give a crap about New Orleans and you don't give crap about Haiti. Why don't you man-up and just admit it. There is only one person you care about and it is that ugly mug in your bathroom mirror.
Posted by: bill r. | January 22, 2010 11:39 AM
I wonder how much money Rush Limprod has donated? Oh, right - NOTHING. Glen Beck - NOTHING. Sean Hannity - NOTHING. Bill O-Liarly - NOTHING.
'
Yet these whiny old white boys attack the "Hollywood liberal elite" day in and day out, who give to help the less fortunate while the Schlock Network talking heads give SQUAT!
Posted by: BC | January 22, 2010 11:51 AM
Why did the people of Haiti get food and water air dropped in, while those Americans stranded at the Astrodome in NO got nothing for a very long while? Americans are sent to Haiti while men with machetes roam the streets there. Yet, most national first responders did not go into New Orleans right away to help Americans because they were saying "things were out of control". ??? The American gov't is seldom on the side of Americans--yet want to be sugar daddy to the rest of the world. That is getting very old...and voter worthy. Haiti is currently without a government. Someone on my child's facebook wrote that they would gladly donate one Obama, one Pelosi, one Reid, two Clintons and two Bushes to the defunct Haitian government. That would be a very helpful (for us) donation.
Posted by: Vivian | January 22, 2010 6:17 PM
BC,
Do you know for a fact the Limbuagh, Beck, Hannity and O'Reilly gave nothing? Perhaps, they made a donation with having a publicist issue a press release?
Posted by: Terry | January 22, 2010 6:29 PM
As usual, Idiot-for-Life BC, the man or woman who thinks that Cuba is nowhere near the Gulf of Mexico, is wrong.
BC, here is a link to charities that Bill O'Reilly regularly gives to:
http://www.billoreilly.com/pg/jsp/billsfavorites/billscharities.jsp
As you will notice, one of them is the Haitian Health Foundation, in which O'Reilly gave to even BEFORE the earthquake.
In the past Limbaugh has donated to lots of organizations. In 2008, according to freerepublic.com he gave $4.2 million to the children of Marines and law-enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Limbaugh also holds an annual "telethon" during his show for lymphoma research. Just in 2009, Limbaugh donated $300,000, which doesn't include the millions donated by his listeners.
Ahhhh, once again, BC is shown to be the complete ignorant loon that he is, and one that is contintually wrong. What an utter embarrassment, you are!
Posted by: John D | January 22, 2010 9:26 PM
Leonardo DiCaprio understands true service to humanity. Actors are high profile individuals who can be a force for good in the world.
Now Blackwater and Halliburton should step up to the plate without taxpayer welfare.
Posted by: Christopher Scarzo | January 23, 2010 3:28 PM