Rihanna donates $5m to coronavirus relief efforts —Reuters/Bang Showbiz
Rihanna is donating to help global coronavirus relief efforts.
The ‘We Found Love’ singer’s Clara Lionel Foundation has announced it will give $5 million to help fight COVID-19 and help those on the frontline as the world fights the disease.
The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF), founded in 2012 by Rihanna in honor of her grandparents (Clara and Lionel Braithwaite), supports and funds groundbreaking and effective education and emergency preparedness and response programs around the world.
CLF engages in global advocacy to improve the quality of life for young people. Currently, their programs include the Clara Lionel Foundation Global Scholarship Program, the Clara Braithwaite Center for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados and the Barbados Micro Grants Program.
Justine Lucas, Executive Director of the Clara Lionel Foundation, said in a statement: “Never has it been more important or urgent to protect and prepare marginalized and underserved communities – those who will be hit hardest by this pandemic.”
The money is set to be used for a multitude of causes, including to help provide supplies to food banks, which are feeding the vulnerable and elderly at this time, as well as to provide funds to help with more coronavirus testing and care in countries such as Haiti and Malawi.
It is also hoped the funds can be used to purchase protective equipment such as gloves and masks in intensive care units up and down the country as well as help with the cost of development of vaccines and to train healthcare workers.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have also donated $1 million to food banks in North America to help support their coronavirus relief efforts.
He wrote in an Instagram post: “Covid-19 has brutally impacted older adults and low-income families. Blake and I are donating $1 million to be split between Feeding America and Food Banks Canada. If you can give, these organizations need our help. Take care of your bodies and hearts. Leave room for joy. Call someone who’s isolated and might need connection. (sic)”
Dan Nisbet, vice president of Major Gifts at Feeding America, added in a statement: “We are so grateful for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s extremely generous donation, and for all of the donations we’ve been receiving. The Feeding America network of 200 food banks is working tirelessly to aid and provide meal assistance to our most vulnerable neighbors – children, the elderly, families struggling with food insecurity, and individuals facing job disruptions – throughout our nation during this unprecedented time. Generosity like theirs will make all the difference.”
—Reuters/Bang Showbiz
