On July 13, the union of actors announced they were going on strike. Since then, there has been an outcry of support for SAG-AFTRA and the WGA (Writer's Guild of America), the latter of whom began protesting back in May. To help support the actors and writers while they are on strike, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has just made a generous contribution.
Johnson's donation arrived after SAG-AFTRA sent a letter to the 2,700 highest-earning actors to ask for help. The funds collected go towards the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Emergency Financial Assistance Program, which is used to care for actors impacted by the strike and lack of work. They send them anywhere between $1,500 to $6,000, depending on a member's circumstances.
“We rely on donations and grants to provide services—we have been very fortunate that we raised enough money to be able to cover all of our programs,” Cyd Wilson, executive director of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation explains. “But when we hit a crisis like this and we’re going to spend millions and millions of dollars in financial assistance, this is when we need our high profile talent who can afford it, who are in a situation to help others.”
Although the exact number of Johnson's seven-figure donation is not disclosed, the foundation did say that it is the largest single sum given by one individual. “And what is amazing is that that one check is going to help thousands of actors keep food on their table, and keep their kids safe, and keep their cars running,” Wilson continues. “For him to step up like this is really going to get us started in the fundraising that we’re going to need to do, because everything we’re hearing and seeing, we feel we have to be prepared that this could go on through the end of the year. We’re going to have to be able to help these people in the long run.”
There are 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA, so with Johnson's generous head-start, the foundation hopes to be able to support them with financial aid as long as the strike lasts.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson donated a historic amount to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. This seven-figure sum will go towards providing financial assistance to actors that are out of work.
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