preview for Oprah and Dwayne Johnson Launch the People's Fund of Maui

Three weeks ago, wildfires blazed through Maui, leaving thousands of people without homes. Since then Oprah, who lives part-time on the island, has been visiting resilience hubs, talking to residents about their experiences and securing much-needed necessities for those who lost everything. Over the past several weeks, she has also been hard at work developing a long-term relief plan.

Today, Oprah and Dwayne Johnson announced the launch of the People’s Fund of Maui, a 501(c)(3) charitable service fund to distribute cash directly to those who were displaced by the fire. To get it started, Oprah and Johnson have donated $10 million and are inviting others to contribute to what will be an ongoing effort.

Oprah and Johnson collaborated closely with an advisory board made up of local community members and respected elders to ascertain what would be the most helpful. Together, they determined that every single adult who lives in the affected area and was displaced by the wildfires in Lahaina and Kula is eligible to receive $1,200 per month to help them through this period of recovery.

“I have been meeting with people throughout the community who were impacted by the fires over the last few weeks, asking what they most needed and how I could be of service,” Oprah shares. “The main thing I kept hearing was their concern over how to move forward under the immense financial burden of rebuilding their life. The community has come together in so many wonderful ways, and my intention is to support those impacted as they determine what rebuilding looks like for them.”

If you’d like to help contribute to those impacted by the fires in Maui, you can visit PeoplesFundofMaui.org.



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Bethany Heitman

Bethany Heitman has spent 15 years producing content for women; she is the former editor-in-chief of PeopleStyle and has held senior leadership positions at Cosmopolitan and Seventeen. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York