B.C.-born actor Ryan Reynolds and his wife, actress Blake Lively, are stepping up in an effort to support Ukrainians amid a full-scale Russian military invasion.
Reynolds took to social media this weekend and announced that he and Lively will be matching donations made to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Reynolds says that the couple will match donations dollar-for-dollar up to a total of $1,000,000.
Right now, the crisis in Ukraine is forcing families to flee their homes.
Please make a donation today to send lifesaving aid to displaced Ukrainians, and @VancityReynolds & @blakelively will match your gift $1-for-$1 up to $1,000,000.https://t.co/1CHpm9CqUl
— USA for UNHCR (@UNRefugeeAgency) February 26, 2022
“In 48 hours, countless Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to neighbouring countries. They need protection. When you donate, we’ll match it up to $1,000,000, creating double the support,” Reynolds posted to Twitter.
The donation page for the UNHCR outlines some of the items that the money goes towards including tarps for family shelters.
The organization outlines that nearly three million people in Ukraine will require humanitarian assistance this year and that people fleeing for their lives need immediate shelter and protection.
“Your compassionate support can help provide emergency supplies, lifesaving care and protection the moment Ukrainian families are forced to flee for their lives,” reads a statement from the UNHCR. “You will help children, women and men displaced by violence in Ukraine know they are not alone at the most devastating moment of their lives.”
Reynolds has been known to be philanthropic over the years, donating to causes such as an Indigenous mentorship program, B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest, and flood relief for last year’s devastating floods, while also launching an initiative with his own salary to get more Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) on film sets.
Graham Cox
