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All money donated to their fund goes directly to the residents of Lāhainā, a town in Maui that was severely affected, they said. After Maui’s wildfire, with tourism down and Hawaii home prices already high, some are making mainland moves, with California and Las Vegas in their sights. Winfrey and Johnson started their campaign with a $10-million donation to those who suffered from the wildfires in Lahaina and Kula. The two stars were compelled to launch the fund in part because they were fielding questions from people close to them about which foundations would provide the most immediate help to those affected.
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In the end, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a longtime nonprofit that helps celebrities administer charitable work and that managed the distribution of the funds, said it raised almost $60 million. That money was dispersed between September and February to some 8,100 adults — a significant portion of the 12,000 people the state of Hawaii estimates were displaced. Media mogul Oprah Winfrey is offering a helping hand to Maui residents who have been impacted by the deadly wildfires. Yuki Lei Sugimura, a Maui County Council member, told the Honolulu-based television station KITV this year that she appreciated Ms. Winfrey’s efforts to hire Maui residents and to preserve agricultural land from development. “Those are the big issues, and she’s stepping right into them,” she said. Well aside from her career as a media genius and TV personality, Oprah also enjoys spending time doing philanthropy work, she loves to read, and she really loves spending time with her dogs.
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Winfrey's land purchases have been debated by local and state officials. Another two parcels, each consisting of 10 acres, were previously purchased for $100,000 apiece. Two larger parcels, one about 520 acres and another about 330 acres, were sold February 10 by Ulupalakua Ranch to Winfrey's Los Angeles-based company, Harpo Inc. for $3.89 million and $2.47 million, respectively. Winfrey shared on X that she had opened her private road to help citizens evacuate on July 12, 2019. Maui experienced "a very active fire season" in 2019, Fire Services Chief Rylan Yatsushiro told The Maui News in December that year. Throughout the year, 25,000 acres burned, according to The Maui News, compared to the 3,900 burned acres in 2018.
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Moreover, Oprah’s genuine appreciation for the local culture has fostered a deeper understanding and respect for the island’s heritage among her global audience. Maui is a natural paradise, and no visit to the island would be complete without exploring its breathtaking landscapes. One of the most iconic attractions is the Haleakala Crater, a massive volcanic caldera that rises over 10,000 feet above sea level.
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Every adult Maui resident who was affected by the wildfires, which were the deadliest of the last century in the U.S., is eligible to receive $1,200 per month as they recover from the natural disaster. Kaimana Brummel, who leads fundraising at Seabury Hall, a private school in Maui, was invited to offer some thoughts about the design of the People’s Fund of Maui. She said she suggested that the fund make every adult who was displaced eligible for a direct cash transfer instead of just every household.
Fire officials told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that at least two homes had been destroyed in Kula and some 80 people had been evacuated from 40 homes. At least two homes had been destroyed in Kula and some 80 people were evacuated from 40 homes, fire officials told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The presence of celebrities and tech executives on the island has in the past created tension with locals. Few of the high-profile owners have commented publicly on the status of their homes during the fire crisis. Jane draws inspiration from the tropical island lifestyle - outrigger canoeing at sunrise, beach picnics, hiking to hidden waterfalls.
Winfrey also owns 1,200 acres elsewhere on the island, including in Hana and near Mount Haleakala, MauiNow.com reported. The fast-moving wildfires ravaging Maui have killed at least 36 people and decimated hundreds of structures – many of them cultural and historical landmarks – on the once-idyllic Hawaiian island. After recent wildfires in Maui killed 115 people, Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson established the “People’s Fund of Maui” to aid the victims’ recovery. But social media users lobbed criticisms against Winfrey, a Maui landowner. The seclusion and natural beauty of Maui have long attracted celebrities, including Steven Tyler, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Willie Nelson and Jim Carrey. It has also drawn a suite of tech executives, who have purchased some of the most expensive properties on the island.
AP AUDIO: Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson pledged $10M for Maui wildfire survivors. They gave much more.
First, two parcels of 10 acres each were sold in December 2022 to Winfrey's Los Angeles-based company Harpo Inc. for $100,000 each. "I love, love, love my house," she is quoted saying in the article, calling it "a real, normal" home that "feels like a nice blanket." "She already has a large home in Santa Barbara — this seems to go back to something real and personal."
The billionaire talk show host, who is a part-time resident of the island, delivered a variety of supplies Thursday at a shelter in Wailuku, two days after the fire hit the historic town of Lahaina. Local residents have expressed mixed feelings about Ms. Winfrey’s real estate pursuits on the island. Emma Farrow is an experienced copywriter, social media fanatic, and beauty-loving gal. She spends her time forever writing about the lives of super star celebs, reviewing the latest makeup products, or giving us tips on the digital marketing and social media industries. Her blog is currently in progress but give her a follow on Instagram @emmaaafarrow to keep up with her latest happenings. The TV personality has amassed acres of land and at least a dozen structures in Maui, spending a total of $60 million in the process, and expanding the estate to 163 acres.
"The original plan was to do a quick job on the house then think about building the ultimate Hawaii homestead," Winfrey's decorator Ellie Cullman told O in 2006. As ProPublica reported in 2020, legislation to begin giving land reparations to Native Hawaiians passed in 1995, with a directive to return land seized by the US government. “We lost neighbors in this, and neighbors lost everything,” Atwater Millikin told the California paper.
Many nonprofits and government programs now use direct cash transfers, including others in Maui, following disasters. She and ten family members, including a baby less than one year old, were displaced in the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. In the weeks that followed, she and her adult children applied for and received many different kinds of assistance, including from the People’s Fund of Maui, an initiative set up by Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson.
Instead, she purchased the land and "has no plan to build any condos," according to the magazine. However, the US still owes Native Hawaiians 1,300 acres across the state, according to ProPublica. "I support Maui and the cause. But why are you asking us common folk who live paycheck to paycheck. We struggle to put food on table. Who helps us?" one person commented on Oprah's TikTok. Some fans took issue with Winfrey, who is worth close to $3 billion, according to Forbes, and Johnson, who was worth $270 million in February 2022, according to Forbes, asking people for financial help.
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