Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1514720
85 S AG - A F T R A S PEC I A L IS S U E 2 0 24 S A G A F T R A .O R G initiative was a major contribution of more than $15 million given by a group of high- profile members and industry leaders, who each gave a gi of $1 million or more. The members included George Clooney, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Deborra- Lee Furness and Hugh Jackman, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Julia Roberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey. Streep, a Foundation champion and Actors' Council member who initiated the significant contribution, shared, "I remember my days as a waiter, cleaner, typist — even my time on the unemployment line. I am lucky to be able to support those who have been struggling." Foundation advocate and Actors' Council member Clooney, who helped to pull the group together, stated, "I'm proud to be able to support the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and my fellow actors. We've stood on the shoulders of the likes of Bette Davis and Jimmy Cagney, and it's time for our generation to give something back." In addition to the historic $15 million-plus contribution, members of all means gave to the Foundation in a variety of creative — and competitive — ways, including Utkarsh Ambudkar, Cynthia Nixon and Steven Weber, who all played on the most recent season of ABC's Celebrity Jeopardy!, and picked the SAG-AFTRA Foundation as their charity of choice to help their fellow actors facing financial hardship. And thousands of SAG-AFTRA members, from high-profile performers to young actors just getting started, stepped up and made personal donations to ensure there was not only a beacon of hope, but a secure safety net for colleagues and friends to turn to during a tumultuous time. Banks Quinney, a 7-year-old member from Alabama, dropped by the Foundation's Los Angeles office on his summer vacation with his family to From le, Diego Luna attends a Career Retrospective at the L.A. Screening Room on April 29, 2023, in Los Angeles. Utkarsh Ambudkar, Cynthia Nixon and Steven Weber in competition on the most recent season of ABC's Celebrity Jeopardy! to raise critical funds for the nonprofit SAG-AFTRA Foundation. AR AYA DOHENY/GETT Y IMAGES COURTESY OF CELEBRIT Y JEOPARDY! X3