‘Act of kindness’: Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds give $500,000 to help at-risk youth in Canada

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are giving back as the holiday season kicks off, which has inspired some other celebrities to do good for their communities, too.

The couple is donating $250,000 to Covenant House Vancouver and $250,000 to Covenant House Toronto to help the organization support at-risk, homeless and trafficked youth across Canada.

The Covenant House, which has been operating for more than 40 years, according to its website, has “helped transform and save the lives” of more than 1 million runaway, trafficked and homeless young people. It reaches approximately 74,000 youth on a yearly basis.

Reynolds, who is from Canada, has been “a long-time friend” to the organization, according to the post.

Covenant House provides love, hope and stability for at-risk youth who’ve fled physical, emotional and sexual abuse,” Reynolds is quoted in the post. “They do the work of heroes.”

He said helping Covenant House isn’t a donation but rather an investment in empathy and compassion.

Reynolds encouraged others to donate, too. Gifts made to Covenant House Vancouver through Dec. 31 will be matched by Reynolds and Lively.

This isn’t the first time the duo has offered monetary support to an organization.

In May, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the couple donated $200,000 to The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and encouraged others to do the same.

And earlier in the year, Reynolds announced that he and Lively donated $1 million to food drive organizations Feeding America and Food Banks Canada on March 16, as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.