By Alix Langone
George and Amal Clooney made a massive donation to “March For Our Lives,” an event organized by the student survivors of last week’s Parkland, Fla. shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School.
The Clooneys pledged $500,000 in their children’s names, Ella and Alexander, saying that they are inspired by the courage of the students who started the movement.
“Amal and I are so inspired by the courage and eloquence of these young men and women from Stoneman Douglas High School,” Clooney said in a statement. “Our family will be there on March 24 to stand side by side with this incredible generation of young people from all over the country, and in the name of our children Ella and Alexander, we’re donating 500,000 dollars to help pay for this groundbreaking event. Our children’s lives depend on it.”
The march, which will take place on Saturday, March 24 in Washington, D.C., is part of a movement started by the students of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. to demand that “their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today,” according to the event’s website. The students’ goal is to pressure lawmakers into enacting meaningful gun control legislation.
Those who also want to donate can contribute to the March For Our Lives GoFundMe campaign, which currently has a goal of raising $1 million. The campaign was started by Cameron Kasky, a student at Stoneman Douglas, who writes that the money will go towards the organizing process required for the march, with any leftover funds going to the victims’ families.
The Valentine’s Day shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School was one of the deadliest school shootings in American history, killing 17 people including students, administrators, coaches and faculty. Nikolas Cruz, the 17-year-old suspected shooter who was a former student at Stoneman Douglas High School, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.