Celebrities are lining up with their wallets to help protect American kids from gun violence in the wake of another deadly school shooting.
Inspired by "the courage and eloquence" of the survivors of the recent shooting in Parkland, Fla., philanthropic duo George Clooney and Amal Clooney have donated $500,000 to help the students organize the upcoming March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C., to tighten gun control.
The Oscar winner and human rights attorney made the donation in the name of their 8-month-old twins and announced that they will be joining the rally on March 24, the couple said Tuesday.
"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 to help pay for this groundbreaking event," George Clooney said in a statement (via People). "Our children's lives depend on it."
Following the Clooneys' donation, producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and wife Marilyn also pledged $500,000 to the movement and said they, too, would join the demonstration, according to the Hollywood Reporter. That pledge was soon matched by filmmaker Steven Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw, Deadline reported.
"The young students in Florida and now across the country are already demonstrating their leadership with a confidence and maturity that belies their ages," Spielberg said. "Kate and I applaud their efforts to take a stand for the benefit of this and future generations. They are an inspiration to us all."
A rallying cry rang out on social media after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, led by the strident voices of young people. The mass shooting claimed 17 lives and injured several other people, which prompted surviving students to speak out about the tragedy over the weekend and organize the march.
Comedian and filmmaker Judd Apatow donated $1,000 to shooting victim Anthony Borges, his representative told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, confirming that the filmmaker donated the sum on Borges' family's GoFundMe page.
Borges was critically wounded when he was shot multiple times while trying to close and lock the door to a classroom. Borges is believed to have saved about 20 students from the rampage police say was carried out by a 19-year-old former classmate, Nikolas Cruz, with an assault rifle.
Apatow also will host a benefit in March, his rep said.
Support is also coming in from a few professional sports organizations. On Tuesday, the Miami Herald reported that several Major League Baseball teams intend to wear Marjory Stoneman Douglas baseball caps Friday when spring training games begin in Florida and Arizona. And the Miami Dolphins donated $100,000 to victims and their families on Friday, the Herald said.
Also last week, comedian Amy Schumer asked fans to consider donating to the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund in lieu of wedding gifts. Schumer was among the many who posted about Stoneman Douglas student Emma Gonzalez's impassioned speech over the weekend calling on the president and lawmakers to enact tougher gun control.
Gonzalez and her classmates have continued to raise awareness about the movement by appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" and CBS' "Face the Nation."
Representatives for George Clooney did not immediately respond to the Times' requests for comment.
