DiCaprio gala raises over $40 million for environment
Jul 23, 2015, 1:06 PM
FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2014 file photo, actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio speaks after accepting an award at the
NEW YORK (AP) — Leonardo DiCaprio raised over $40 million to help save the planet at an auction in Saint-Tropez, France, on Wednesday night.
The second annual Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation fundraising gala included a live auction with donated jewelry and artwork from the actor’s personal collection, his publicist, Shawn Sachs, said Thursday.
Naomi Campbell, Orlando Bloom and Kate Hudson attended the event, which included performances by Elton John and John Legend.
Other items in the auction included an estate on DiCaprio’s private Belize island, Blackadore Caye, and a special travel package donated by Prince Albert II of Monaco.
DiCaprio, whose films include “Titanic” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” started the environmental foundation in 1998 to help preserve the environment and habitats of wild animals.
The money funds grants, public campaigns and media initiatives supported by the foundation.
DiCaprio, 40, serves on the board of several environmental organizations. He said he hopes to work with governments to protect critically endangered species and “conserve the jungles, coral reefs, and forest they call home.”
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