Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • Videos
  • Career & Education
  • Classifieds
  • All Woman
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Design Week
Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson launch fund with $10 million for displaced Maui residents
Dwayne Johnson attends the world premiere of “Black Adam” in New York on October 12, 2022, left, and Oprah Winfrey appears at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans on June 30, 2023. Johnson and Winfrey have committed $10 million to make direct payments to people on Maui who are unable to return to their homes because of the wildfires. (AP Photo)
Latest News
August 31, 2023

Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson launch fund with $10 million for displaced Maui residents

Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson have committed $10 million to make direct payments to people on Maui who are unable to return to their homes because of the wildfires, through a new fund they announced Thursday.

The People’s Fund of Maui will give $1,200 a month to adults who are not able to return to their primary residences because of the recent wildfires, including people who owned and rented their homes, according to the fund’s website. The fund will also seek donations to extend the length of time it can provide the support.

“How do we help?” the “Young Rock” star said he and Winfrey asked each other during the wildfires, saying in a video released along with the announcement that they grappled with how to best direct their efforts. “You want to take care of the greatest need of the people, and that’s giving them money.”

They are looking forward to the help of “every person who called me and said, ‘What can I do?’” Winfrey said in the video. “This is what you can do.”

The pair were inspired by a similar fund set up by Dolly Parton after wildfires swept through Gatlinburg, Tennessee in December 2016, killing 14 people and destroying 2,400 structures.

Jeff Conyers, president of The Dollywood Foundation, said he consulted with Winfrey’s team multiple times in the past weeks to share the lessons that they’d learned from administrating the fund, which eventually granted $11 million to families who had lost their homes.

“Dolly’s idea was that, ‘Hey, look, these are my people and I want to take care of them and we trust them to know what recovery looks like for themselves and their families in the days and weeks following this immediate catastrophe here,’” Conyers said.

Parton’s fund, called My People Fund, worked with first responders and a local utility company and asked residents to help them determine which structures were destroyed and who lived in those homes, Conyers said. Around 1,000 families eventually received assistance from the fund, according to an evaluation from the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Social Work. That included a final $5,000 lump sum transfer at the end of six months.

To qualify for the People’s Fund of Maui, applicants must show a government ID and a utility bill in their name for a lost or uninhabitable residence, the fund’s website said.

Winfrey, who lives on Maui part-time, visited an emergency shelter on Maui in the days after the wildfire hit and worried about effectively getting resources to residents. At least 115 people were killed in the fires, though an unknown number are still missing. The fire that ripped through the historic town of Lahaina on August 8 was the deadliest in the US in more than a century.

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

Christian Tavares-Finson blasts Golding’s comments on CCJ strife
Latest News, News
Christian Tavares-Finson blasts Golding’s comments on CCJ strife
August 12, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Government Senator and attorney-at-law Christian Tavares-Finson has described as “grossly premature and disingenuous” Opposition L...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
FIX IT NOW!
Latest News, News
FIX IT NOW!
Residents say repairs long overdue for Lucea’s problem-plagued Seaview Drive
August 12, 2026
HANOVER, Jamaica — While the National Works Agency (NWA) has started drain-cleaning and patching works on the heavily trafficked Seaview Drive thoroug...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Tropical depression could form in next few days, NOAA warns
Latest News, News
Tropical depression could form in next few days, NOAA warns
August 12, 2026
The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has advised that a tropical  depression will likely form as environmental con...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
‘Sainty Connection’ brings Jamaican pride to fashion
Entertainment, Latest News
‘Sainty Connection’ brings Jamaican pride to fashion
August 12, 2026
For Sainty Connection, founder of the clothing brand of the same name, fashion is more than what people wear; it is a way of celebrating identity, cul...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Colombia president says earthquake death toll hits 265
International News, Latest News
Colombia president says earthquake death toll hits 265
August 12, 2026
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AFP) — Colombia's president declared an economic emergency Wednesday and vowed the country would rebuild after a massive earthquake ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Gas prices down $0.25, diesel down $0.25
Latest News, News
Gas prices down $0.25, diesel down $0.25
August 12, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Motorists should see a decrease at the pumps in the price of gasoline effective Thursday, August 13, according to the latest ex-re...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
NBA triple-double king Westbrook to retire after 18 seasons
Latest News, Sports
NBA triple-double king Westbrook to retire after 18 seasons
August 12, 2026
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) -- Former NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook, the league's triple-double king, has "decided to step away" aft...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Women charged after allegedly using man’s ATM card to withdraw $300,000
Latest News, News
Women charged after allegedly using man’s ATM card to withdraw $300,000
August 12, 2026
ST JAMES, Jamaica – Two middle-aged women have been charged by police after allegedly using an ATM card to withdraw funds from a man’s account after h...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct