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An anonymous donation of $700,000 on Thursday has tipped Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher’s GoFundMe campaign to provide humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees over the $36 million mark.
Kunis was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, and came to the US with her family in 1991.
The couple partnered with Flexport.org to organise shipments of relief supplies to refugee sites in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova. They have also be working with Airbnb, to which Kutcher was an early investor, to provide free, short-term housing to refugees and made an updated video explaining how the funds are being spent.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in March contacted the pair over social media to thank them for the millions in aid for his war-torn country.
The beleaguered president tweeted a picture of himself talking to the American actors, thanking them for their support with the words: “Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were among the first to respond to our grief.”
He added: “Grateful for their support. Impressed by their determination. They inspire the world. #StandWithUkraine.”
After exceeding their goal last month of $30m by more than $5m, the husband and wife team and co-stars of That ‘70s Show thanked contributors in a video.
“We hit our goal!” Kunis said in the video.
“Over 65,000 of you donated. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the support. And while this is far from a solve to the problem, our collective effort will provide a softer landing for so many people as they forge ahead into their future of uncertainty.”
“As funding continues to come in, we’re going to treat every dollar as if it’s being donated out of our pocket: with respect and honour for the work that went into earning it, with the intent of love through which it was given and the desire for it to be maximised for positive outcome for others,” added Kutcher.
Who gave and how much
To date, more than 68,000 donors have contributed to the cause, including Oracle Corp co-founder Larry Ellison, who donated $5m, and venture capitalist and “godfather of Silicon Valley” Ron Conway, who gave $2.5m.
The Russian-Israeli entrepreneur, venture capitalist and physicist Yuri Milner pledged $2m.
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Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who is from Ukraine, donated $3m to the campaign. AFP -
Mila Kunis used her time onstage at the 94th Oscars to talk about unity. AFP -
Reese Witherspoon gave $100,000 to the campaign through her foundation. EPA -
US actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis take a selfie at the 94th Oscars in Hollywood, California. AFP -
Joshua Kushner and wife, model Karlie Kloss, gave a large sum to support Ukrainians. Reuters -
Amy Schumer made a substantial donation to the campaign. Photo: The National -
Model Michelle Alves and talent manager Guy Oseary are close friends with Ashston Kutcher and Mila Kunis. Getty Images / AFP -
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw opened his wallet for the Ukrainian cause. Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports -
Yuri Milner is the chief executive officer of Digital Sky Technologies. Bloomberg -
Larry Ellison, the co-founder and chief executive of Oracle Corporation, has a net worth of $43bn. Reuters -
Gary Vaynerchuk is a Belarusian-American. Bloomberg
Josh Kushner, brother of Jared and wife/model Karlie Kloss forked over $250,000.
Guy Oseary and Michelle Alves donated $100,000. Mr Oseary is a talent manager and entertainment industry executive, whose clients include Madonna, U2 and Amy Schumer, and is also friends with Kutcher. Schumer ponied up $10,000 herself.
Actress Reese Witherspoon gave $100,000 through her personal charitable foundation.
Gary Vaynerchuk, a Belarusian-American entrepreneur and co-founder of the restaurant reservation software company Resy and Empathy Wines, pledged $49,000.
The Los Angeles Dodger's star pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, gave $25,000.
In their initial video that launched the campaign, Kutcher, who sat by Kunis's side in the video, said the funds would be used to provide refugee and humanitarian aid to Ukrainians affected by the Russian invasion.
“The principle challenge right now is logistics. We need to get housing and we need to get supplies and resources into the area,” said Kutcher.
“And I have never been more proud to be married to a Ukrainian.”
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A girl carries her dog as people wait in Medyka, Poland, after crossing the border from Ukraine. Reuters -
Stepan is carried by its owner to the train heading to Poland at the main train station in Lviv, Ukraine. Getty -
A Ukrainian refugee sits with her pets at a holiday village turned into a temporary shelter in Goren, northern Israel. AFP -
A woman carrying an animal in a pet basket arrives in Przemysl, Poland, on March 23, 2022, after a train journey from Ukraine. Getty -
Samir Khuder, Anna Ponomaryova and their dog, Fedya, enjoy the fresh air after a night spent in the basement they used as a bomb shelter after a rocket hit a shopping mall in Kyiv. Getty -
Anna Ponomaryova feeds her dog, Fedya, in the basement under the residential building used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv. Getty -
Cats from an evacuated shelter in Kyiv are housed temporarily in Lviv. The shelter, called House of the Rescued Animals, was dealing with wild animals before the war. Now it has become a stopover for hundreds of pets brought here from more dangerous areas before being sent to safety in the EU. Getty -
A volunteer plays with a cat inside a cage in Lviv. Getty -
A volunteer pets a cat at a shelter in Lviv. Getty -
A man pets a dog as Ukrainian refugees cross into Moldova, near the village of Palanca. EPA -
A girl kisses her pet rodent outside a five-storey residential building, part of which collapsed after a shelling. AFP -
In Nadarzyn, Poland, a vet examines the cat of a Ukrainian refugee. Vets working for a centre that receives refugees examine, vaccinate and issue health certificates for pets that the people fleeing Ukraine bring with them. AP -
A Ukrainian woman holds her dog as she waits along others at Dacia Camp, near Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, before heading to the airport to board a plane to Israel. AFP -
A woman who fled Mariupol pets a cat onboard a bus at the Veselo-Voznesenka border point in Rostov, Russia. EPA -
Ukrainians Oria Oscaria and her brother Ego with their pet dog after arriving in Cizur Menor, northern Spain. AP -
A veterinary clinic in eastern Poland has set up a rescue service for the pets left behind in Ukraine during the war. It has already helped to rescue more than 400 animals, including this baby goat. AP -
A dog collected in Ukraine is prepared for surgery for serious injuries to its hind legs at the Ada veterinary clinic in Przemysl, Poland. AP -
A woman carries a pet dog as people who fled Ukraine walks through the border checkpoint near the Moldovan town of Palanca. AFP -
An internally displaced woman pets a cat at a schoolyard in Lviv, western Ukraine. AP -
A sedated dog collected in Ukraine undergoes an X-ray before surgery for serious injuries to its hind legs at the Ada veterinary clinic in Przemysl, Poland. AP -
A man holds Sascha, a baby goat with deformed hooves rescued from Ukraine, at the Ada veterinary clinic in Przemysl, Poland. AP -
A child on a bus for refugees pets a cat in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters -
Antonina, 84, sits in a wheelchair and holds her 12 dogs at a triage point in Kyiv after fleeing Irpin. AP -
Nina, who fled Ukraine for Moldova, holds a her cat inside a pet carrier at the border crossing in Palanca, Moldova. AP -
A Ukrainian refugee who fled the Russian invasion of her country sits with her pet at a holiday village turned into temporary refuge in Goren, northern Israel. AFP
