Jennifer Lopez is donating $1 million from the proceeds of her Las Vegas show to help rebuild Puerto Rico, which has suffered massive devastation in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
On Sunday, Lopez held a press conference to discuss relief efforts that are personal to the singer, who’s of Puerto Rican descent. “[We] still haven’t been able to hear from all of our family over there,” she said. “We are concerned for them and for everyone on the island.”
Lopez announced her $1 million donation and said that she will also be working with her boyfriend, Alex Rodriguez, to leverage relationships in sports, entertainment, and business in order to help bring aid to the island, which is a commonwealth within the United States of America.
Lopez is working with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Mavs player J.J. Barea to send airplanes filled with supplies to San Juan, but she has also urged others to act now.
“Given the loss and devastation, we need to pay attention and to urgently support Puerto Rico and the Caribbean with donations and contributions,” she said. “It is now time for all Americans to be front and center, in helping to bring awareness and solutions to the task of rebuilding Puerto Rico.”
According to ABC News, the entire island of Puerto Rico was left without power following Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm with winds reaching as high as 155 miles per hour last week.
Ricardo Rosselló, Governor of Puerto Rico, has called it a “game changer” and warned of a “humanitarian crisis.”
