Yahoo News Bethenny Frankel Sends Love to Those Affected by Kobe Bryant's Death and the Australia Fires
Bethenny Frankel is sending messages of love and support to those affected by the raging wildfires in Australia and the Calabasas helicopter crash that killed nine people, including NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
On Tuesday, the Real Housewives of New York City alumna shared an Instagram video detailing the work her disaster relief initiative, BStrong, has done in Australia.
Since Frankel and her team joined the fire relief efforts earlier this month, BStrong has donated over AU$250,000 to impacted families and granted AU$10,000 to the Adelaide Koala & Wildlife Hospital, according to the video.
“We dedicate this mission to aid, love, and support those in Australia who have lost everything and life-to the many families who have suffered such a tremendous loss in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s terrible accident,” Frankel captioned the video.
A post shared by Bethenny Frankel (@bethennyfrankel) on Jan 28, 2020 at 1:40pm PST
“Love yourself and love others,” she continued. “We have recently been reminded of the importance of family and how precious and fragile life is.”
“I have experienced sudden tragic loss and have found that helping others gives meaning to life, particularly in times of tragedy,” Frankel concluded the post.
On Sunday, Bryant, 41, was one of nine people killed after the helicopter they were traveling on to a youth basketball game in Thousand Oaks crashed amid foggy conditions and burst into flames in Calabasas.
The Los Angeles Laker star’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna, nicknamed “GiGi,” was also onboard and did not survive.
Since September, the wildfires in Australia, mainly in the east in New South Wales and Victoria, have displaced thousands and destroyed entire towns, killing at least 24 people and an estimated one billion animals.
Earlier this month, Frankel revealed to PEOPLE that her team was working to send firefighting equipment — amassed from different departments throughout the U.S. — and planes with firefighters from Miami Beach, Florida, to help with the wildfires.
“We’re using money in the most efficient, effective way possible,” the Skinnygirl founder said. “I think people like to feel the empowerment of 100 percent of the money they’re donating going not to a salary or rent per se, but actually to help firefighters, animals, people in shelters.”
A post shared by Bethenny Frankel (@bethennyfrankel) on Jan 6, 2020 at 7:15am PST
With close ties to the country (Frankel has several good friends who live there), she has been encouraging her social media followers to donate money to the cause.
BStrong, which Frankel founded in 2017, has taken part in relief efforts in multiple places, including California and the Amazon, as well as Puerto Rico and The Bahamas, where her teams are still working on the ground to date.
Other celebrities who have donated to combat the fires include Chris Hemsworth, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Kylie Jenner and Pink.
Find more information on how to help those affected by the Australian fires.
