【Anne Marie Gonzales Archives】

Source：Wisdom Convergence Information Network Editor：Social Good Time：2025-06-26 03:35:42

A Facebook fundraiser by Australian comedian Celeste Barber has raised over $30 million for New South Wales' volunteer firefighters,Anne Marie Gonzales Archives providing them with some much-needed help during Australia's bushfire crisis.

Barber went viral back in 2015 with #celestechallengeaccepted, a long-running series in which she humorously recreates celebrities' Instagram posts. Now she is using her 6.5 million Instagram followers for good, asking them to donate to those fighting Australia's catastrophic fires.

"Want to join me in supporting a good cause?" Barber wrote on her Facebook fundraiser page, launched Jan. 3. "I'm raising money for The Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate a lot or a little. Anything helps. Thank you for your support."

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The NSW Rural Fire Service is the largest volunteer firefighting service in the world, with over 70,000 volunteers. Some of these unpaid firefighters have spent over 100 days fighting the current bushfires. They could really use some help.

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SEE ALSO: Russell Crowe accepted his Golden Globe with a powerful message about the Aussie fires

Fortunately, thousands have responded to Barber's call. Over 800,000 people from across the world have donated, including people from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Denmark, Portugal, Greece, and Germany. The fundraiser has only been live for three days, but donations have already surpassed AU$33 million (USD $22.9 million) and continue to rise.

"Someone needed to do something and the people did something," Barber said to 7 News on Sunday. 7 News reported that she was at a supermarket purchasing items to be sent to the firefighters.

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Barber also shared a video of her mother-in-law Joy Robin, who was among several who sought shelter by the wharf in Eden, NSW. Police have since told residents to evacuate the town.

"This is our war," said Robin in the clip. "This fire is Australia's war at the moment. It's been right down the Great Dividing Range, and now it's going right to the coast. And there isn't one [Australian Defence Force member] on the ground. But they'll come in and mop up and say, 'Oh, how good we are! Aren't we great we are for doing this?'"

Australians have widely condemned Prime Minister Scott Morrison's woeful response to the country's devastating bushfires, with similar videos of tired firefighters and angry evacuees spreading almost as quickly as the fire itself.

Some feel as though celebrities are doing more to help than politicians, with entertainers such as Pink, Nicole Kidman, and Keith Urban donating hundreds of thousands to Australia's firefighters.

SEE ALSO: How to help Australia's unpaid firefighters battle the bushfire crisis

Australia's bushfires continue to burn, and the toll just keeps climbing. Over 12 million acres have burned, over 1400 homes have been destroyed, and at least 19 people are dead. It's likely these numbers will be higher by week's end.

The crisis has been fuelled by lower than average rainfall, higher than average temperatures, and strong winds — conditions experts attribute to climate change. This has turned Australia into a tinderbox, drying out bushland and helping the deadly fires to spread.

Update Jan. 15, 9:24 a.m. AEDT: Barber's fundraiser has now raised $51 million in 12 days, with donations from over 1.3 million people.

Topics Activism Social Good

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