After learning about Dean’s mounting nursing home bills, the ‘Titanic’ stars decided to throw their support behind a fund that would subsidize nursing home fees of the tragic sea disaster’s last survivor.
Titanic stars’ aid for the last survivor
Winslet, 33, and DiCaprio, 34, are believed to have donated £22,000 ($30,000) with director James Cameron to the Millvina Fund established for Dean. The actors played the unfortunate lovers of Academy Award-winning 1997 romantic drama film ‘Titanic’, a spectacular epic that re-creates the ill-fated maiden voyage of the White Star Line's R.M.S Titanic.
In a joint statement, Winslet and DiCaprio said: “We are honoured to contribute to the Millvina Fund. Our hope is that others will feel inspired by Millvina Dean’s remarkable story of survival and hope she can rest easier in knowing that her future will become more secure through this fund.”
The Millvina Fund was launched Monday in Belfast, Northern Ireland to pay her £3,000-a-month bill. Dean was 2-month-old when the Titanic sank beneath the Atlantic waves nearly a century ago as it headed to New York.
“I’m delighted with the generosity shown,” said Pal Don Mullan, an Irish photographer and writer who had challenged the Titanic crew- director James Cameron, DiCaprio, Winslet, and Celine Dion- who had made enormous profits from the movie, to support Dean.
“I laid down the challenge to the Titanic actors and director to support the Millvina Fund and I was delighted with the generosity they have shown in meeting that challenge… I am also determined to enlist the support of Celine Dion, who sang the theme tune from Titanic,” he added.
Singer Celine Dion, whose blockbuster song 'My Heat Will Go On' was on the soundtrack to 'Titanic,' has not yet announced whether she will support the fund.
Dean’s struggle to make ends meet
Dean, now 98 years old, has been living at a Southampton nursing home since she broke her hip about three years ago. She is now having financial difficulty to pay the bills and is in danger of losing her room at the medical facility.
In October, Dean’s financial difficulties forced her to sell off personal belongings and family memorabilia associated with the disaster to raise the money.
always about money isn't
always about money isn't it?! so they give what they can/want - no one is obligated to a stranger, and yet they help anyway - stop whining - tihs isn;t going to reform healthcare anywhere - it's just a nice human interest story -
Titanic donation
To anonymous: Update on U.S. nursing homes: After the client uses all their assets including the sale of their home then they go on medicaid which we pay for but is worth it for the eldery care. I t does cost about $3000 or more a month. We don't throw our citizens out of the nursing home like other socialized medicine countries.I am a nurse and know how nursing home works in the U.S.
Millvina Dean Fund
Ron Pentaude you have made yourself known to be an idiot by all who have read you SOB blog. Good job.
Oh shut up ! ! ! !
" Shut up, ron pentaude ". What did you expect Leonardo to do? Donate his entire paycheck to Mrs. Dean? I suggest you use the little common sense that you were blessed with.
Besides, I am positive that Mrs. Dean was grateful for whatever amount of money that he was able to donate. I don't live in the US nor in Ireland, but if I could, I too would try to chip in for the cause.
For those of you whining
For those of you whining about the small amount that was donated, do you really think this is the ONLY charity they are donating money to? It is an act of kindness, it doesn't matter how much they donated, and really it is none of our business.
Any contribution is
Any contribution is worthwhile. It doesn't matter who or how much. If you give only $10 to a charity, does it make your contribution worthless because you didn't give $100?
I wouldn't be surprised if they continue to make more donations over time. If they give too much, whose to say that someone won't abuse it?
Also, remember that these actors weren't paid a huge sum in the beginning for this movie. James Cameron gave up his paycheck so that a studio would pick it up. He also pitched in his own money to secure Kathy Bates because the execs wouldn't pay her price.
RE: Titanic survivor donation fund
Shame on you people for complaining about the amount of money these actors/directors have donated! You have a real problem with seeing the glass half empty! They didn't have to donate ANYTHING at all...but not only did they get the donations started they have brought this to the attention of the public. So how much are you going to donate? Or are you just going to throw stones. I say thank you to these fine people for their donations but most importantly their sincere and heartfelt outreach to help! And I am sure Ms. Dean is extremely grateful!
How can we donate?
WoW! I would love to donate. Can someone tell me where to send the money?
Money money money
I think it is nice that they gave any money to this lady. I agree though...if you are going to give, give a little more than that between the three people. Deem any leftover funds funeral money and then pass it to her family or give it back, equally, to the stars. OR...pass it to a charity. I don't know. Three multi-millionaires might have been able to come up with a little more. I am certain that Ms. Dean is happy with that which she was given and probably would be humilitated to know that we are all chatting about her on something as impersonal as a computer.
DiCaprio and Winslet help last Titanic survivor
Wheah Wheah Wheah all the whinning from people about these famous people trying to help somebody out. Get outta here man... I say if somebody wants to give their money away it is their choice as to who, what, when and where they give it away, end of story.
Tisk, Tisk, Tisk, jealousy is a terrible terrible thing. I think it is most admirable of these complete strangers to offer to help this poor lady with her dilema. Let's all hope their generosity outlasts her final days.
So much for the British National Health System
USA residents should take note that the socialized Health System in Britain is unable to take care of its elderly sick and infirm folk without donations from abroad. If Miss Dean were not a celebrity and unable to attract such support, she would presumably be thrown out on the street. Watch out USA this is socialized healthcare in action!!!
When did the health care
When did the health care system in the U.S. take care of ANY medical needs that are facing its own people? How many of us HAVE health care? Hmmmmm.....and if we do have health care, what does it COVER? Get off the negative political bandwagon and start getting some facts!
Health Care
Idiot,
Don't you realize you are already in worse shape here. We do
not have any safty net. You cannot get into a Nursing home
here without money.
Secondly Without money You do not get health care here
no drugs, no Doctor, no help with rent, Check your facts
about our system before you blast off and make an acgt of kindness a political statement
Any contribution to a
Any contribution to a complete stranger (for what reason exactly? because she was a baby when a famous ship sank?) is an act of kindness - not an obnligation to anyone. Why are people complaining that successful people should be somehow expected to give large sums of money away?
Geez, I wonder with all the
Geez, I wonder with all the money they each made from the movie and throughout their careers if they could afford $10,000 each. Nursing home expenses of $3000 a month and the money they donated ought to last her about 10 months and then what?
I think they don't expect
I think they don't expect her to live much longer than 10 mths to 1 year from now, so have opted not to contribute more, sad! I suppose after her death all that fund will stop. Movie stars and their money!
Generous contribution my butt!!!!!!!!
These folks made millions of dollars on this movie and are each worth a ton of money. They found it in their hearts to donate (collectively) $30,000?
Cheap SOB's. Is that all you had in your wallet that day Leo?
What in your pathetic mind
What in your pathetic mind makes you feel the film stars owe her anything? The old woman survived the sinking lived a long life and they played a part of a story that really has no relationship to that fact.
I think it was a very generous contribution on their part to give her anything.
Titanic
this is a wonderful story. It is nice to see that people still have hearts and can reach out.
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