Steve Carell announces free prom tickets for Pasadena high school students
Steve Carell (Photo by Laurent KOFFEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
PASADENA, Calif. - Actor Steve Carell surprised dozens of high school seniors in the Pasadena area this week, announcing that they'd be going to prom for free.
Carell made the announcement on behalf of the charity Alice's Kids, to send seniors at schools impacted by the deadly Eaton Fire to the dance for free.
Steve Carell announces free prom tickets
What we know:
Carell made the announcement on Instagram on Tuesday.
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"Attention all seniors, this is Steve Carell with a very special announcement," the actor said in the video. "I work with a wonderful charity out of Virginia called Alice's Kids. And Alice's Kids wanted me to let you know that they will be paying for all of your prom tickets."
Carell added that anyone who'd already paid for their tickets would be reimbursed. The charity shared the video with six schools in the Pasadena and Altadena area.
By the numbers:
According to a report from the Associated Press, Alice’s Kids will donate about $175,000 for more than 800 students' prom tickets, which range from $100 to $150 each.
The Eaton Fire hits Pasadena and Altadena
The backstory:
The announcement comes weeks after the area was devastated by the Eaton Fire, which killed 17 people and burned more than 14,000 acres in the Pasadena and Altadena areas.
Several schools were damaged in the fire.
Eaton Fire victims struggle to bounce back, find new housing
Alfonso Soriano and his family lost their Altadena home just weeks after Alfonso was diagnosed with kidney failure. The family's living in a hotel now, and are struggling to find a new place to live.
Which schools get free tickets?
John Muir High School is one of the six recipients. In a video shared to their Instagram account on Tuesday, students were seen cheering in excitement after hearing Carell's announcement.
Aveson Charter School, whose elementary and high school campuses were lost in the Eaton Fire, is another one of the schools getting free prom tickets.
What we don't know:
The other four schools benefiting from the announcement weren't immediately clear.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Alice's Kids Instagram account, the John Muir High School Instagram account and the Associated Press.