Chapter 223: Ice Bucket Challenge
[Chapter 224: Ice Bucket Challenge]
In Hollywood, many celebrities' promises for charitable donations were no different than empty words. Figures like Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, and George Clooney had repeatedly made headlines for their false pledges. Commitments they publicly announced were often abandoned right after, as if their mouths were looser than their belts. What they said about charity was nothing more than lip service -- definitely don't take it seriously.
The public's trust in celebrity charitable donations was far lower than that in wealthy socialites' gifts. Tom Cruise, whether motivated by future collaborations with Steven Spielberg or to turn around the negative media publicity he had faced over the last six months, had no qualms about spending some money.
With Hawke's urging, he announced the establishment of the ALS Charity Fund after declaring it as an open charity foundation at the ALS Research Institute. He quickly stated that they would hire PricewaterhouseCoopers to handle the corresponding financial issues, allowing the public to monitor the fund's operations at any time. This showed a clear stance and position.
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In a Twitter conference room, Tom Cruise sat at one side of a long table, looking quite spirited as he said, "I donated $2 million to the charity foundation as seed money." He then added, "It's not much, and it won't do too much."
Hawke took over, "That's why the next plan is crucial. The current media narrative reversal is only temporary. What we need to do is ensure that your positive reputation can be sustained for a longer period."
Tom Cruise had already gone through the entire plan several times before and asked, "Next up is the Ice Bucket Challenge, right?"
"Exactly. You'll launch the Ice Bucket Challenge on Twitter, selecting three friends from your circle to participate in this event. When the ice water is dumped over their heads, they'll experience a brief feeling of muscle paralysis," Hawke explained.