After 16 years of fighting, Christian Bale has finally made strides in the construction of foster homes that he has championed for.
Christian Bale initiated a project on Wednesday that he has been working on for 16 years. The project involves the construction of twelve homes and a community center in Los Angeles County, with the aim of keeping siblings in foster care united.
The Oscar winner stood with a grin and a shovel full of dirt alongside local politicians and donors in the decidedly non-Hollywood city of Palmdale, 60 miles north and across the San Gabriel Mountains from Los Angeles.
Christopher Nolan’s
The “Dark Knight” series was more than just an acting role for Bruce Wayne. He also contributed his name and funds to a charitable purpose.
A significant weather event occurred at a location that he had previously frequented.
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Bale stated to The Associated Press in an interview that he would have completed everything if he had been alone on the large empty space situated between a public park and a bowling alley.
rehomed.
Bale, who is 50 years old and originally from Britain, has been residing in California since the 1990s. After discovering the large population of foster children in LA County and the significant number of siblings being separated, he decided to create a community to support them.separated in the system.
It was approximately in 2008, during the release of “The Dark Knight,” when his daughter, who is now in college, was only 3 years old.
He expressed surprise, saying he underestimated the amount of time it would take. He had a simplistic vision of buying land and having children and siblings live together, similar to the Von Trapp family in “The Sound of Music.”
However, he soon discovered that “it’s much more intricate. These are real individuals with their own lives. We must ensure they have a stable future when they reach a certain age. There are numerous factors at play in this situation.”
Bale visited Chicago and spent several days in children and family services meetings. From there, he recruited Tim McCormick, who had set up a similar program, to head the organization that became known as Together California, a group Bale would co-found with UCLA doctor Eric Esrailian, a producer on one of his films.
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McCormick stated, “He mentioned that we must complete this task in California.” Despite facing various obstacles such as COVID-19, he persevered and never wavered.
The group of men eventually discovered an understanding leader in Kathryn Barger, a supervisor for LA County. They also found a suitable city in Palmdale, which has a population of approximately 165,000 and is considered semi-rural. The city was both in need of assistance and willing to participate.
The community center will serve as the focal point for the 12 homes that are scheduled to be completed by April 2025.
“I find great satisfaction in being involved in every step,” stated Bale. “This could be the first and only one, which would be wonderful. However, I am secretly optimistic that there will be more opportunities like this.”
Bale, who started his acting career at a young age and appeared in movies such as Steven Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun” and the Disney musical “Newsies,” received an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in 2010’s “The Fighter.” He has also been featured in “American Psycho,” “Vice,” and “Ford v Ferrari.”
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Source: cbsnews.com