Actor Steve Carell partnered with a charity, Alice’s Kids, to send hundreds of Southern California kids impacted by the recent devastating wildfires to prom for free.
Carell made the surprise announcement in a video shared with the students at the six different high schools and on the charity's social media.
"I work with a wonderful charity based 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 said in the video. “And if you have already paid for your prom tickets, they will reimburse you for your prom tickets.”
Students at the Altadena-area high schools were called in for an assembly to watch the video message from “The Office” actor.
It was reminiscent of a famous episode of the comedy show where Carell’s character Michael Scott claimed he would pay for students’ college tuition – only to backtrack and say he couldn’t afford it.
But off-screen, the generosity is real.
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According to The Associated Press, Alice’s Kids will donate about $175,000 for more than 800 students to attend the annual dance for upperclassmen. Tickets for prom typically range from $100 to $150 each, The Associated Press reported.
Alice’s Kids is a Virginia-based nonprofit that supports children of low-income families by providing a variety of services.
Earlier this year, the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of acres of land and scorched through multiple school campuses leaving a trail of destruction behind.
While not all of the schools that received the special prom gift have been identified, The Associated Press said one is the Aveson Charter School whose building for sixth through 12th graders is damaged and unusable.
At the end of the video surprise, Carell said, “Have fun. Enjoy the prom. And remember this is Steve Carell.”
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