Christian Bale is known for his transformative roles in blockbuster films like “Batman,” “American Psycho,” and “The Fighter,” but the longtime actor is also a passionate philanthropist who is on a mission to transform the lives of foster kids in Los Angeles County.
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“After our daughter had been born, I found myself trying to imagine what it would be like if we weren’t around,” Mr. Bale said in a recent interview. “At the same time, I was doing all-night searches for what was going on in L.A. proper and where we could help. I was stunned and mad to learn that we have more foster kids here than anywhere else in the country.”
One issue that stood out to the Oscar winner was the heartbreaking practice of separating siblings in foster care. When Mr. Bale learned that, he decided to focus on developing a way to keep them together, which is where the vision for the village was born.
“With our Together California model, [the village] is something absolutely new, totally transformative and something completely needed. Imagine the absolute pain and the trauma of losing your parents or being torn from your parents, and then losing your brothers and sisters on top of that, that’s no way to treat kids,” Mr. Bale explained. “I hope that this village will be the first of many, and I hope that people, Californians and Angelenos, know to come join us in opening our eyes to what’s happening right under our noses. These are our children, and we must help our children.”
Mr. Bale is one of the co-founders of Together California, the visionary organization behind the village, which broke ground earlier this month in Palmdale, California. The village will feature 12 homes with full-time, professionally trained foster parents, two studio apartments for transitional housing and a 7,000-square-foot community center.
But having a vision and bringing that vision to fruition are two very different things. It required a lot of time, a lot of fundraising (in addition to Mr. Bale, the project boasts big-name donors like Leonardo DiCaprio), and a whole lot of work.
“I had the very unrealistic idea that within one year I’d have created a miniature Sound of Music with kids singing on hills in an endlessly joyful environment,” Mr. Bale laughed. “But I discovered no, it takes an awful long time and really well-motivated people. It’s complicated and tough to help kids. It should be a hell of a lot easier than it was, but I didn’t flinch for one second.”
Part of Mr. Bale’s passion can be traced back to his upbringing. His late father was a community activist who the actor said “went out of his way to care for other people,” including opening up their family home to those who didn’t have one. That hands-on approach has stuck with the now 50-year-old and is a big part of the inspiration behind his passion for helping those less fortunate.
“The village allows us to have something very tangible. Before I started doing this, I was writing checks for various charities that I support around the world, and they’re wonderful, and I’ll continue to do that,” Mr. Bale said.” But I want to be more involved. I want my kids to be more involved. We are going to be able to come and touch the homes and the buildings and actually see the difference that we’re able to make in children’s lives. That is just priceless.”
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Marissa Mayer is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her work has been featured in Christian Post, The Daily Signal, and Intellectual Takeout. Mayer has a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Arizona State University.
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