by Colleen Fox, entertainment editor

When a horror storm hits an area, celebrities are figures that are always looked upto to help out, especially when they have a personal connection to the area. On November 2, just days after Hurricane Sandy hit, celebrities had the chance to come together to encourage people to donate for the cause.

The telethon included an all-star cast, with performances by Christina Aguilera, Aerosmith, Sting, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, and many more. Native New Yorkers and residents from New Jersey made appearances as well, like Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey.
“It was really nice to see all these big names taking time out of their day to help out with the relief efforts. That really shows how, in tough times, people are able to come together to help each other,” senior Maria Apostolidis said.

According to Rolling Stone, the telethon raked in $23 million, just from $10 donations from people around the country.

“My mom was able to donate $10 to the Red Cross and we also donated a bunch of old clothes and some food for the Hurricane efforts. We wanted to do what we could to help out because it happened so close to home,” senior Kathleen Gobin said.

Other celebrities, such as Lady Gaga, Ralph Lauren, and Michael Kors donated millions to help their hometowns and the places that have made them famous.

The infamous Jersey Shore stars even came together on Nov. 15th on MTV for a live broadcast, where audiences were encouraged to donate and would maybe get a call from a MTV star, thanking them for their contributions. The event included performances by Gym Class Heroes and Phillip Phillips.

“I’m really glad the cast members of Jersey Shore came together to help out the place that made them famous. It was a relief, after seeing them on Twitter saying things, but not exactly know if they were going to even donate,” sophomore Brenda Montero said.
Want to know more? Check out this video about other celebrity relief efforts.