Sandra Bullock has an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and, in 2010 and again in 2014, was ranked as the highest-paid actress in the world. Ask her where her money did the most good, and the answer is not a film deal.
‘I just write the checks,’ the actress said in 2009. She also lent her name. Ahead of The Blind Side ‘s release, she and Warner Bros. hosted a New Orleans premiere to raise money for the school.
The giving came in pieces: band uniforms, athletic lockers, college scholarships, leadership seminars, audio and video equipment, and part of the bill for a renovated auditorium, according to the Allstate Sugar Bowl committee that honoured her in 2010. In 2012, Bullock gave $25,000 to the school. In January 2013, the People’s Choice Awards named her its first Favorite Humanitarian, citing her commitment to Easton. In 2014, when she spoke at the school’s commencement, she pledged to match donations to the Hall of Fame scholarship campaign for graduating seniors. In 2018, the actress participated in a fundraiser for the school. In addition to making a $5,000 personal donation, she said she would match the next $50,000 raised. ‘I will match the next 50 thousand dollars! Sandra Bullock made the donation in honour of her late mother, Helga, a German opera singer who died in 2000. In 2020, WGNO named her among the major donors behind $120,000 in scholarships for 41 students.
‘My contributions to Warren Easton are the best investments I’ve ever made,’ Bullock later said. I think there should be these types of facilities in all the schools,’ Janell Batiste, who had a daughter at Easton, said at the time. ‘Every time they walk under that roof, they know they’re cared for,’ she told the students.
Her total contribution has never been made public. Bullock steered the day towards celebration, acknowledging the date could be hard for some. ‘We’re here to celebrate an anniversary and though that might be hard for some, I choose to emphasise the word ‘celebrate’. The clinic opened in autumn and provided services ranging from flu shots to emergency care. The community was in urgent need of such a clinic. ‘It will definitely help those students who don’t have insurance. The clinic was only an entry in a long ledger. Bullock’s commitment to the school didn’t end there. Let’s take care of our future!’ she wrote on the fundraising page. Her contributions to the welfare of the school continue.
Sometimes tragedies bring out the very best in people and it’s one of the reasons why we stand in this school of excellence today,’ Bullock told the hundreds of attendees gathered in the auditorium.