Leonardo DiCaprio raised $25 million for his Leonardo DiCaprio foundation in a charity event held in Saint-Tropez, France on July 23rd. Hollywood celebrities and social elites attended the event to partake in buying of auctioned items for preservation of the environment.
The charity event was Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation's first and the proceeds will go to one of the "Great Gatsby" actor's advocacy, saving animals and regions in the world that are endangered.
While Leonardo DiCaprio raised $25 million for his foundation, the 39-year old actor took advantage of the event to enlighten everybody of the environmental crises the Earth's biodiversity has been going through, and encourage them to move to protect it.
"Today we stand at the 11th Hour - facing a tipping point of environmental crises unprecedented in human history. Not since the age of the dinosaurs have so many species of plants and animals become extinct in such a short period of time,' Leo said to his foundation's many supporters.
"We must now make an effort to protect the rich biodiversity that could allow nature to eventually recover. The good news is there are solutions to these massive problems. Efforts like tonight will start addressing them," Mari Claire UK quoted the 39-year-old actor in an introductory speech to kick off the auction.
According to People.com, the auction was conducted by Simon Pury and auction highlights--helping Leonardo DiCaprio raise $25 million--were the following:
- Harley Davidson motorcyle autographed by Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro.
- Two roles of "extras" in one of DiCaprio's upcoming films.
- A Damien Hirst sculpture, "Golden Myth"
- A personal electric guitar by U2 vocalist Bono
Meanwhile, Hollywood stars, circle elites and models graced the event. Selena Gomez, Jared Leto, Cara Delevingne and Robin Thicke were spotted in the event while models Petra Nemcova and Dynasty legend Joan Collins were also seen, People.com reported.
The Leonardo DiCarprio Foundation was set up by the actor to pursue his advocacy of global environment sustainability.