As a legendary bodybuilder and Hollywood icon, Arnold Schwarzenegger built his success through a commitment to fitness, strength, and nutrition. It’s that very same commitment the living legend used to boost money for a recent good cause.
On Oct. 10, 2022, Schwarzenegger revealed that his charity, After-School All-Stars, raised over $5 million in the course of the weekend of Oct. 7-9, 2022. A part of the proceeds got here from personal training sessions led by Schwarzenegger, who charged individuals $150,000 per workout. Other segments of the funds got here from Schwarzenegger auctioning off clothes, memorabilia, and even a ride in his tank. Schwarzenegger conducted the training sessions on the famous Gold’s Gym in Venice, CA.
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In a post on his Instagram, Schwarzenegger expressed appreciation for his donors and the way they’ll help those in need.
“We raised over five million dollars last night for [After-School All-Stars],” Schwarzenegger wrote. “Thanks to all of our donors. I began this program with a vision of keeping kids secure and growing between 3-6 p.m., but we couldn’t serve 100,000 kids in 60 cities without you.”
In a video shared by TMZ from a part of the charity event, Schwarzenegger broke down why he thinks after-school programs, usually, are vital to helping youth.
“Kids are like a muscle,” Schwarzenegger explained. “For those who train and use it day-after-day, it’s going to grow. The youngsters grow very well if we attend to them, help them, push them, support them, and be there for them. That’s the underside line.”
In line with the fitness luminary, with houses across the country working to pay bills and put food on the table, someone has to fill within the gaps for kids.
“I feel there’s an enormous vacuum in America straight away, where kids aren’t getting enough attention,” Schwarzenegger says within the clip. “Greater than 70 percent of youngsters come from households with each of the parents working — which means there isn’t a one there after 3 o’clock once they get out of college. That’s why we’ve to fill that vacuum. That’s what after-school programs are all about.”
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Established in 1992 by Schwarzenegger, After-School All-Stars is a national non-profit that goals to supply comprehensive after-school programs for kids of low-income backgrounds. Currently, the organization serves nearly 100,000 kids across greater than 400 schools in 13 states everywhere in the United States.
Pushing forward a cause like that is nothing out of the bizarre for Schwarzenegger. In 2020, per Rolling Stone, the three-time Mr. Olympia donated $1 million to frontline and healthcare employees in the course of the early throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with FOX 11 Los Angeles, in late 2021, across the American holiday season, the Terminator star donated 25 homes to military veterans within the state of California
For Schwarzenegger — a fitness and acting jack-of-all-trades — it seems philanthropy is an important way of giving back after his success.
Featured image: @schwarzenegger on Instagram