Amazon founder Jeff Bezos awarded the annual Bezos Courage and Civility Award to actress Eva Longoria and Admiral Bill McRaven.
The award, which grants $100 million, will be divided equally between both. Bezos will give $50 million to the Hispanic actress while the U.S. admiral will receive another $50 million, a gift that the magnate gives to those who make important contributions to society.
Jeff Bezos and his partner, Lauren Sanchez, have been awarding this distinction since 2021. As can be read in the description of the award, it is intended for "people who try to find solutions to complicated problems, promote unity in society and embrace civility."
The first people to benefit from this award were lawyer and CNN commentator Van Jones and Spanish chef José Andrés, who each received $100 million. A year later, the award went to artist and philanthropist Dolly Parton and now, two years later, it goes to actress Eva Longoria and Admiral Bill McRaven.
How will Eva Longoria and Bill McRaven use the donation?
Both said they were flattered to have been chosen and revealed how they will use the funds that Jeff Bezos has awarded them. In the case of McRaven, recognized for his work in the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and in the Brain Health Project, he assured in a statement reported by CNN that he will allocate his donation to three different areas: education of children of deceased veterans, mental health and brain performance for veterans. "The opportunity to use this incredible gift to help veterans and their families is the dream of my life and I am so grateful to Lauren and Jeff for giving me this opportunity," he said.
Longoria, who achieved fame thanks to her portrayal of Terri Hatcher in the show "Desperate Housewives" assured that she will use the money awarded to her to help the Latino community in the nation:
Of course, I am personally honored and excited, but I am even more excited about the impact I believe we can have in this country through investing in the strength of the Latino community. Latinos in the United States are a rapidly growing group with extraordinary potential, but we disproportionately lack the infrastructure opportunity we need and I am excited to invest in that opportunity.
