Anyone that has visited the Dodger Stadium Covid testing site in Los Angeles during these long pandemic months, knows the heroic work of CORE. The non-profit organization has provided free testing available to all comers, even as health and government institutions faltered under less than sterling leadership. And now it runs one of the largest vaccination sites in the city.

But it is not only the Dodger Stadium parking lot – the organization co-founded by Sean Penn to assist the population of Haiti after the disastrous earthquake of 2010, and the cholera epidemic that followed – runs volunteer-staffed sites in numerous American cities as well as remote underserved areas like the Navajo Nation which has been hard hit by the virus. The HFPA is proud to support this essential work as we strive to come out of this crisis.

Ann Lee, a co-founder of CORE said: “We are immensely grateful for this generous donation from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The light at the end of the tunnel is becoming brighter, but we still have a long road ahead to protect our communities in the United States and beyond, as we overcome this pandemic. These funds are critical for sustaining our programs as we support equitable access to vaccinations, testing, and essential resources to the communities who need it most across the United States.”

The Board of the HFPA recognizes that it will take the combined effort of public, private, governmental, and non-profit entities if we are to beat the global predicament in which we all find ourselves.

Like Sean Penn told us when we interviewed him last July: “What is also true is that in a situation like that there is no standing government that is capable of taking on all of this stuff and I think we have always had an obligation as citizens to participate as much as we can and as much as our imaginations can lead us to find impactful ways from mowing an elderly neighbor’s lawn to starting an organization called CORE.”

“While this donation helps to provide vital support for CORE’s COVID-19 relief efforts, it will also require contributions from the government, private sector, and individuals – whether that be a donation or simply wearing a mask and practicing safety guidelines – to protect our communities and overcome this pandemic.”

The HFPA could not agree more.