Representatives from the Golden State Warriors, Oakland Athletics and Oakland Raiders presented a check this evening for $750,000 to representatives from the American Red Cross and the City of Oakland, who accepted on behalf of the victims and their families, to help assist with relief efforts from the devastating Ghost Ship warehouse fire that claimed 36 lives in Oakland on December 2, 2016. One hundred percent of the donated funds are going to those directly impacted by the fire. The presentation was made this evening on-court at the Warriors game against the Detroit Pistons at Oracle Arena.
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, a fund was established by the Oakland A’s on the crowdfunding website YouCaring.com to raise money for the victims of the fire, with the A’s pledging to match up to $50,000 of public donations. Subsequently, the Raiders and Warriors made the same matching pledge, for a total match of up to $150,000 from the three organizations. Additionally, the Warriors players and coaches pledged to donate $75,000, with the team’s players also recording a PSA video to raise awareness about the relief efforts. To date, more than 3,600 individual donations have been made to this specific fund.
Participants in tonight’s check presentation included Warriors President & COO Rick Welts, Athletics Manager Bob Melvin, Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and American Red Cross Regional Chief Executive Officer Trevor Riggen.