Sophia Bush and PayPal Partner for Fire Relief on #GivingTuesday
*By Chloe Aiello*
Retail's biggest day of the year is fast approaching, but actress Sophia Bush isn't thinking about Black Friday deals. Instead, she's focused on the week after Thanksgiving and #GivingTuesday.
For the second year running, the actress and activist is teaming up with PayPal ($PYPL) for #GivingTuesday, a national day of philanthropy created as a response to the commercialization of Black Friday and the holiday season. Last year, PayPal amassed [$64 million](https://www.paypal.com/stories/us/paypal-community-donates-64-million-on-givingtuesday) in donations for various charitable organizations on #GivingTuesday.
This year's event hits close to home for the "One Tree Hill" alumna ー she's dedicating all of her donations on #GivingTuesday to victims of the wildfires in her native California.
"Personally, I'm really trying to dedicate the holidays this year to relief for California, and for our firefighters and first responders," Bush told Cheddar on Monday.
PayPal, in partnership with Facebook ($FB), [is matching 100 percent of donations](https://donations.fb.com/giving-tuesday/) made on Tuesday, Nov. 27, up to a total of $7 million.
Bush said she'll be making her donations this year to the health and human services non-profit United Way of Ventura Country, which has established a fire relief fund. Eighty are dead and many more still missing in California as a result of the ongoing Woolsey and Camp Fires. The Camp Fire has been called the most deadly and destructive fire in California's history and is still only 66 percent contained, [according to CalFire.](http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents)
"Everyone in my life is for the holidays getting a gift in their name to the United Way of Ventura, because that is one of the groups working all over LA county, all over northern California," Bush said.
Beyond fire relief, Bush said, the holidays are a time for healing, especially in such a politically divisive moment.
"A great way to undo [hate] is to put love out into the world, and when you give to people in need, that's an excellent way to start," she said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/sophia-bush-talks-giving-back-to-those-affected-by-california-wildfires).
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