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Not all heroes wear capes—except for Christian Bale. The actor, who is arguably best known for playing Batman, is currently in the process of creating a unique village in California, designed to ensure siblings in foster care can stay together and live among a nurturing community.
Bale and his wife, Sibi, have been dedicated to improving Los Angeles’ foster care system for over 16 years, ever since learning the city has the highest number of children in care in the U.S. In September 2022, they purchased land and joined forces with their longtime friend, UCLA’s Dr. Eric Esrailian, to co-found Together California. They also brought on Tim McCormick—an expert with over 18 years of experience creating innovative care systems for foster children—to lead the project as executive director.
The Together California village is estimated to cost $22 million and is expected to be completed in 2025. Located in Palmdale, a city 60 miles north of Los Angeles, it will include 12 homes, two studio apartments, and a 7,000-square-foot community center designed to provide a safe and nurturing environment where siblings can thrive together. Gardens, recreational spaces, and sports areas will also create engaging environments for children and families to come together to learn and collaborate. Children will be looked after by full-time Together California foster parents who will provide custom care for each child.
“With our Together California model, [the village] is something absolutely new, totally transformative and something completely needed. Imagine the absolute pain and the trauma of losing your parents or being torn from your parents, and then losing your brothers and sisters on top of that, that’s no way to treat kids,” explains Bale. “And so, we will be the hub for that. I hope that this village will be the first of many, and I hope that people, Californians and Angelenos, know to come join us in opening our eyes to what’s happening right under our noses. These are our children, and we must help our children.”
While Bale has ambitious dreams for what the village could become, turning that vision into reality required collaborating with the right team. “I needed people like Eric and Tim, who have worked in foster care for many years. And Eric is just far more knowledgeable about how to actually get things done,” he reveals. “Also, I had the very unrealistic idea that within one year I’d have created a miniature Sound of Music with kids singing on hills in an endlessly joyful environment. But I discovered no, it takes an awful long time and really well-motivated people. It’s complicated and tough to help kids. It should be a hell of a lot easier than it was, but I didn’t flinch for one second.”
As well as offering his vision and a generous donation, Bale is hands-on with practical tasks at the site. Reflecting on his involvement, he explains, “You can’t just pick a place. You’ve got to walk around, see what it feels like. How far is it to school? Is it practical? Where are the local stores? I was just doing all of that. I get obsessed and I get into details. I get very myopic about it all. I absolutely wanted to walk the streets and find out.” Recent photos from the project’s “groundbreaking” event reveal how Bale and his wife picked up shovels and got their hands dirty on the construction site.
You can find out more about the foster care village and donate to the worthy cause on the Together California website.
Christian Bale and his wife are currently in the process of creating a unique village in California, designed to ensure siblings in foster care can stay together and thrive.
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The Together California village is expected to be completed in 2025.
Together California: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Donate
Source: Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 16-Year Passion Project: 12 New Homes for Foster Children
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