Christian Bale spent 16 years building a sanctuary for orphaned 'siblings' — it all started after he took one look at his daughter
A person might not necessarily need to experience something themselves to feel a sense of empathy towards other people. At least that's what Batman Actor Christian Bale feels about the sanctuary he is building to keep siblings together in foster care. The actor had never been in foster care himself, but he felt a sense of compassion for the kids regardless. It all began when he looked at his daughter and thought about kids who weren't as fortunate as her. So she decided to help build the project, Together California, to help orphaned siblings stay together, per CBS News.
The project is a desert community in Palmdale, California and would consist of a group of houses. Each house would be inhabited by siblings, so they can be together. Many siblings don't usually get to stay together after entering the foster care system. "And so you imagine the trauma of that, you know? But added trauma to being taken from your parents and then you lose your siblings, you know, that's just something that we shouldn't be doing," Bale shared. He also pointed out that the simple reason for doing the project was to show empathy to children who needed it. "It just requires having a heart." Another major reason behind the work was Bale's daughter, Luka.
When Luka was around three years old, Bale looked at her and wondered how different her life would be if she didn't have her parents. He managed to get in touch with Tim McCormick after that, who had vast experience in running foster homes across Chicago. They started working on a set of individual houses for siblings to live together. The project also has a central garden. Trained foster parents would be present on the property and the only thing they would have to do is look after the kids. "This is what this site is about. We create a place for authentic goodness to flourish. And it certainly impacts a child, but it impacts all of us. We create a different story of us as a society."
Bale was also actively participating in the design and architecture of the location. They were still raising funds and looking for the right foster parents for the kids. However, they hoped to start taking in kids next year, per the outlet. The actor shared that he would probably be proud of the project until his "last breath." He expressed, "This is something that when, you know, I'm closing my eyes for the last time. I wanna look and say...think about, 'Did I do some good? Did I make any changes in the world that were useful?' And this will be one of the things that I'll be most proud of when I, you know, draw my last breath."
People appreciated the actor in the comments section of the video. @jcnunny wrote, "What a class act. After the Aurora, Colorado, shooting, he flew in to visit with victims in the hospital and visited the memorial outside the theater. He's the best." @justmejenny7896 commented, "I was a foster parent for many years until I adopted a sibling group of three, two of whom are disabled. I had to, or they were going to be separated and I couldn't let that happen. This is a beautiful project and will help a lot of kids. Thank you, Christian Bale." @MinaPanahy remarked, "Always liked him as an actor but even more as a human being."