September 22 – A devastating 7.1 earthquake hit Mexico on Tuesday September 19, affecting the lives of millions.

Today, the Red Cross Los Angeles Region is working with multiple partners to help those impacted by this tragedy. More than 50 Los Angeles based volunteers are manning the phone lines at ABC 7 in Glendale for a telethon to raise funds for Red Cross Mexico earthquake relief efforts. And, since 91 cents of every dollar raised will go directly to help the people affected by this disaster, many notable individuals have joined in to help Red Cross volunteers answer the phones, including: Mayor Eric Garcetti, Sup. Hilda Solis, Gleb Savchenko, Karl Schmid and many ABC 7 on-air television personalities. Red Cross Los Angeles Region CEO, Jarrett Barrios, fresh off a three and a half week deployment for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma relief, also joined the team’s efforts.

This morning, just after ABC 7 kicked-off the telethon, singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes announced that he is partnering with the American Red Cross to raise money and bring awareness to those in need in Mexico. His campaign, launched as a fundraiser on CrowdRise, part of GoFundMe, is raising funds for immediate and urgent relief efforts. This cause strikes the super-star singer very close to his heart, as he was in Mexico City during the recent earthquake preparing for a concert (previously scheduled for September 20). The singer has since cancelled the concert due to the state of emergency in Mexico and out of respect for the ongoing relief efforts.

“After seeing the impact of the damage first hand in Mexico, I wanted to find any way I could to help raise funds,” said Mendes. “So we reached out to the Red Cross and partnered with them to setup a way to help those affected by the earthquake.”

Shawn, together with his team, has donated $100,000 to start the fundraiser. Now, they are urging others to follow their lead and donate big, too!

The funds raised at the ABC 7 Telethon and via Shawn Mendes’ fundraiser on CrowdRise will go directly to disaster relief in Mexico. At this time, the American Red Cross is working closely with the Mexican Red Cross to determine the best allocation of these funds.

For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossLA.