Schitt’s Creek fans raise $20,000 for LGBT helpline for Dan Levy’s birthday
Dan Levy attends the 2019 MTV Movie and TV Awards at Barker Hangar on June 15, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for MTV)
Fans of Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek raised more than $20,000 as a birthday present for co-creator Dan Levy.
Levy, who is openly gay, turned 36 on Friday (August 9) and took to Twitter to thank his fans for starting up the fundraiser for Ontario’s LGBT Youth Line.
“You are changing lives, you are saving lives and you are helping young people in crisis,” he said in a video on Saturday (August 10).
“This was a birthday present I could have never imagined and it will go down as one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given, and I can’t thank you enough for your empathy and your generosity.”
Dan Levy thanks fans for LGBT Youth Line fundraiser
Levy created Schitt’s Creek with his father Eugene Levy, with the first series airing in January 2015.
THANK YOU. ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/LPUfV9QpAx
— dan levy (@danjlevy) August 10, 2019
The show has received critical acclaim and won numerous accolades, including 18 Canadian Screen Awards.
The initial goal for the fundraiser set up for Levy on CanadaHelps.org was $500, reports HuffPost Canada.
You are changing lives, you are saving lives and you are helping young people in crisis.
However, fans quickly surpassed this target.
The fundraiser had received $21,217 at the time of publication.
Fundraiser for Dan Levy’s birthday gets “heartwarming and lovely messages,” says lead organiser
Bea Edwards, the main organiser of the crowdfunder, told HuffPost Canada that she had received “heartwarming and lovely” messages from people who had given to the campaign.
Edwards, who lives in Indiana, added: “People that watch the show take the show and its message to heart… Dan has said kindness always wins… This is people living that value in action.”
Eugene Levy (left) and Dan Levy arrive at the FYC Screening of Pop TV’s Schitt’s Creek at the Saban Media Center on May 30, 2019 in North Hollywood, California. (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
Schitt’s Creek has been praised for its LGBT+ characters and storylines over the years.
As well as co-creating the show, Levy plays David Rose in the sitcom, who is pansexual.
In March, fans lauded the programme for its portrayal of the character Patrick, David’s boyfriend, as he comes out to his parents.
