Heart of Gold! Meryl Streep Donates $10,000 to Viola Davis' Favorite School

Needy institution's founder is "screaming from the rooftops" over star's gift but realizes "there's a long road ahead of us"

By Rebecca Macatee Feb 29, 2012 8:38 PMTags
Meryl Streep, Viola DavisMichael Buckner/Getty Images; Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Meryl Streep gives us yet another reason to love her!

The three-time Oscar winner beat out fellow nominee Viola Davis for the Best Leading Actress award at the Oscars Sunday night, but she didn't exactly let The Help Star walk away empty handed...

Streep donated $10,000 to a charter school in Davis' hometown of Central Falls, R.I.

Angelo Garcia, founder and director of the Segue Institute for Learning, told Reuters the check from Streep's Silver Mountain Foundation for the Arts arrived Monday with a note that said it was made on Davis' behalf.

"We've just been screaming from the rooftops," he gushed. "We're excited Meryl Streep has gotten the ball rolling for us, but we recognize there's a long road ahead of us."

The school is currently located in a public building that's slated to be sold. Garcia explained that the school must buy the building or move to another location in the next 12 or 13 weeks.

Streep's donation will help towards the $1.2 million needed to buy and renovate the building and adjacent community center for the school.

As for Central Falls' hometown hero, Davis? "[She has] always kept us on her radar," Garcia said.