Lovely news early in the week: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have donated $500,000 to help homeless youth in Canada and are asking their followers to help as well. Reynolds and Lively donated $250,000 to both Covenant House Vancouver (Reynolds' hometown) and Covenant House Toronto, which provide shelter and support to youth experiencing homelessness. In addition, Reynolds and Lively have pledged to "triple match" donations to Covenant House through December 31. [Reynolds said in a press release, "Covenant House provides love, hope and stability to at-risk youth fleeing physical, emotional and sexual abuse. (They are heroes at work. For us, supporting Covenant House in this way is not a donation, but an investment in compassion and empathy.

"The young people who walk through the doors of Covenant House often have stories colored by extraordinary trauma. But they have much more than that trauma. They have so much to offer the world," Reynolds continued. 'Matching this donation means you believe in them. You believe in the power of compassion to change the trajectory of humanity." [Krista Thompson, CEO of Covenant House Vancouver, said in a statement that "Ryan and Blake truly understand that youth facing homelessness deserve unconditional love and absolute respect." Thompson continued, "Just as Ryan and Blake did, we hope that this donation will highlight the value of each young person and open hearts to those who are struggling with the homelessness crisis. Can you donate? Click here to donate to Covenant House Vancouver (opens in new tab) or click here to donate to Covenant House Toronto (opens in new tab).