‘One Tree Hill’ Stars Start Fundraiser After Hurricane Florence Hits North Carolina

The “One Tree Hill” cast members look back fondly on their memories of filming in Wilmington, North Carolina, and now they want to give back to the state. Danneel Ackles, who played Rachel, and several of her former co-stars, including Hilarie Burton and Sophia Bush, announced a fundraiser to help North Carolina residents deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

Ackles and her husband, “Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles, recorded a video for her Instagram page. “That town’s very dear to us,” Jensen said. “She spent a lot of time there doing ‘One Tree Hill.’ I spent some time there doing ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ and in the wake of the devastation, the ladies of ‘One Tree Hill’ decided to get together and raise some money for those who need it.”

Fans can either donate to their CrowdRise campaign or buy a t-shirt from Stands that has the state of North Carolina’s outline with the word “love” scrawled across the top. The money will go to Random Acts, a nonprofit founded by “Supernatural” star Misha Collins, which funds acts of kindness. Danneel Ackles is a board member.

The actresses are also encouraging people to share their favorite memories of the area with the hashtag #CapeFearlessChallenge. Hilarie Burton, who played Peyton Sawyer, has a video on the top of the fundraiser page where she reminisces about being pregnant with her kids and taking her son Gus boogie boarding there. Daphne Zuniga and India de Beaufort have also shared their favorite memories on Instagram.

The fundraiser is signed by “the ladies of ‘One Tree Hill,’” which is a large group. The photo after Ackles’ video shows that in addition to Ackles, Burton, Zuniga and de Beaufort, other supporters include Sophia Bush, Bethany Joy Lenz, Shantel VanSanten, Allison Munn, Kate Voegele, Jana Kramer, Elisabeth Harnois, Michaela McManus, Ashley Rickards and Bevin Prince.

Within a few hours, the cast raised over $6,000, and that number is expected to get much higher. In 2017, the Ackles family partnered with Random Acts and CrowdRise to launch a Hurricane Harvey relief fund for victims in Houston. They hit their $50,000 goal in a day.

“One Tree Hill” is one of many projects that filmed in North Carolina. The fundraiser’s description also references other famous films and TV shows made in Wilmington, including “Dawson’s Creek,” “The Notebook,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “Firestarter” and “Empire Records.”

Hurricane Florence made landfall Friday morning and has killed at least 16 people so far, according to the CBS News. Though it has been downgraded to a tropical depression, there are still massive power outages and flooding. There’s also a risk for tornadoes throughout Sunday.