The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus around the world reached the two-million mark on Wednesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University, and the pandemic has led to the deaths of more than 130,000 people in every corner of the globe.
More than 26,000 fatalities have been reported in the United States alone, while Canada’s COVID-19-related death toll has topped 1,000.
Every country in the world has been impacted by the pandemic, one way or another, so to say we are all in this is an enormous understatement.
Front-line health-care workers are all in. Police, firefighters and paramedics are all in. Politicians and public health officials are all in. And people who are practising physical distancing, as hard as it is to do at times, are all in.
Like the Sam Roberts song goes, we’re all in this together.
So it comes as no surprise that some of the highest-profile professional athletes, Hollywood celebrities and business tycoons have jumped all in to offer their assistance in any way they can.
Michael Rubin, the owner of sports apparel company Fanatics, has launched a viral digital fundraising campaign called the All-In Challenge to raise money for food aid charities, and the response has been incredible.
The challenge asks VIPs to offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience, or a cherished possession, in a social media post and challenge other high-profile people to do the same, and then fans can go to the All-In Challenge website and bid on the items.
You can be on the cover of Sports Illustrated, actor Kevin Hart is offering a chance to win a speaking role in his next movie, former New York Giants QB Eli Manning is offering a lucky fan his 2011 Corvette that he won as Super Bowl MVP, rapper Meek Mill is putting up his 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is offering a fan a one-day contract to play for the team, and singer Justin Bieber is willing to fly to your house and sing One Less Lonely Girl in what he says would be “a cool opportunity and a lot of fun for me.”
The campaign has already raised more than $2.5 million, proving that we are, indeed, all in.