Steve Carell tells students affected by wildfires that prom tickets are paid for

The high school seniors might have thought Steve Carell was doing a bit.

The A-list actor showed up on a screen at six high school assemblies in Altadena, California, on Tuesday and told the students – many of whom lost their homes in the Eaton Fire – that their prom tickets were paid for.

“Attention. Attention all seniors,” Carell said in the video message, which he delivered in a mockingly serious tone. “This is Steve Carell, with a very special announcement.”

One of the most famous episodes of “The Office” had Carell’s character, Michael Scott, promising a class of students he’ll pay for their college tuition through a program called Scott’s Tots. But then Scott, the bumbling office manager, dashes the kids’ hopes because he can’t afford it.

Today, though, Carell wasn’t joking.

Carell recorded the video for Alice’s Kids – a Virginia-based nonprofit that supports children of low-income families.

Each of the schools have students who were severely impacted by the Eaton Fire, which raged in early January and took weeks to contain. The deadly blaze scorched more than 14,000 acres of land and left unprecedented destruction in its wake.

“I work with a wonderful charity based out of Virginia called Alice’s Kids,” Carell said in the video. “And Alice’s Kids wanted me to let you know that they will be paying for all of your prom tickets.”

“Have fun, enjoy the prom,” he continued. “And remember: This is Steve Carell. Take it easy, guys.”

Alice’s Kids provides financial grants to students around the country to help them pay for specific needs, school supplies or entertainment.

For example, “if a teacher sees a kid who needs soccer cleats, they send us a request form. They tell us what the kid needs,” said Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of Alice’s Kids.

Fitzsimmons’s family struggled financially when he was a child, which prompted him and his sister to start a charity named after their mother, Alice, who helped her children feel confident despite their circumstances.

Once Alice’s Kids approves a request from a teacher, social worker or someone else, they send funds to the requester, and they then pass the donation along to the child’s caregiver. The goal is for the donation to remain anonymous to the child, to prevent them from feeling any sense of shame.

“The idea is to preserve the dignity of the child,” Fitzsimmons said.

While the organization typically makes individual grants – last year, it assisted 10,407 individual children – the charity also gives bulk donations to communities that have been impacted by natural disasters.

After the Eaton fire broke out, Fitzsimmons canvassed local high schools to determine which ones had the greatest need. He settled on six: Aveson Schools, Blair High School, John Muir High School, Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, Pasadena High School and Rose City High School.

“Many, many, many of the kids who go to those schools lost homes,” Fitzsimmons said, noting that the six schools remain physically intact. “They’re still going to school, but they don’t have a home.”

Alice’s Kids is donating about $175,000 to send more than 800 students to prom. The cost of prom tickets at the six schools ranges from $50 to $185.

After the fire, Fitzsimmons said, many students would not have had the means to pay for a prom ticket. He wanted to lift some of the burden so seniors would have the option to participate in what he called “a rite of passage.”

“The prom is a party, and more than anything, these kids need a party,” Fitzsimmons said. “They need something that is uplifting.”

There are other expenses associated with prom, including attire. Many organizations in California and across the country offer no cost clothes for prom.

Steve Carell and his wife, Nancy, have been involved with Alice’s Kids for several years. It started when Nancy Carell made a donation to the organization six years ago, and the couple has contributed every year since.

“The connection was made over the years,” Fitzsimmons said, adding that he met the Carells in person in Los Angeles, and Nancy Carell did the voice-over for an explainer video on the charity’s website. “Steve and Nancy are great supporters of ours. They’re amazing people.”

When Fitzsimmons asked Steve Carell if he would consider recording a video announcement for the students, “he said ‘yes’ right away,” Fitzsimmons said, adding that he learned from guidance counselors at the schools that the students were big fans of Carell, mainly because of his role in “The Office.”

The six schools whose students will receive prom tickets from Alice’s Kids expressed deep gratitude for the support during a difficult time.

“So many of our students endured tragedy and loss due to the Eaton Fires, and this wonderful gesture will lift our students’ spirits with a spark of much-needed joy,” said Lori Touloumian, the principal of Marshall Fundamental Secondary School. “This means everything to our students. … It brought so much joy this morning, and that’s something that our students have really been missing.”

“What a kind gesture for our students … and to have Steve Carell share the news is beyond epic,” said Byron Flitsch, director of Curriculum at Aveson Charter.

Fitzsimmons said he plans to go to Altadena to attend some of the proms in hopes of catching a glimpse of the happy seniors.

“These kids totally deserve this,” Fitzsimmons said.