'Hand In Hand' Telethon Airs Tonight For Hurricane Victim Relief

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- CBS is joining several other networks for a telethon fundraiser to benefit victims of hurricane Harvey and Irma which devastated communities in Texas and Florida. The one-hour special called "Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief" will air live on CBS2 tonight, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. ET.

The show will feature celebrities like George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Justin Timberlake, Dave Matthews, Leonardo DiCaprio and Travis Scott. Country music star and Texas native George Strait will also perform from his San Antonio benefit concert.

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In addition to airing on CBS2, the event will be streamed live on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Houston rap artist Bun B and Scooter Braun, a Hollywood talent manager and founder of SB Projects, are the organizers.

"One morning it just hit me — this is a national disaster," said Bun B, a Houston native. "It's personal for me because it's home to me, it's in my city, but it's a national disaster."

Other stars expected to participate include Drake, Matthew McConaughey, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, Ryan Seacrest, Michael Strahan, Kelly Rowland, George Strait, Reese Witherspoon and others will also participate with taped or live messages or staffing phone banks. Norah O'Donnell of CBS This Morning will also participate.

Proceeds from the telethon will benefit several charities including United Way of Greater Houston, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, Direct Relief, Feeding Texas and The Mayor's Fund for Hurricane Harvey Relief (administered by the Greater Houston Community Fund).

While the telethon will be helping Harvey's victims, "by Tuesday we might be helping more than them," Braun said, a reference to powerful Hurricane Irma in the Atlantic Ocean, which may threaten Florida and the southern U.S. this weekend.

The telethon will air from Los Angeles, but there will be stages in New York and Nashville, Tennessee. A performance from George Strait's San Antonio benefit concert for Harvey will also be shown.

"The telethon is going to be good," Braun said. "We're going to put on a great show. The reason we want people to tune is because we want people to show who we are. That's our goal — to bring the idea that people care about each other back."

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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• Hurricane Irma
• Oprah Winfrey
• Hurricane Harvey