Actor Paul Walker was the heart and soul of Burbank-based charity Reach Out Worldwide, representatives said Monday, two days after the “Fast and Furious” star was killed in a single-car crash in Valencia.
“Paul was an honorable, hardworking, dedicated, respectful man with a humble spirit who shared his blessings with those who needed it most,” said JD Dorfman, operations manager for the nonprofit, in a statement.
After the earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, Walker, a Glendale native, assembled a team of first responders and reported to the hardest hit areas of the country to deliver supplies and medical aid.
“He took team there, out of his own pocket,” Dorfman said in a phone interview Monday. “He saw the need, he saw the destruction and saw that he could do good.”
After the trip, Walker founded the non-profit, a mobile first-aid organization that includes a network of volunteer first responders – doctors, nurses, firefighters, paramedics, construction specialists and heavy equipment operators – who respond immediately to national and international disasters.