Liberator in Action: Christian Bale

Christian Bale is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, known for playing Batman and for his Oscar-winning performance in The Fighter. But one of the things he may be proudest of has nothing to do with a movie.

Seventeen years ago, Bale looked at his young daughter and began thinking about what would happen to her if she suddenly lost her parents. That led him to learn more about children in foster care and, in particular, what happens to brothers and sisters who enter the system together. He learned that far too often, they are separated and placed in different homes.

Bale decided he wanted to do something about it.

He connected with Tim McCormick, who had spent years working on a foster-care model in Chicago designed to keep siblings together. Together, they began working on a similar idea for California. But turning an idea into reality took far longer than Bale ever imagined. There was land to find, money to raise, plans to develop, permits and regulations to navigate, and plenty of other hurdles along the way. Construction finally began in Palmdale in 2024.

Today, the $22 million Together California village is taking shape. It will have 12 individual homes, each designed for up to six foster children, with a full-time foster parent living in each home. There will also be apartments for young people transitioning out of foster care, space for birth parents working toward reunification, and a community center offering services and programs.

What we like about this story is that Bale could have written a check and moved on. Instead, he stayed with the idea for 17 years.

His goal is pretty basic: When children are already going through the trauma of losing their parents, they shouldn't also have to lose their brothers and sisters.

It started with his heart, thinking about his own daughter. That feeling led him to the right people, who helped turn his concern into a plan, and kept going until the idea became a place where children could stay together, grow up together, and have a better chance of building a life of their own.

Liberators are everywhere. Their goodness brightens the world. They remind us of our power to do good with limited skill and resources. Collectively, they are the angels among us. If you know someone who’s a liberator, tell us their story here.