Pasadena high school seniors, Steve Carell has a surprise for you: free prom tickets

“Despicable Me” prima Steve Carell delivered immoderate Gru-d quality for hundreds of Southern California precocious schoolhouse students affected by this year’s devastating wildfires.

The beloved “Office” and “Evan Almighty” comedian announced connected Tuesday that helium is moving with a Virginia-based foundation to nonstop each elder astatine six Pasadena precocious schools to their respective proms — for free. In an Instagram video, Carell informed students that the foundation “Alice’s Kids wanted maine to fto you cognize that they volition beryllium paying for each of your prom tickets.”

The actor, described by the foundation arsenic a “longtime supporter,” added: “And if you person already paid for your prom tickets, they volition reimburse you for your prom tickets. It’s a beauteous bully deal.”

Alice’s Kids said successful a Tuesday quality merchandise that it volition donate astir $175,000 to nonstop much than 800 students to their dances. The connection volition widen to students astatine Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, Aveson Charter School; and Blair, Rose City, Pasadena and John Muir precocious schools, the merchandise said.

Students astatine John Muir High School got connection of Carell’s “very peculiar announcement” connected Tuesday during an assembly. Video shared to the school’s Instagram leafage shows students clapping and cheering for the news. And wherefore not? Prom tickets crossed the selected schools reportedly alteration successful price, ranging from $50 to $200 each.

“Surprises and smiles, different time successful Stangland,” reads the Instagram caption.

Free prom tickets could supply alleviation to the precocious schoolhouse seniors, whose graduating twelvemonth was upended by the ferocious Eaton occurrence successful January. The blazes ravaged overmuch of the Altadena neighborhood, destroyed astir 9,000 homes and killed 17 people. Five schoolhouse sites of the Pasadena Unified School District — which educates 14,000 students — were besides severely damaged oregon destroyed successful the fire.

“Knowing the fiscal unit families are feeling, we wanted to astatine slightest erase the interest of paying for prom tickets,” Ron Fitzsimmons, enforcement manager of Alice’s Kids, said successful Tuesday’s release.

Since the wildfires (including the Palisades occurrence that tore done the coast) successful January, handfuls of celebrities and Hollywood entities have shown their enactment for SoCal communities. Now, Carell is portion of the mix.

As Pasadena’s precocious schoolhouse students look the agelong roadworthy of betterment and rebuilding their community, Carell reminded them to “have fun.”

He concluded his video: “Enjoy the prom. And remember, this is Steve Carell. Take it easy, guys.”

Times unit writers Teresa Watanabe and Daniel Miller contributed to this report.