Johnny has shocked the world by investing massively in new charitable causes! Unlike Amber Heard who only pledges money to charitable organizations but doesn’t fulfill her promises, Johnny loves to give back to the community. Depp has a widespread reputation for embracing charitable causes, and a Berlin woman is among those who have experienced his kindness.
The actor wrote the foreword in Katie Vandrilla’s recently released children’s book to benefit Make-A-Wish America and Make-A-Wish International. But who is Vandrilla and what is her bond with Depp? How does her book help children in need? Keep on watching to find out.
Vandrilla, 31, a chemistry teacher at Middletown High School, first met Depp in 2011 in London on the set of “Dark Shadows” when she had a wish granted through Make-A-Wish Connecticut. The organizations grant wishes to seriously ill children. “He is the sweetest person that you could ever dream of meeting,” Vandrilla said. “He gives undivided attention and makes you feel like you’re the only person on the planet.” This is apparent from the way we see him treat children.
Sick as a teenager with leukemia, meeting Depp changed her life by giving her hope and inspiration, Vandrilla said. “His movies helped me get by,” Vandrilla said. When they met on set in 2011, there were about 12 other young people there because meeting him is a popular wish and he always carves out the time, she said. He visited with them for about 45 minutes, seemingly leaving only because he was pulled away to start filming again.
Then in 2018, she self-published a children’s book, “Thumper’s Hospital Adventure,” to benefit the broader Make-A-Wish organizations and dedicated it to Depp. The dedication reads: “To everyone who has helped me,” and then she mentions Depp, “who has inspired me more than he will ever know.”
Depp heard through the grapevine that he was mentioned in the dedication — it wasn’t Vandrilla who told him — and he sent her a sweet note written in a copy of the book, saying he was “touched and honored.”
“It took a long time to process that it was real,” she said. “I was humbled.” She finished her second book, “Thumper’s London Adventure,” a year later but because of COVID-19 and other delays, it wasn’t released until about a month ago. She asked Depp, through his publicity people, if he could write a foreword for the book. She spoke in that communication of how she wanted to give back to Make-A-Wish because he had inspired her.
“I expected a nice, polite, ‘I’m too busy. Thanks for thinking of me,’” she said. But instead, Vandrilla got the surprise of a lifetime when Depp sent her a foreword for the book. It reads: “For my dearest Katie, for her dear family and friends, and for all the dear children out there. ...
Please know that you are loved and that we are thinking of you all! With all my love, my respect and my good wishes to you always ...” He gave it his fancy signature. “You don’t see all this stuff in the news because he doesn’t make it about him,” she said. Depp himself has admitted to this. The reason why Depp does so much for new charitable causes for children is that according to him.
The first book — the one dedicated to Depp — is about a stuffed rabbit that gets separated from its owner in a children’s hospital. The second book, for which Depp wrote the foreword, is about the rabbit getting separated from its owner’s family and negotiating London. Both books are available on Amazon, and 100% of the profits go to Make-A-Wish America and Make-A-Wish International.
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