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Hollywood PR firm skips holiday parties, donates to charities instead

Sunshine Sachs, the Hollywood publicity firm that represents clients like Leonardo DiCaprio Natalie Portman, Ben Affleck and Facebook, has cancelled its yearly bi-coastal holiday parties and will instead donate to various charities.

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TheWrap reported that, according to an email issued by the company, the decision was made to "defend the values we hold dear."

"We've been talking a lot about how to protect the things we care about, post-election," CEO Shawn Sachs told TheWrap.

The company is using its budget for what would have been the Los Angeles and New York parties to go toward 16 organizations. The company declined to disclose the total donation amount and its party budget to TheWrap.

Instead of big soriees, the firm plans to close its LA, New York, Washington D.C. and Austin, Texas, locations and volunteer in groups. After volunteering, cowrokers will have small office celebrations.

"However I felt the morning after (the election) was nothing compared to how I felt taking to people in this office, those who felt their citizenship, in a matter of moments, was gone or had been lessened," Sachs said. "Being the diverse workplace we are, many of us felt under assault."

"Now is the time to come together," he said.

The organizations receiving donations go toward organizations focused on human rights, racial justice issues, women's rights, immigrant's rights, LGBT rights and other civil rights, as well as environmental issues. Other causes include gun safety and the Flint, Michigan water crisis, among others.

The companies receiving holiday donations from Sunshine Sachs are:

Advancement Project

American Civil Liberties Union

#Cut50

EMILY's List

Environmental Defense Fund

Everytown for Gun Safety

Flint Water Fund

Homeboy Industries

Human Rights Campaign

Immigrant Defense Fund

International Rescue Committee

Muslim Aid America

Planned Parenthood

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Trevor Project