College student Walter Carr was stuck. His car broke down the day before he was to start a new job with a moving company called Bellhops. The home scheduled to be moved was 20 miles from where Carr lived in Birmingham, Alabama. In search of a ride in the morning, he reached out to friends. No one could help. Carr did the only thing he could think of - he started walking at midnight, determined to be on time for his first day on the job. A few hours into his trek, he sat down in a parking lot to rest. A police officer drove up and asked what he was doing sitting in an empty lot in the middle of the night. When Carr explained his plan, the officer, Mark Knighten, offered breakfast and a ride toward his destination. Carr accepted both. After breakfast, Knighten drove Carr closer to his work site, but had to drop him off because of a shift change. He promised to tell the next shift officer of Carr's situation in the hopes that he'd be able to offer transport too. Carr waited for a time, but concerned that he'd be late, started walking again. Officer Scott Duffey caught up with Carr a while later and drove him the last four miles to the job site. When they arrived, Officer Duffey approached Jenny Lamey, the homeowner who was readying for the move. He told her he had a 'great kid in the car' who had been walking all night to get to her house. Lamey started to cry. She offered Carr some food and a place to take a nap, but Carr declined. His Bellhops co-workers had arrived and he said, "I'd rather get started." After the job was completed, one of the co-workers gave Carr a ride home. The next day, Lamey called Carr's supervisor to praise the committed young man. She also started a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $2000 for Carr's auto repairs. As of this writing, over $91K has been pledged.
Even more amazing, word of Carr's dedication reached Bellhops CEO Luke Marklin in Tennessee. Marklin called Carr and offered to drive down to Birmingham to meet him for coffee. That's when Marklin presented Carr with his own 2014 Ford Escape. Bellhops“...set a really high bar for heart and grit and … you just blew it away,” Marklin told him.
James Johnston was on his way home after mowing lawns for twelve hours. He spotted an older man mowing a large lawn with a push mower. Johnston turned his truck around and offered to help the stranger. Of course, the man agreed, and sat resting his head on his wife's shoulder.
With his professional-sized equipment, Johnston finished the lawn in 15 minutes. He waved to the couple to indicate he was finished, but was stopped by the man's wife. She thanked Johnston profusely for the help. It seems their riding mower had broken down weeks ago, and they didn't have the money to fix it. Her husband had been using the push mower ever since.
Johnston couldn't stop thinking about the elderly couple's situation. He started a GoFundMe page with a goal of $1000 to buy them a riding lawnmower. As of this writing, over $3000 has been raised.
While driving with his family through Vancouver, BC on a rainy September day in 2016, six-year-old Ryder Moore noticed something - people wearing ragged clothes and no protective footwear. Ryder asked his parents about this, and a conversation about poverty and homelessness followed. Touched by what he saw and learned, Ryder suggested he give away his own boots. His parents guided him toward a way to make a greater impact. Now in its third year, Ryder's Rainboots raises funds to buy Rainy Day Kits containing new rain boots, a poncho or rain suit, gloves, socks, and a hat for men, women, and children. Eight-year-old Ryder adds a personal note to each kit, saying “Hope these boots keep your feet dry. From Ryder’s Rainboots xoxo.” He delivers them himself to the Vancouver area homeless shelters. All totaled, Ryder's project has raised over $10,000 since its start in 2016, allowing him to deliver over 200 Rainy Day Kits! His goal for 2018 is to raise $5000 by mid-October to prepare the homeless for the fall rainy season in Vancouver. He says, "I want people to have fun and jump in the puddles, and most of all, feel like someone cares for them."
She asked her mom if she could use some of her own money to pay for hot lunch for her classmates. Her mom Sara had a better idea. She told Lexi to use her craft skills and make fidget bracelets, with a goal of paying off Ferry Elementary School's $188 debt. Lexi ran with the idea, making dozens and selling them - small ones sold for 50 cents, large ones for $1.00. Sara started a GoFundMe page to help promote Lexi's project.
In a couple weeks, the $188 debt was paid off. Orders and funds kept coming. Lexi and Sara readjusted their goal - they decided to work until the entire district's hot lunch debt was paid off, $2200 total. That goal was attained in 11 days.
Five-year-old Sunshine Oelfke of Michigan was emptying her piggy bank onto the floor when her grandmother, Jackie walked in. Jackie knew Sunshine was saving up her money (for a snowmobile!) so she asked why she was taking money out now. Sunshine said, “I’m going to take it for milk money for my friend Layla. She doesn’t get milk — her mom doesn’t have milk money and I do."
Jackie was touched by Sunshine's kindness and decided to investigate. She learned that Layla is one of about 10 students in Sunshine's Kindergarten class who cannot afford the $0.45 carton of milk cartons at snack time. And the school cannot provide them for free - if each child is that one class were to get just one carton of milk per day, the total cost would be about $180 per month.
Jackie set up a GoFundMe account, hoping to raise the money needed to pay for milk for the whole school year. To date, over $6000 has been raised, exceeding their goal.
He was studying trumpet at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul when his instructor left and no replacement was named. Other instructors were nowhere to be found. The only way Baset could continue to challenge his skill was by watching You Tube videos of other trumpeters.
Bilger didn't stop there. He teamed up with Robin Korevaar, a clarinetest and created a Go Fund Me page to bring Baset to the US to continue his study of music. It worked, and Baset attended the Interlochen school last fall. Now he's headed to the University of Kansas School of Music on a full scholarship, and another GoFundMe page has been set up to offset other living and travel expenses.
Baset hopes to touch the world and spread peace through his music. Bilger and Korevaar have done both by giving a hand up to a stranger on the other side of the world.
For Jim Ford of O'Fallan Illinois, that day last November was a regular day in his job as a repo man. He had to repossess the Buick Century belonging to Stan and Pat Kipping because they'd fallen behind on their payments. When he learned the elderly couple's story, he knew he had to do something to help them out.
The couple explained that the reason they'd fallen behind was the cost of Stan's medications. The prices had doubled in a year's time, a big problem for the couple on a fixed income. Jim was obligated to take the car that day, but he also opened a conversation with the bank to come up with a plan. The bank agreed to work out some finances with the couple. A good start.
In the meantime, Jim set up a GoFundMe page for the couple. In a few days, donors contributed enough to pay off the car. A friend of Jim's gave the car an oil change and detailing. Someone else donated a Thanksgiving turkey. Needless to say, the Kippings were grateful, overwhelmed.
But Jim didn't stop there. He and his wife and children took the Kippings out for dinner in a nice restaurant, a treat the Kippings hadn't enjoyed since 'I can't tell you the last time.' In March, while Pat was hospitalized with a heart condition, Stan fell at home. He later died at age 83. Jim again worked from the goodness of his heart, updating the info on the GoFundMe page with the need for funeral expenses. To date, over $28,000 has been raised.
Olathe Kansas resident Ian Grillot was at a local bar last month, watching a basketball game. A man entered the bar and made disparaging remarks to two other patrons, whom he assumed to be of Middle Eastern descent. He was heard to yell, "Get out of my country!" and was promptly ejected from the bar. He returned, gun in hand, and shots were fired.
On instinct, Grillot ducked beneath a table but kept his presence of mind. He counted 9 shots, and assumed the shooter's magazine was then empty. So he stood and gave chase, intent on catching the gunman before he could harm someone else.
Turns out there was another bullet left. It pierced Grillot's hand and lodged in his chest, narrowly missing major arteries and his spinal cord. He was hospitalized for weeks. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with medical expenses.
It turns out the two men shot in the bar were of Indian descent, both aviation engineers employed locally for years by Garmin. One of the men died of his injuries, the other was critically injured.
A few days ago, Grillot's decision to act was honored by the Indian-American community in Houston. He was presented with a check for $100,000 in recognition of his "selfless act beyond the call of duty."
Grillot insists he just did what anyone else would have done. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't try to stop the shooter from continuing his rampage elsewhere. And the man who was critically injured? He's doing well, and looking forward to the future with his pregnant wife.
The shooter has been arrested and charged with first degree murder and two counts of attempted first degree murder.
A blog post changed Annapolis Maryland photographer Stephanie Smith's business forever. It seems a family was scheduled for a shoot with an area photographer. A few days before the shoot, the mother contacted the photographer to firm up details. She told him that one of her children has Down Syndrome and may need a little extra time and patience. The photographer cancelled the shoot, stating that this was not his ideal client.
Stephanie was horrified, and decided to do something. She established Lenses for Love, which provides free photo shoots for families with a child who has special needs. Word spread and requests for Stephanie's services came in from around the country. A GoFundMe site was set up to help with costs involved in travel, props, etc. Better than that, other photographers from other regions joined Stephanie in offering the free shoot.
Thanks to them, precious moments with the whole family can be captured and cherished.
Dave Cutlip owns and operates Southside Tattoo near Baltimore. He was approached by a man who had 'grown up' and no longer wanted his racist tattoos. Because the series of tattoos were so prominent across his face, Dave was unable to cover them. He referred him to someone who could remove them with laser, an expensive procedure, but he felt bad about not being able to help.
A few years back, Chris Salvatore, an LA actor, moved to a new apartment. His neighbor across the hall was Norma Cook, an elderly woman who lived alone. The two waved through the window and exchanged greetings in passing, but Chris decided to knock on Norma's door one day to really get to know his neighbor.
He learned that Norma had no relatives nearby and that she had a long list of health issues. Chris volunteered to help where he could.
He drove Norma to appointments, helped her with groceries and meal prep. In general, Chris became 'the grandson' Norma never had.
Then came some hard news - Norma's health had declined. She needed round-the-clock care.
Chris jumped into action. He set up a GoFundMe page to help with the cost of private care. And then, remarkably, he moved Norma into his apartment. He often works from home, so he provides some of the care she needs. That will help keep the overall cost down.
The companionship is good for both Chris and Norma. They now consider themselves 'best friends.'
When fifth-grader Bishop Curry V learned about the death of an infant in a hot car near his home in McKinney Texas, he was sad. When he realized he rode right past the infant's house every day on his way to school, the horrible story became personal. He decided to act.
Bishop has received a provisional patent on the idea and has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for a full patent. With the help of his father, Bishop Curry IV, an engineer for Toyota, the 10-year-old presented his prototype to car manufacturers at the Child Injury Prevention Conference last year.
Tisha and Todd Beauchmin of Las Vegas got a request from their neighbor Audrey. Could they watch her three kids for a couple days while she went in the hospital for tests? With five kids of their own, the Beauchmins didn't know where they'd put everyone, but they said yes. The kids were already friendly, so they'd muddle through for a few days.
Then Audrey got bad news. Her cancer had metastasized. Her condition worsened quickly and she needed to make decisions for her children's welfare. Within a few short months, she asked the Beauchmins to raise her children. They agreed and quickly applied to become official foster care parents. Tisha had herself been a child in the foster care system and she didn't want Audrey's kids to deal with that instability. She and Todd were determined to make it work. Their 17-year-old daughter set up a bed in a corner of the kitchen, and their 18-year-old son took to sleeping on the recliner.
Now faced with the enormous emotional and financial responsibility of raising three more children in a home that was already cramped, Tisha started a GoFundMe page. The local Fox 5 TV news learned of the Beauchmin's generous hearts and their needs and sent their Fox 5 Surprise Squad to work.
The family of 10 was put up in a local hotel for a week so renovations could be done to the Beauchmin's home. They expected a wall to be constructed in one of the bedrooms to give the boys privacy - one of the regulations of the foster care system. While the family was out of the house, the Surprise Squad went to work.
The landscaping around the home was cleaned up, and the whole interior repainted and carpeted. All new furniture was delivered and set up. The wall was indeed built in the boys bedroom, and the kitchen was remodeled to create a private sleeping space for the 17-year-old. The 18-year-old, who had been saving for an apartment of his own, was given $1500 toward his own place. A local grocery store donated a year's worth of food for the family.
Then, to top it all, a local Nissan dealer donated the family of 10 a van. Watch the video to see the family's reaction to this radical generosity.
In late July, Liz Willock took an hour-long Uber ride in Philadelphia in Ellis Hill's car. The two struck up a friendly conversation and Ellis mentioned how proud he is of his son Darrell, part of Team USA at the Rio Olympics. As the conversation continued, Liz learned that Ellis could not afford to fly to Rio to see his son compete.
So Liz decided to do something about it. She set up a GoFundMe page, asking for contributions toward the $7500 it would cost for Ellis to see his son participate in the Olympics. The goal was met in just two days through the generosity of over 150 people, mostly strangers. Now when Darrell Hill competes in the shotput on August 18th, his dad will be in the stands to cheer him on.
Kudos to Liz Willock for seeing a problem, allowing herself to feel empathy, and then developing a solution. And kudos to everyone who read about Ellis' situation and contributed to that solution. We need more news like this.
Jordan and his bully met face-to-face at Fontenot's tattoo shop. The boys have reached an understanding, and have even played video games and gone to a Houston Texans game together. Fontenot wants more people to reach out to those who are struggling. As he said, "We all come from different backgrounds but we all share the same goal of success."
