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7 Inspiring GoFundMe Campaigns That Remind Us Not Everyone is Apathetic

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Hero Stops School Shooting – Raises $100K+

antoinette tuff

When a gunman entered her school armed with an AK-47 and 500 rounds, Antoinette Tuff faced the threat with compassion and patience, saving numerous lives in the process.

“Thank you for your support!

Proceeds will be used to provide travel for underprivileged children. We will provide inner city kids the opportunity to see the world. If you change their vision, you can change their lives.” Read more here.

Donations for honest homeless man Glen James top $158,000

ethan whittington

Fundraising for a Boston homeless man named Glen James quickly took off when he was heralded as an honest guy after handing in a backpack he found that contained over $40,000 in cash and travelers checks in September 2013.

A GoFundMe.com campaign raised more than $147,300 in two weeks and is still going with a goal of $250,000.

Many people have contacted Ethan Whittington, the man who organized the fundraiser, about James and expressed interest in doing this for him including donating computers to James, providing him dental care and helping him find a job. Read more here.

The Chive And A Sister’s Love Helped Raise $400,000 For Young Woman Who Faced The Unthinkable

melissa smith

After beating cancer twice, a young woman was left paralyzed and imprisoned in an inaccessible apartment she couldn’t afford to move out of.

Unable to watch her sister suffer any further, Stephanie Smith launched an online fundraising campaign and beseeched Chive Charities, a group that encourages its community to support orphan causes, to take on her case in March. Moved by Stephanie’s love for her sibling and Smith’s survival spirit, the CHIVEFund decided to donate $50,000 to Smith and urged others to do the same.

Moved by Stephanie’s love for her sibling and Smith’s survival spirit, the CHIVEFund decided to donate $50,000 to Smith and urged others to do the same.

Once Chive Charities publicized Smith’s story, her struggle went viral and the donations started pouring. At one point, Smith calculated that she was getting $837 per minute, she told WBAL-TV. To date, donors have pledged nearly $400,000, breaking Chive’s previous fundraising record.

Internet Rallies for Wounded Vet

gail pesce

Sean Pesce was shot 13 times in Afghanistan, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Over $50K has already been raised to help make his family’s house wheelchair accessible.

Thanks to hundreds of generous donations, Sean’s home will be wheelchair accessible when he returns to his family this month.
$51,865 raised by 1,164 donors in 1 month. Read more here. 

Hundreds give cash to help homeless gay Atlanta teen

steve bevers

The somber story of a gay Atlanta teen kicked out of his home after being outed to his parents touched nearly 200 people, who in two days have donated more than $8,083 to an online campaign to help him.

Steve Bevers launched Nick was kicked out of his home, a GoFundMe campaign, on Tuesday to help Nick, who he describes as an 18-year-old freshman at Kennesaw State who lives in Marietta. Bevers says his family took Nick in and now he’s hoping to raise $10,000 to help the student, who was left penniless after his parents apparently kicked him out and seized his savings. Read more here.

The Inspiring Story Of How A Boston University Student Raised $5,000 In A Day To Stay In College

alexis-brianna felix

Alexis Felix will be the first person in her immediate family to receive a Bachelors degree. Felix is a straight-A student who got a 3.78 GPA last semester while also tutoring elementary schoolers, holding a research position at a consulting company, and dancing as a member of BU’s Latin dance team.

Felix was recently faced with a major issue — her family would not be able to afford to pay for her next semester at BU. After exhausting every possible solution and sitting through multiple face-to-face conversations with BU administrators informing her that she was “out of options,” Felix turned to what she called a “last resort.”

With only two months to find the money, Felix created a GoFundMe page in the hopes that some friends and family members would help her reach the $5,000 she needed to stay at BU. “I thought it would take months, if at all,” she said.

27 hours after the page went live, Felix had recieved $5,000 to continue her education, with contributions from friends, acquaintances, and even total strangers. The page had been shared close to 400 times on Facebook. Read more here. 

Firefighters Rally to Help 7-Year-Old Leukemia Patient

steve belski

When a Somerville fire lieutenant and his family received the news on Thursday—that their 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia—colleagues in the department jumped into action.

The girl started treatment immediately, meaning she’ll be spending the next six weeks at Boston Children’s Hospital, and the family will need to make weekly trips to the hospital for the next two years. Read more here.

About Author

Salvador Briggman is the founder of CrowdCrux, a blog that teaches you how to launch a crowdfunding campaign the right way. ➤ Weekly Crowdfunding Tips