Monday, July 6, 2015

A GoFundMe campaign raised so much money for an Uber driver, he stopped taking donations

Ken Wayne Broskey and Roland Gainer
Five days ago, Roland Gainer launched a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe to help Ken Wayne Broskey, a 70-year-old grandfather dying of cancer.
Broskey is an Uber driver who met Gainer when he picked him up for a ride. During that 12-minute drive Broskey shared his touching story. Broskey doesn't have long to live and his doctors advised him to go to a hospice.
But he wouldn't go. He wouldn't stop working, trying to bank up as much money as he could so his daughter and his two grandchildren could continue to live in the house they share with him.
His daughter is a single mother and waitress and he feared they would struggle to make ends meet when he was gone. He was doing everything in his power to help them, as long as he could.
Gainer had is own personal story with cancer. His mother was struck with it when he was in high school and, fortunately, she survived. He felt powerless at the time, sharing: "All I could do for my mom was to get good grades, which I hoped would make her feel better."
So he fired up the GoFundMe campaign, hoping to get people to donate $95,000 to pay off Broskey's house. The story gained national attention, featured on ABC News, and the donations came pouring in, hitting over $101,000 in a couple of days.
And this part is equally touching: With the house saved, Gainer and Broskey have told people not to donate to any more, but to find another outlet that needs their money more, writing (emphasis ours):
We have reached our goal (including the fee for Go Fund Me), and thank everyone for the generous outpouring of support. As a result, we will be able to save Ken's house for his daughter and grandchildren. Because we have achieved our goal, and there is such great need in all of our communities, we are declining further donations to allow other causes to be supported. We sincerely thank and appreciate everyone for their contributions. We ask that you keep Ken in your prayers, and we will keep you up-to-date!

http://www.businessinsider.com/gofundme-for-an-uber-drive-goes-crazy-2015-4

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