GoFundMe Challenge Raises $405K for Flint Water Crisis And Names Contest Winner
The company will donate $10,000 to Marseille Allen's campaign, who raised $39,300 for clean drinking water
The company will donate $10,000 to Marseille Allen's campaign, who raised $39,300 for clean drinking water
MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GoFundMe, the world's largest personal fundraising site, announced the completion of its Flint Water Crisis fundraising contest on Friday, January 29th. All campaigns created to help Flint have collectively raised more than $405,000 -- including $225,000 raised since the contest was launched on January 22nd -- to deliver clean drinking water to the people of Flint, Michigan.
The contest's winner, Marseille Allen, a resident of Flint, raised $39,300 and her campaign will receive a $10,000 contribution from GoFundMe.
Allen, along with co-workers from the Michigan Department of Corrections who also held a water drive, have delivered approximately 1,500 cases of water and 100 packs of baby wipes to some of the hardest hit areas of Flint -- with more to come.
"I can't believe the outpouring of support we've experienced to give this community clean water, something taken for granted in the United States," Allen said. "What we have done is a collective effort - an international collective effort, in fact - and I am so happy that I have helped in creating this ripple effect. This has been a truly humbling experience."
A federal state of emergency was declared in Flint, Michigan on January 5, 2016 due to the dangerous levels of lead present in the public's water supply. Over 8,600 children are estimated to have been exposed to this contamination. As a result, many families have been forced to live off of store-bought bottled water, although few can afford it in this community where 40 percent of the residents live in poverty.
Good Samaritans from Michigan and across the country turned to GoFundMe to raise money to provide clean drinking water to the victims of the Flint Water Crisis. To fuel to their efforts, GoFundMe held a fundraising contest from 6:00am PT on Friday, January 22 to 6:00 pm PT on Friday, January 29. Individuals, communities, organizations and businesses alike came together to help purchase and deliver clean bottles of water to Flint, and donations poured in from across the country.
"The GoFundMe community has come together to provide invaluable support to the people of Flint," said Rob Solomon, GoFundMe CEO. "Our goal, and the goal of the organizers, was to raise as much money as possible for the people of Flint. This money will go a long way towards helping them weather the crisis and regain access to clean drinking water."
To view the Flint campaigns that have been set up on GoFundMe, click here.
To view the rules and guidelines for the contest click here.
SOURCE GoFundMe
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SOURCE GoFundMe
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