GoFundMe campaign intended to raise $250 for a lawnmower for Memphis teen raises $200G

NY Daily news ^ | 6/26/16 | Laura Bult

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

GoFundMe campaign intended to raise $250 for a lawnmower for Memphis teen, instead raises nearly $200G

A GoFundMe page set up so that a Memphis teen could kickstart a lawn mowing business has exploded, raising nearly $200,000 for his impoverished family.

The “Chauncy’s Chance” crowdfunding campaign was set up by a benevolent stranger, Matt White, and initially set out to raise $250 for a lawnmower for 16-year-old Chauncy Black.

Now the teen has his sights set on buying a home for his mother and funding his education after donations started pouring in.

Matt White was inspired to help out Black after meeting the teen while he panhandled in a Kroger grocery store parking lot.

[Albion Wilde]

bump

[Nifster]

I guess he can afford a mower now

[Nifster]

You don’t know what this young man had already done. Certainly none of us know what the future holds. Time will tell.

Give or don’t give. Who cares? It’s not your money so it’s not your business

[Nifster]

You need better PR

[Nifster]

Give or don’t give. No one cares. It’s not your money so it’s not your business

[xp38]

Ok so he got his stated $250. Why did Go Fund Me allow excess donations to pile up? Shouldn’t they cut off donations at some point? This seems ridiculous since 200K is orders of magnitude higher.

[mumblypeg]

Good point and good questions. Probably because the Gofundme powers-that-be can arbitrarily decide who deserves more, based on standardized victim demographics, and can keep the coffers open as they wish. As well as deciding who they think deserves nothing.
Didn’t gofundme try to shut down the fund for the Christian cake bakers’ legal expenses?

[Mr. Blond]

He’ll get another message when he neglects to pay the taxes on it.

[OldNewYork]

Good story, nice to see some real charity.

[sheana]

Wow! Pissy much? Lol

[Enchante]

how did he touch taxpayers?

a guy who met him felt a sense of charity to help him and his mother, voluntarily.... no govt involved

that guy appealed to his Facebook friends first, then others, over the internet, all voluntary from private individuals, no govt involved

I understand people are concerned about Chauncey (the 16 yr old) getting “handouts” but that is a different issue — the kid has received only private individual voluntary gifts, so far has been described to date.

[Sequoyah101]

I guess none of the people he touched were taxpayers?

I guess you think that we should just all chip in when someone wants something they can get otherwise?

Your normal does not appear to be the same as mine.

Never mind.

[Enchante]

Your imagination has run wild. Don’t put words in my mouth. The mention of “taxpayers” is totally irrelevant unless something is being asserted about INvoluntary behavior (i.e., taxation to force people to fund something).

For VOLuntary behavior it matters not one bit whether people donating also happen to be taxpayers or not. The donation was VOLuntary. Whether they are taxpayers or not is completely irrelevant to the donation and the story.

I never suggested that you, I, or anyone else “should just all chip in” on anything like this.

My “normal” has nothing to do with donating to strangers over the internet. I merely found the story of interest as a curiosity, a phenomenon of our Internet Age.

[Sequoyah101]

Do what you want, think what you want and have a great life.

[higgmeister]

Thank you. We are heartbroken. Vet sold us this super duper new flea collar and one week later our happy, healthy, 5 year old baby’s back legs quit working, diarrhea, and then seizures. Vet said she thought it was a brain tumor but they’ll never convince me she wasn’t poisoned by the Seresto flea collar.

As my wife has had several conditions through the years that appear related to autoimmune disorders, I don't have any difficulty agreeing with you. I'll pray for your family's strength to get through this.

[higgmeister]

There was no fraud, the web page was updated continually, showing how much they’d raised and saying that they were now going for other things such as clothing, education, house, etc.

I didn't say there was fraud. I pointed out that in another time and in another medium, our government would have prosecuted for fraud. Do you not believe this?

I personally feel that this transcends mere fraud. My father would have whipped me to the edge of life if I had begged a farthing from anyone for any reason. This story speaks to the sorry state of individual pride our country has fallen to.

[willyd]

That was exactly my thoughts... the money was to start a lawn mowing business... not to buy his mother a house and pay for his education... you would go to jail for fraud if you tried that... why is this different?