When disaster strikes, people are turning to the web for help. It’s a trend gaining steam with fundraising.
Crowdfunding website GoFundMe.com reports that in 2011, the site collected $430,710 for 1,905 campaigns. By last year, the site collected $31,857,416 for 138,027 campaigns.
REBUILDING AFTER A FIRE
Marcus Petty, a Wichita State student, suffered a setback last month. A fire started in a neighboring apartment on Feb. 20. Damage spread to his apartment at Lincoln Meadows in the 9000th block of East Lincoln. Petty lost nearly everything inside.
“There’s just ceiling and insulation everywhere and water and smoke,” he said, recalling the day of the fire. “I lost the big stuff. You know, my bed, my furniture, dining room table, a lot of kitchen appliances. It’s just hard to take in.”
Petty said he is blessed, though, as a baby book and cat managed to escape harm. A firefighter also saved his laptop, sitting on his bed.
Not long after the fire, Petty’s sister launched a GoFundMe page. In 10 days, the page raised $2,540 of a $3,000 goal. Money came from friends, family and strangers.
“It’s very humbling,” he said. “The thing that I didn’t realize was the intangible part of it was really the feeling that you get and really how life-changing something like this is. Not just the physical, fire part of it, but your perspective and how it changes.”
PREPARING FOR SURGERY
In El Dorado, a teenager is preparing for a life-changing operation.
Destinae Jones was diagnosed with scoliosis when she was in first grade. She didn’t have significant problems with her condition until recently. She had to undergo surgery on her skull for that issue.
“Really, the pain is my shoulder,” Jones said. “It sticks out more and it hurts, usually at nighttime.”
Still, her spine continues to have problems. Tammy Hand, Jones’ mom, said it’s even caused breathing problems.
“It tore me and her father up really bad,” Hand said. “Parents can fix everything. You couldn’t fix this.”
In April, Jones is going to have a second surgery performed by specialists in Kansas City. They will be placing a rod in her back to straighten her spine out. Jones’ sisters recently started a GoFundMe page to raise $2,000 to help the family with medical expenses that insurance will not cover.
“Thank you,” Hand said to their supporters. “It’s amazing how everybody gets together and does everything. We appreciate it.”