GoFundMe

National

A Maryland TikToker raised more than $140k for an 82-year-old Walmart worker

11:16am January 13, 2023

by Jaclyn Diaz

Rory McCarty used his TikTok community to raise almost $150,000 for 82-year-old Warren "Butch" Marion. Strangers just a month ago, the two have become close friends.

Katelyn McClure, who pleaded guilty to helping her boyfriend spread a feel-good story about a homeless veteran that garnered more than $400,000 in online donations, has been sentenced to three years in prison on state theft charges.

National

N.J. woman gets 3 years in bogus good Samaritan online fundraiser

1:45pm January 07, 2023

by The Associated Press

Katelyn McClure helped her boyfriend spread a feel-good story about a homeless veteran, garnering more than $400,000 in GoFundMe donations. She is also serving a one-year federal term.

Get Well Soon! is an online artwork of more than 200,000 comments from the GoFundMe website. Visit the Get Well Soon! site.

Arts

Artists Turn GoFundMe Comments Into A 'Get Well Soon!' Card For A Sick System

1:53pm September 29, 2020

by Neda Ulaby

"We're thinking about it as an archive of well wishes, but an archive that shouldn't exist, that exists because of a terrible structural inequality that we all face," says artist Sam Lavigne.

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Health & Safety

'Fuel The Fight' Feeds Health Workers And Gives Local Restaurants A Boost

3:45pm April 27, 2020

by David Ford

A grassroots initiative to purchase food for Triad-area health care workers has surpassed its fundraising goal. The meals are prepared by local restaurant chefs.

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Katelyn McClure pleaded guilty Monday in state court to theft by deception in connection with a fraudulent GoFundMe story about a homeless man buying her gas. The plea comes with a four-year term in New Jersey state prison, prosecutors say.

National

N.J. Woman Pleads Guilty In Homeless GoFundMe Hoax, Faces 4 Years In State Prison

3:19pm April 16, 2019

by Amy Held

Katelyn McClure pleaded guilty to theft by deception in state court. $400,000 was raised to help a homeless man, but prosecutors say McClure and her then-boyfriend spent most on themselves.

Brian Kolfage raised millions of dollars for construction of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

National

More than $20 Million Crowdsourced For Border Wall Will Be Refunded

6:36pm January 12, 2019

by Shannon Van Sant

Iraq war veteran Brian Kolfage had raised the money through GoFundMe. On Friday, he said donations would go towards a non-profit he created to build the wall, rather than the U.S. government.

Even for conventional medical treatments that are covered under most health insurance policies, the large copays and high deductibles have left many Americans with big bills, says a health economist, who sees the rise in medical fundraisers as worrisome.

Patients Are Turning To GoFundMe To Fill Health Insurance Gaps

11:41pm December 27, 2018

by Mark Zdechlik

Medical fundraisers account for 1 in 3 of the website's campaigns and bring in more money than any other GoFundMe category. Americans' confidence they can afford health care is slipping, some say.

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A picture of (from left) Johnny Bobbitt Jr., Mark D'Amico and Katelyn McClure was displayed during a news conference in November.

National

GoFundMe Provides Refunds To Donors Duped By Viral Campaign

12:37pm December 26, 2018

by Francesca Paris

More than 14,000 donors were tricked into paying for a couple's vacations and handbags by a heartwarming story featuring a homeless veteran. Now GoFundMe has returned their money.

Prosecutors charged Johnny Bobbitt (from left), Katelyn McClure and Mark D'Amico with second degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception on Thursday for fabricating a feel-good story to launch a fundraising campaign that drew mor

National

New Jersey Couple's GoFundMe Campaign To Help Homeless Man 'Was Predicated On a Lie'

8:33pm November 15, 2018

by Vanessa Romo

Katelyn McClure, Mark D'Amico and Johnny Bobbitt Jr. were charged with second degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception on Thursday. They could get 10 years in prison.

Mark D'Amico and Kate McClure speak with host Megyn Kelly on Megyn Kelly Today, last month in New York.

National

Police Raid Home Of New Jersey Couple Who Raised $400,000 For Homeless Man

12:20pm September 07, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The seemingly heartwarming story has taken an unpleasant turn, with the man suing his would-be benefactors, saying they stole most of the money raised in a GoFundMe campaign.