BOSTON (AP) — A fund for a homeless man who turned in a backpack with more than $40,000 inside has collected nearly $98,000 — an overwhelming response that is a "statement to everyone in America," according to the man who started the donation drive.
Glen James flagged down a police officer Saturday after he found the backpack containing $2,400 in cash and almost $40,000 in traveler's checks at the South Bay Mall in Boston. The man who lost it told workers at a nearby store and they called police, who later returned the backpack to him.
Boston police honored James with a special citation Monday. After reading media accounts of James' honesty, a stranger, Ethan Whittington, started a fund for James on the crowdfunding site gofundme.com. By Thursday morning, $97,889 in donations had been made.
Whittington, a 27-year-old from Midlothian, Va., who is an accounts manager for a marketing firm, said he decided to try to raise money for James after reading about his honesty. Now Whittington says he's overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers.
"The fact that he's in the situation he is, being homeless, it blew my mind that he would do this (turn in the backpack)," Whittington said Wednesday.
View gallery."Glen James, of Boston, left, smiles in the direction … Glen James, of Boston, left, smiles in the direction of members of the media as Boston Police Commis … "It's caught on like wildfire ever since," he said. "It's brought me a lot of hope. ... This isn't only about rewarding a great guy. I think it's a statement to everyone in America. If we come together and work toward one thing and work together, then we can make it happen."
Whittington said he's also encountered some skeptics who question whether his efforts to raise money for James could be a scam.
"It's almost kind of depressing, to do something for a great cause, and you've got the naysayers out there," he said.
"I just wish there was some way I could 100 percent reassure everyone. I would be publicly humiliated if I scammed people now."
Whittington said he has spoken with James on the phone and hopes to come to Boston soon to work out how the money will be distributed to James. He said his new fundraising goal for James is $250,000, up from the $50,000 he originally hoped to raise.
据美国《今日美国》报道，筹款活动为波士顿人格伦詹姆斯（Glen James）筹得善款45000美元。为詹姆斯提供工作和住房也在筹备当中。
格伦·詹姆斯将捡到的内含42000美元现金与旅行支票的背包上交。2013年9月16日，波士顿警察局局长爱德华·戴维斯对詹姆斯表示嘉奖。图片来源：史蒂文塞尼
詹姆斯是个无家可归的流浪汉，捡到了一位波士顿游客的装有42000美元现金与旅行支票的背包，这笔钱于他而言无疑是巨额横财，但是詹姆斯将背包上交。9月16日周一，他受到嘉奖。他的诚实也为他带来好运。
一名弗吉尼亚（Virginia）男子为詹姆斯组织了在线筹款活动，截止到17日周二晚上，已筹集善款逾4.5万美元，共有1700多人参与了这次筹款活动。这次活动的目标是筹得5万美元。组织者伊桑·威灵顿（Ethan Whittington）在筹款平台GoFundMe上表示，詹姆斯的良好品行，可能会为他带来一份工作和一所住房。“捐款还在不断涌入。很多人愿意捐赠电脑，衣物等东西。”他说道，“我跟多人说过，有可能为他筹得一座房子或者公寓。”“天宽地广心无界。我们筹集的善款越多，就能帮助越多的人，”他还说道。“如果我们每次改变一个人的生活，长此以往下去，我们就能改变世界了。”詹姆斯告诉威灵顿，他用这几天在街上乞讨的钱够开一个银行账户了。
威灵顿9月17日周二下午对《波士顿环球报》（Boston Global ）称，他刚刚与詹姆斯进行了首次电话通话。27岁的威灵顿不曾去过波士顿，他说道：“听起来詹姆斯心情不错。”他还说，詹姆斯表达了他的谢意，不过詹姆斯担心他的好运会引起社会关注。据詹姆斯称，2005年，他丢掉在当地法院的工作，此后无家可归。目前居住在当地的收容所里。
我喜歡九搭八!!
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發表於 2013-9-20 00:02:23
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發表於 2013-9-20 13:41:36