Carson King.Photo: Courtesy Carson King
What started as a quest for a little extra beer money has evolved into a million-dollar gift to children in need.
Carson King went viral last week with a homemade sign asking viewers of ESPN’sCollege GameDayto donate to his Venmo account so he could afford to stock up on beer.
King, 24, toldCNNhe didn’t expect to make any money off of the “joke” sign, but somehow netted $400 within 30 minutes.
By the end of the day, he’d accumulated more than $1,000 — and quickly realized that the fast-growing cash would be put to much better use at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, as opposed to his wallet.
“With all the donations my @CollegeGameDay sign for @BuschBeer has received, I will be donating all but enough for a case of Busch Light to @uiowa Children’s Hospital,” he wrote.
Within days, Busch Beer was on board too, and so was Venmo, witheach companypromising to match King’s donation.
With Busch and Venmo on board, the donations crossed the $1 million mark on Sunday, and King tells PEOPLE that as of Monday afternoon, the team is just shy of $1.1 million.
King says he chose the hospital because “they are amazing at what they do” in helping patients and their families, and also because it shares a special connection to his love of football.
RELATED VIDEO: Mindy Kaling Donates $40K to Charities for Her 40th Birthday
“The University of Iowa does the wave to the kids since the hospital overlooks the stadium, and being I’m an Iowa State University fan, I figured this would be my way to help out,” he says.
Patients and staffers previously expressed their gratitude in a video shared on Twitter that showed a large group holding thank you signs.
The campaign will run through the end of September, and those with Venmo can donate @Carson-King-25. Those without Venmo can donate directly to the hospital.
“If they don’t have Venmo, they can donate directly to the hospital at uichildrens.org. Or any children’s hospital of their choice, because they all deserve whatever help they can get,” King says.
King apologized in a press conference on Tuesday, saying, “I am so embarrassed and stunned to reflect on what I thought was funny when I was 16 years old. I want to sincerely apologize.”
King added, “Thankfully, high school kids grow up and hopefully become responsible and caring adults.”
Still, Anheuser-Busch will no longer provide King with a supply of beer as previously stated.
source: people.com
