This is a sponsored post that I was compensated for or received a discount for the service. All opinions are mine.
Did you know that 98% of the time we stand by just watching and just watch everything in life go by? It doesn’t matter if we see an injustice or tragedy anywhere, most likely we’ll ignore it and the trend lately is people are quick to snap pictures. Then if we’re watching the news to witness the same thing we shake our head in discuss, say that’s messed up and continue to flip through the channels with no intention of doing anything or speaking up about it.
But a year ago, when a bomb exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon this nation made a collective decision that we were not going to be bystanders. Ariana Vargas was one of these people. Ariana had attended Boston College for undergrad and when the bomb hit, word spread quickly that one of her BC classmates Patrick Downes and his new wife Jessica had each lost a leg in the explosion. Over the course of their lifetimes, their injuries would cost them nearly $1 million. Whispers were going around between BC alumni asking what they could do to help but no one was sure what to do or who should step up. Without hesitating, Ariana who hadn’t stayed in touch with Patrick since graduating started a GiveForward page. Word spread quickly and within a few weeks, tens of thousands of people from around the country had contributed close to $900,000 and left thousands of comments on Patrick and Jessica’s GiveForward page letting them know that they were loved and that they weren’t alone. It was magical, the kind of experience that makes you realize that we live in a world filled with wonderful people. Patrick and Jessica are on their way to recovery and will be able to live without the stress and burden of medical debt for the rest of their lives.
The story about Patrick and Jessica is just one instance where helping someone saved lives and avoided the stress of lifelong issues whether it’s pain, medical expenses and for others thinking they should’ve done something. When watching the news all you hear about is negative stories but there have been great stories that show that there’s still good people in the world and that love is always bigger than hate. With that said I need everyone reading this to go to this GiveForward page of a young man whose 14-years-old and have autism that was pranked when everyone was doing the ALC challenge. Below is the story of what happened when 3 high school students went beyond too far with the prank and we need to show the boy and his family that people really do care.
In Bay Village, Ohio three teens challenged one of their fellow students, a fourteen-year-old boy with Autism to take the ALS Ice bucket challenge. But instead of ice water, the teens dumped a bucket off the roof of a house filled with urine, spit and feces on the teen. Here is the video. [Warning it is graphic and disturbing] NO ONE deserves to be treated like this. It’s incredibly brave that he has decided to share his story. Let’s rally together to show him that we we’re all behind him and that we think he is awesome. The money we raise will go directly to his family, but far more important than any financial contribution, please leave words of support on his GiveForward page so that he knows that he’s not alone in this fight. The goal is 1000 comments on this page lastly, love only triumphs if we all share it. So… If you believe that this young man is awesome and you want to let him know, please share this with your friends on Facebook. If you’ve ever been bullied or know someone who has been bullied, please share this with your friends on Facebook. If you believe that tolerance is something you want to put your name behind, please share this with your friends on Facebook. If in your heart, you believe that LOVE is bigger than HATE, please share this with your friends on Facebook. #Love>Hate
