As recently released via IPS News, Tory Schalkle talks about his experience with crowdfunded charity:
Wayzata, Minnesota / When three children were run down during a high-speed police chase in Minneapolis, Tory Schalkle knew he had to help. The children were in the ER, fighting for their lives, while their parents prayed for help. In addition to the possibility of losing their children, Nicolle & Kyle Peltier faced the prospect of enormous medical bills and a severely altered life for themselves and their 7 children.
That’s when Tory Schalkle stepped in. When he heard about the story, Schalkle immediately jumped into action. Using the popular crowdfunding site, GoFundMe, Tory Schalkle set up a page for Nicolle and her family. He asked members of the community to donate whatever they could to help the Peltier family through this tragedy, and reached out to local reporters with the hope of spreading the word.
In the end, the GoFundMe campaign was able to raise enough money to help Nicolle and her family pay for the medical and legal costs of the incident. Nicolle was beyond grateful that a complete stranger would think to help her and her family when they needed it most. “I’m so thankful,” she said.
– “When I first heard about Nicolle’s story, I decided to start a crowdfunding campaign because I couldn’t be anything but heartbroken by their story and want to help. This family went from the innocence and joy of a playground to the pain and uncertainty of the ER within mere minutes.” – Tory Schalkle
– “As a new dad, that’s harrowing…I can’t imagine witnessing a child hurt by a senseless crime…That’s why my wife and I went online to see where or how to donate and, finding nothing, wanted to establish some small way to help them.” – Tory Schalkle
– “Once we set up the GoFundMe, we were overjoyed to see that other people felt the same way. There was an outpouring of sympathy for Nicolle and her family. And how couldn’t there be? It was such an unbelievable and senseless tragedy.” – Tory Schalkle
– “I wish we didn’t have to live in a world where we have to use GoFundMe for tragedies like these, but I knew medical bills can add up really quickly, especially for a family of 9. That’s a large burden to bear without additional support.” – Tory Schalkle
– “I’ve done a lot of charity work over the years, but it rarely feels this direct. I just felt grief as a fellow parent. My wife and I wanted Nicole and Kyle to know they didn’t need to go through this alone, and that there were people from all over Minnesota who cared about them and their children.” – Tory Schalkle