YouTube stars are capable of raising millions through crowdfunding campaigns thanks to their ardent and actionable fan bases. And a recent campaign Tubefilter helped to orchestrate added a few thousand dollars to that ever-growing figure.
In partnership with the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe and the Special Olympics (which inked their own partnership earlier this year) we brought together six YouTube stars – Burnie Burns and Gavin Free of Rooster Teeth, Meredith Foster, Teala Dunn, and Matt Santoro – to support prospective Special Olympics athletes through coordinated fundraising efforts. The acquired funds helped make it possible for Olympians to travel to the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in the Austrian towns of Graz and Schladming and compete on a worldwide stage. The aforementioned YouTube stars also came along for the journey and helped to spread the event’s positive message.
The results were inspiring, in terms of the dollars raised and the positive impact the opportunity had on all those involved. The group amassed a total of $33,800 in donations and (not to sound too sappy) left with a lifetime of memories. Free, for instance, walked with the athletes from Great Britain during the Opening Ceremony broadcast live on ABC.
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Honoured to walk out with Great Britain for the #SpecialOlympics in Austria. pic.twitter.com/UgSppw0eo2
— Gavin Free (@GavinFree) March 18, 2017
Burns walked with the Moldova delegation and had a similar experience.
Foster left Austria uplifted spirits, to say the least.
Dunn made some new friends.
SOOOO MUCH LOVE ❤❤❤😍 pic.twitter.com/yefqD3GWA8 — Teala Dunn (@TTLYTEALA) March 22, 2017
And Santoro took the Special Olympics’ motto of #LiveUnified to heart.
#LiveUnified pic.twitter.com/XsfLu9F9Su — Matthew Santoro (@MatthewSantoro) March 23, 2017
If you feel so inspired you can still donate to the various campaigns. Rooster Teeth’s GoFundMe campaign can be found here, Foster’s is here, Dunn’s is here, and Santoro’s is here. We’re looking forward to more altruistic and memorable endeavors in the near future.