Here’s a happy ending for a young, expelled student.
Until last month, Kiera Wilmot was an exemplary student at Bartow High School in central Florida with good grades and a love for science. But on the morning of April 29, she mixed some chemicals together in a small water bottle and caused a tiny explosion. There was a bang and some smoke, but nobody was close to being hurt.
Kiera, 16, was handcuffed and charged with an adult felon.
Thanks to thousands of petition signatures, phone calls to representatives, and dollars raised on Crowdtilt, Kiera’s charges were dropped and she’ll be attending space camp instead!
In a beautiful turn of events, famous former NASA engineer Homer Hickam — whose memoir Rocket Boys was turned into the Universal Pictures film October Sky — gave Kiera a scholarship to the U.S. Advanced Space Academy and crowdfunded another for her twin sister :).
Kiera’s ordeal was a terrible one. But it was heartwarming to see the compassion of scientists and sympathizers as they worked together — collecting signatures, raising awareness, and chipping in to help her with the burden of her legal bills. Read about her story in this article “Teenage chemistry enthusiast won’t be charged with felony, will go to space camp” and check out the support for Kiera below!
She raises over $4,000 in one day alone!
Cool tidbit: Angelle, the creator of this Crowdtilt, is a giant science enthusiast and has previously attended Space Camp!
See his Crowdtilt here:
It was truly inspiring to see the outpouring of support for Kiera. We’re honored to have played a small part in Kiera’s journey. In difficult times, it’s amazing to see the internet be such a caring place!
Tell us: do you support Kiera? What great causes would you like to see crowdfunded?
[Start your own Crowdtilt here]
[Read about the Crowdtilt that raised $50,000 in 3 days to buy a boat for a hero]
[Read about the Crowdtilt to Save the Blue Angels!]
Love,
Our team was amazed when we saw this fundraiser to save the Blue Angels pop up on our radar. Marc McCabe, a local San Franciscoan and Blue Angel fan, created a Crowdtilt fundraiser to raise at least $650,000 for the show, which would take place from Oct. 10-14 during San Francisco’s Fleet Week.
For the most recent updates about the campaign, or to check out other blue angels fans, check out the official “Bring the Blue Angels Back” Facebook group.
So far, the fundraiser, titled “We can save the Blue Angels — let’s bring them back for SF Fleet Week 2013!” has raised almost $8,000 in just a few days. Let us know what you think of the blue angels and this fundraiser in the comments!
We’re honored and humbled to see our site used for such a creative and inspiring cause. Happy tilting! :)
Love,
To help get your friends on board, use promo code “FREEb2b” to waive our fees! Now get out there and celebrate this Sunday!
We can’t wait to see you there.
Ever feel like you’re asking for too much? Or do you aim too low because you’re afraid of falling short of your goals? Worry no more. Our brand-new targets let you tell your supporters exactly how much you need, while inspiring your supporters to chip in for a home run!
After all, nothing is impossible in the world of crowdfunding! A model of a Tyrannosaurus rex with Christopher Walken’s head raised $2,000 just last week…
Just imagine: Hundreds of friends groupfund vacation homes and classy Vegas suites on Crowdtilt each week. They set their “tilt,” raise their funds, and pack their party clothes to Vegas!
But imagine if they were to reach a “target” of $1,200 alongside their “tilt” of $800! They’d be able to upgrade their parties to a luxury, top-floor suite complete with a jacuzzi and unlimited bar tab. This party sounds like too much fun for even Jennifer Lawrence to handle.
More inspiration:
Telling your supporters your “target” helps you make an awesome goal even better. It’s clear. It’s effective. And it’s judgement free :)
[Click here to read the compassionate story behind this boat fundraiser.]
Target comes in 3 easy steps:
It’s that easy!
You may be small, but you are filled with power.
Puppy eyeing your way to the top? #respect
We’re going nuts over you :)
You plunged straight in.
To make giant things happen.
You’re so awesome, we can’t bear it.
Neigh-ver again should you dare to dream small.
Because you are pure fierceness in disguise.
Happy tilting!
Keep reaching for the stars,
P.S. If you haven’t heard about David Henneberry’s boat in TIME, Bloomberg, or Buzzfeed yet, read about it here. It’s so inspiring it would be a crime not to.
THANK YOU! We couldn’t have done it without you. To celebrate, here are 16 great happy gifs so you can share our happiness too! :)
“IS THIS REAL LIFE?”
It’s too much to handle…
You’re the BEST. Being with ya’ll is a dream…
No honestly, we can’t believe it! All these fans just, just… dropping out of the sky!!! Where did ya’ll come from??? What did we do to deserve this?
This is insane!
Where did ya’ll come from?
Happy dance. #awwyeahhh
Honestly, we feel invincible with ya’ll behind us. We’re still small, but we’re fearless!
We can conquer any mountain…
But really, we just wanna take a second to hug you.
And a few seconds more to dance…
We can’t wait to tell our moms
Smiling so much it kind of hurts
Even better than infinite puppies
What are we doing, you ask? Oh, just cruisin’ smoothly along… With our 16,000 fans….
Quintessential Happy Sloth. He yawns while celebrating.
Thank you!
Love,
It was amazing seeing the compassion of ordinary citizens come together to accomplish something unbelievable for this modern American hero.
“I enjoy fishing and being out on the water myself, and for a guy to lose his boat - as minor as that is compared to people losing their limbs and lives - I just thought to help a guy out who potentially saved many more lives.” - Jeffrey Griffeth
The camaraderie, compassion, and kindness of the “Help Get David Henneberry a New Boat!” facebook group as they gave each other pats on the back and collectively aww-ed about Mr. Henneberry’s cuteness:
This incredible compassion of everyone is absolutely amazing. You all brought these hundreds of supporters together to do this. David is still speechless with all this outpouring and support…David does not have Facebook and is not too good with computers and as I was there reading all the wonderful kind comments to him and tried to explain what was going on he couldn’t believe it. As I stated he is beside himself with all of this unbelievable kindness from all over. I will pass all this along and let you know! Thank you!
For the full story behind David’s boat, go here.
Love,
Grads across the nation are saying farewell to school and hello to 2013’s freshest-of-fresh supply of unforgettable gifts! As they step out, bright-eyed, into the gray world of morning commute and the terrifying job market, give them something special.
Admit it: the real world can be daunting. These bright and shiny gifts will give your grad some comfort to look forward to :)
Breakfast all day, e’ry day.
It’s time for them to move on to more classy things.
Your grad is going to need some real photos for his/her bare walls. The new polaroid is awesome. Otherwise, Printstagram lets your instagramming friends print their #foodie’s and #selfie’s into real life.
Magically make a week’s worth of meals.
($9.99 Thank You Wikipedia, $20 Seniors eat freshmen, $9.99 iThink, $17.90 Evolved to Graduate)
So that they can strut their graduated stuff like this:
Customize, go hipster-chic with Anthropologie, or get funny. Goodbye, red college cups. You’re hereby demoted to this level.
“Crowdtilt made it easier for us to get in touch with people who were both spread across campus and incredibly busy! It was very easy to use and was so key to the success of the senior gifts.” - Jessi Norton, UGA Mock Trial president
“Phil was really excited when I told him. I sent him a text that said, “I set up a CrowdTilt to get you a new computer for graduation, and it just tilted!” He called me and was ecstatic. It was a great way to get the whole family involved to do something big without a big expense to any one person.”
- Jared McFarland
“Brielle’s laptop completely bit the dust a few months back. But with this money, she bought a laptop and she loves it! She was beyond surprised! She didn’t expect it at all and couldn’t believe people put money toward such a meaningful gift for her. She was incredibly grateful and sent thank you notes to all who contributed!!”
-Alicia
These co-workers are pooling money AND ideas for presents. “Swank factor” determined by the amount of donations collected…
For a free Crowdtilt T-shirt, go to our facebook page and tell us what you wish your friends/family would Crowdtilt for your senior gift! (even if you’ve already graduated!)
Congratulations, Grads!
Love,
We were humbled and honored last week as we watched an incredible social media wave raise over $50,000 in under 3 days to buy David Henneberry a new boat.
Watertown resident David Henneberry, 66, loved his boat. Those close to him said he was so particular about about it that he refused to use it for fishing, reserving it for pleasure cruising alone.
But on April 19, Henneberry discovered alleged terrorist and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in his boat.
“He didn’t try to be a hero. He didn’t yell,” stepson Robert Duffy said. “His mind instantly did the right thing.”
David alerted the police, and thanks to him, the bomber was captured. However, his beloved boat was shot full of bullets during the capture.
As the story unfolded, America learned about this Watertown hero’s humility as he declined praise and condolences from the media. We learned of his selflessness as diverted donations away from himself, to the physically hurt victims of the Boston Bombing instead.
We learned of his compassion, as we heard of his yearly tradition of bringing the disabled, blind people, and amputees aboard his precious boat, and take them for spins around Boston Harbor.
Instead of sitting idly by, an ordinary Texan, Craig Dunlap, decided to step up. He raised over $50,000 in a heartwarming Crowdtilt effort to replace the boat.
With just a few words - “Let’s pool some money for repairs!” and a personal donation of $500 to “get things going,” Dunlap set off an inspiring wave of kindness and support.
Within a day, a facebook group started by Jeffrey Griffeth got wind of Craig’s Crowdtilt fundraiser and stepped in to help. They raised over $4,000 on the first day and $13,000 by the second day. 430 people from 42 states and 8 countries contributed.
The Boston Whaler stepped in to make a generous, large contribution. And just like that, in under 3 days, over $50,000 was raised.
We transferred the funds directly to David Henneberry and his family. David, who does not have Facebook and is not too good with computers, couldn’t believe it when he heard what hundreds of strangers had done for him. His relative, Kelly, put us in touch with him and told us, “he is beside himself with all of this unbelievable kindness from all over.”
Here’s a letter from Dave Henneberry himself:
[Read the 10 things we loved most about David’s Boat Fundraiser here!]
It was beautiful watching this story of compassion unfold, as a strangers stepped up to help someone they had only heard of. These efforts were featured in TIME, Buzzfeed, Business Week, Bloomberg, the Chicago Tribune, Yahoo News, and The Guardian, just to name a few.
We were blown away by the outpouring of collective kindness over the past few weeks. You all showed America that the internet is a caring place.
It’s people like you, getting involved with campaigns like this, that keep us plugging away at the Crowdtilt office. :)
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead
From the entire Crowdtilt team, thanks for inspiring us.
P.S. Read the 10 things we loved most about David’s Boat Fundraiser, here!
Crowdtilt is all about empowering you to do extraordinary things with friends, but with everyday levels of effort. We do this by making organizing and collecting funds easy:
From luxe weekend escapes, classy wine tours, destination bashes, to nights flowing full with your groom or bride to be’s favorite champagnes and beer, here are a few hot parties to inspire you! We loved the creativity and class of these unique pre-wedding celebrations - and we loved helping these friends crowdfund them.
*Links unavailable for some campaigns that wished to remain private. For the linked up ones - click away!
Their sun-kissed getaway makes us wanna sing: “Bodies in the sand, tropical drink melting in your hand, we’ll be falling in love to the rhythm of a steel drum band…” (A round of drinks to whichever reader guesses the name of this song first!)
With the days counting down until Lucy’s Bachelorette, these friends used Crowdtilt to chip in $100 each to “make this trip happen!” Cheers from NoCal to this SoCal party!
Not only was there good food and wine-tasting - they even rented out a house in Napa Valley with a hot tub - the bride to be’s favorite! :)
With a set payment deadline, and the cost at $75.68 each, we’re happy that Catherine and her friends were able to spend less time fumbling over loose change - and more time feasting during their San Diego getaway!
Catherine said: “I’ve used Crowdtilt a couple times while planning bachelorette and engagement parties and its such an easy way to split up the costs!!!”
Sea, sunshine and a lovely view - these 11 friends used Crowdtilt to crowdfund the refundable deposit on this beautiful lake house.
Less time spent fumbling over loose change = more time spent gazing at these Vegas Dimes…
Some other favorites include zip-lining, parasailing along the coast, spa days, and yacht parties out on the bay. We hope this gave you and your bachelor/bachelorette parties a bit of inspiration!
Have a suggestion? Leave them below! :)
Party On,
If you guessed the song from the lyrics on the first featured party, let us know on our facebook page! We’ll contact you and send you and your friends some sweet, free Crowdtilt shotglasses ;)
The Crowdtilt community is full of everyday people doing extraordinary things. There’s the social media wave that raised $50,000 in 5 days to replace David Henneberry’s boat (destroyed during the Boston Bomber’s capture). There’s the community in Illinois that saved their beloved toy store from going out of business. There’s the group of friends that funded their international friend’s school tuition.
Today, we want to share with you the stories of a few amazing do-gooders who typify the passion, empathy and spirit we love about our community. They make us proud to:
Feel free to read their testimonies below and click through to their campaign pages to read about their unique journeys.
Joseph is enjoying directing the Honduras medical missionary training school El Instituto Bíblico Centroamericano and Annie is enjoying serving in the bilingual elementary school Campos Blancos. Olivia (9) and Maya (5) continue to faithfully serve with hugs and tree climbing campus-wide, visiting the disabled, and occasionally teaching & preaching. Their family’s empowered, can-do attitude is uplifting.
“We had potential supporters all over the United States but not enough time to reach them all through conventional means. We needed something simple, safe, fast, and fresh. We wanted to feel confident entrusting our meaningful campaign to the web and we wanted our supporters to feel secure in contributing. Crowdtilt matched our needs in simplicity, security, in terms of cost, and with online presentation. We were so happy to see thoughtful people supporting us by giving sacrificially and we were affirmed in our mission. We will be Tilting again in the future!”
- Joseph Nally
Sarah set her heart on caring for orphans in Zambia this summer, and she raised her mission trip funds in 5 days! We love the joy and humility that radiates from all she does. She even wrote us a beautiful letter below. Sarah - you inspire us.
When the opportunity to go a mission trip to Zambia came up, I knew crowdtilt would be the perfect way to raise funds. Setting up the campaign was quick and easy. Within the first 30 minutes of sending out an email, instagram, and facebook post, people were already contributing! I was amazed at the fast response! I feel incredibly grateful for my friends’ and family’s generosity. Every time I receive a notification that someone has given, I get so excited to see who has become a part of my “team” in sending me to Zambia. Before my eyes, my dream of a mission trip in Africa is becoming a reality.
Since I was able to post the link on social media, my campaign is reaching far more people than just email or mail. It has been especially meaningful to receive contributions from old friends and even acquaintances who saw my post on facebook. I even reconnected with a friend who I haven’t seen in years - but gave to my trip!
Crowdtilt has made my fundraising experience painless, effective, and enjoyable. Every step of the process has been excellent. My contributors are able to donate easily with Crowdtilt’s user-friendly approach. They also feel like they are “rallying behind” me as they help me reach my tilt goal. Since Crowdtilt works seamlessly with non-profits, I am convinced that it is the future of fundraising. As for me, I am now a loyal Crowdtilt fan! Thank You!!!- Sarah Johnson
Allan’s daughter Elizabeth has wanted to go on a mission trip since she was 8. After a life-changing experience, Allan was inspired to make a mission trip with Elizabeth (now 16) possible. With the support of their friends and family, they’re unstoppable. We can’t wait to hear about the connections they forge this summer with others - and with each other.
On his campaign page Allan wrote “Please don’t feel pressured to contribute simply because you are a friend, family member, or connection!!” Oh Allan, your humility leaves us speechless :)
Nonprofit causes and charitable fundraisers have been a huge part of Crowdtilt’s goal to change the world through group funding. We want to help make your fundraising as easy as possible, so that you can spend more time making a difference.
If you or someone you know is funding their summer service, we’d be absolutely honored to help you rally support and quickly raise funds for the journey.
Finally, we’ll leave you with one of our favorite sayings:
Much love,
For all of you going on a relief trip this summer, email us at team@crowdtilt.com with the subject line “T-SHIRT”! We’d be honored to give you a FREE Crowdtilt T-shirt so you can serve in style :)
