A ruthlessly bullied Australian boy donates to charity the proceeds he received to go on a trip of a lifetime.
Quaden Bayles made headlines recently when a heart-wrenching video of him crying and asking his mother for a rope to kill himself after being bullied at school went viral.
The video, which has now racked up millions of views, has drawn support from both the masses and celebrities alike, including actor Hugh Jackman, and Martial arts champion and ONE Championship founder Chatri Sityodtong who offered to fly Quaden to Singapore for an all-expenses-paid trip to attend a mixed martial arts class.
Bullied Australian boy turns down Disneyland trip, other donations
US comedian Brad Williams initiated a GoFundMe page that raised almost US$475,000 (S$663,000), donated by over 20,000 people in just one week. The funds were raised mainly to send the boy to Disneyland and to also provide assistance to Quaden and others across the USA and Australia who are impacted by bullying and discrimination through the work of several charities.
The family has since had a change in heart and declined to accept the trip to Disneyland, with Quaden's aunt commenting that they wanted instead to "get back to the real issue."
"We want the money to go to community organisations that really need it. They know what the money should be spent on. So as much as we want to go to Disneyland, I think our community would far off benefit from that," she said
The Comedian, in a post on GoFundMe, today thanked "each and every one of you across the world who have donated, shared and supported this verified GoFundMe to put a stop to bullying and to help a young man in need."
He further added that in collaboration with Quaden's family and their wishes, the donations will be sent out to charities focussed on helping people overcome issues faced because of bullying and discrimination. The proceeds of approximately $66,000 USD(S$93,000) each would be presented to 6 selected charities. They include charities directly targeting the welfare of the Australian First Nations people (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), indigenous youth, and those who have been afflicted with Dwarfism, bullying and cyber-bullying, and a charity led by Lady Gaga and her mother towards creating a "kinder and braver world".
Here is a list of the charities that have been identified:
- Born This Way Foundation - bornthisway.foundation/
- STOMP Out Bullying - www.stompoutbullying.org/
- Dolly’s Dream - dollysdream.org.au/
- Dwarfism Awareness Australia dwarfismawarenessaustralia.com
- Gallang Place www.gallangplace.org.au/
- Balunu Foundation www.balunufoundation.com/
Williams quoted that any remaining funds after the presentation to the different charities would go towards Quaden for "direct medical help, education, accommodation costs, food to feed the family, and donating to any additional charities of his choosing."
Further bullying from adults after the video went viral
Although the response was largely positive from the masses, Quaden has managed to experience cyberbullying from adults online as well. Rumours regarding Quaden's age accusing him of being an 18-year-old man are circulating online, together with photo-shopped images of him holding guns and drinking alcohol.
However, Quaden is still receiving support from others all across the world. The GoFundMe page is still receiving unprecedented support, and donations seem to be coming in even after the initial purpose for the funds was changed.