Photo: Shawn Triplett | GoFundMe
After the tornadoes struck Kentucky, US, last week, Shawn Triplett witnessed a devastating interaction between a 6-year-old and his mother. "I saw a child, no older than 6 years old, crying in his mother's arms. She was crying too, but you could tell she was doing her best to look strong," he recalls. "The boy told his mom, 'I've lost my Christmas.'" At that point, Triplett, an elementary school volunteer and retired U.S. Marine, also broke down. "It gut-punched me and hurt. I tried to sleep that night, but I couldn't." Moved to help, the 38-year-old quickly posted a GoFundMe page for donations to buy toys for the kids. The effort went viral. In four days, over 70 thousand dollars have been raised. A local Walmart even offered a 25% discount on all his purchases, and the initial goal of providing toys for 30 kids has mushroomed into hundreds of kids receiving gifts. "It's been unreal," Triplett describes. "It started as just family and friends helping, to now donations coming in from all over the globe."
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