ESPN
A few weeks ago, Carson King rolled up to College GameDay with a sign asking total strangers to hit up his Venmo in the hopes of getting his hands on some of the sweet, sweet nectar that is Busch Light.
It’s safe to say his plan worked, as he quickly saw his beer money balance balloon by hundreds of dollars, and while he could have simply deposited the donations, he decided he’d do the University of Iowa’s children’s hospital a major solid and make a donation of his own.
It didn’t take long for both Venmo and Busch Light to catch wind of his act of selflessness and both companies announced they’d be matching the total amount he managed to collect, and as of a little over a week ago, the total sum surpassed $1 million.
King did suffer a bit of a setback when an overzealous journalist dug up a couple of “offensive” tweets King sent out when he was in high school (although they were really just referencing Tosh.0) but the reporter in question got his comeuppance when he was exposed for tweeting out far more questionable things than King ever did.
Busch Light did cut ties with King (although they honored their commitment to match) but he ended up getting his very own beer in spite of the incredibly overblown controversy, which apparently didn’t deter many people from continuing to donate based on the final total.
On Tuesday, King closed his Venmo for good, and when everything was said and done, he’d managed to raise a staggering $2.95 million for his incredibly admirable cause much to the delight of the hospital in question, which released the following statement:
“The funds will help us provide the best care possible for our patients.
We are grateful to be part of such a spontaneous, remarkable occurrence that brought together so many people. One simple act of kindness sparked a nationwide cause behind which we could all unite: helping children heal.”
To borrow a phrase from the youths of today: Yaaaaas King.