Charity knows no age; young and old, we all have something to give.
Max Woosey is one of the young movers out there by camping out in honor of a friend.
The 11-year-old boy from Devon, England, went viral after he decided to camp out of his home in honor of his neighbor, Rick Abbott. Rick loved the outdoors, and Max wanted to keep his promise to go on a great adventure. But this is not the only reason for the campout.
By camping out, Max is also trying to raise funds for the North Devon Hospice.
It was the North Devon Hospice that took care of his neighbor before he passed away. Max is also trying to raise awareness that institutions like the hospice need help and support, especially that it was cut short during the pandemic.
He started camping out last March 20, 2020, during the beginning of lockdown.
During that time, fundraising events for different charitable institutions were canceled. This means that funding for all these causes was put to a halt. Max knew that he must and could do something about it.
His initial plan was to camp out of their backyard for a year.
He propped a tent and got whatever he needed – from sleeping bags to comic books, from flashlights to stuffed animals. Max was very determined to camp out even with the challenges that came with it.
There were nights when he could’ve slept inside and got more comfortable.
It got so cold during the winter, and strong winds blew his tent down. But instead of running inside for refuge, he repatched his tent and carried on.
Max’s heroism inspired many kids all over the world.
Kids from the rest of England, the United States, and as far as Singapore camped out in support of Max’s efforts. Some parents found this activity to fight the cabin fever of staying indoors, all while helping a great cause.
After a year, Max continued camping out and did something special during his 500th day.
Instead of propping out a tent in their yard, Max and his family went all out and camped out in the woods. They built their shelter, and the young man admitted he enjoyed it too much that he got distracted sometimes. That’s alright, Max! You’re a kid, still, anyway.
To date, Max’s JustGiving page has reached more than $700k!
His initial goal was just 100,000 Pound sterling or around $136,000. Max got an overwhelming amount of support from people who believed in his cause. He already raised £557,938 to date, and it keeps on growing. This is more than what the hospice lost from the pandemic, and he believed he could continue to camp out if only to help more.
These numbers brought his mom, Rachael Woosey, to tears.
“Last night, I lay in bed in tears because it hit me. It’s just so overwhelming,” she told BBC UK.
Empathy and compassion – these are two things we should have to make the world a better play. Gladly, max has an excess of them.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
