Fundraiser For 2 Girls That Were Seen Using Free Taco Bell WiFi To Do Their Homework Have Gotten Over $145,000
An online fundraiser for 2 young girls that were seen using the free WiFi of Taco Bell so they could do their homework has raised over $145,000.
A photograph of the girls went viral recently after it was shared on Instagram by Ms_mamie89.
In the image, the 2 girls could be seen sitting outside a Taco Bell in Salinas, California, while doing their homework as they connected to the internet of the fast-food restaurant.
The person that shared the image wrote in the post:
A lot of us don’t have to worry about having a proper WiFi connection or a quiet place to work from home. Every student from preschool through college should have free access to reliable WiFi especially now. What can we do as a community to pull together for students who need something as simple as WiFi in order to succeed?
People in the Salinas area got to know about the incident and people have done their part in helping the girls.
It was said that the district provided a hotspot for the family and is asking other people facing the same problems to approach their school officials.
Authorities said that the 2 girls, who were not named, have been identified as 2 students of the Salinas City Elementary School District.
One of the girls attends the Sherwood Elementary School, while the other is a student at Los Padres Elementary School, confirmed local news agencies.
Richard Gebin, the public relations officer for the Salinas City Elementary School District (SCESD), said:
Our district became aware of a post that is circulating on social media early this morning. We immediately identified the students belonging to SCESD, and since then, have provided the family with a hotspot so that our students can safely access classroom instruction from home. We are aware of connectivity concerns and we have placed additional orders for hotspots to address the digital divide.
On August 30, 2020, Jackie Lopez, a resident of the Salinas area, set up a GoFundMe campaign to help support the girls and the family.
As of writing this article, $146,260 have been raised for the girl and her family.
In the post, Lopez said:
Today we spoke to Juana’s new accountant – a wonderful and reputable licensed professional that will help her manage her funds. Tomorrow after all of the contracts are signed and the money is available to be set up for withdrawal, I will provide you all with her accountant’s EIN for you to personally verify, and her contact information where you could request statements for transparency on how her funds are being used. Because of this huge new step and the hundreds of messages I’ve received to allow for more donations, I have decided to enable donations again. The girls deserve it all and my heart is just filled with so much joy for this family. I can’t thank you all enough for making so many of their dreams a reality.
On August 31, 2020, Lopez revealed that an accountant was hired to assist the girls and her family with the management of the donations.
Great things happen to great people, thank you!