When best-selling author Colleen Hoover met Anthony for the first time, she never realized what a big difference she would make in his life. When she realized he was homeless, Hoover decided to set up a GoFundMe page to get him back on track. To her surprise, it raised $70,000 in just a day.
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Those who know Anthony say that he is gracious and kind. He lives in Sulphur Springs, which is about 90 miles northeast of Dallas. Anthony is constantly looking for ways to help out the members of the community. For example, he occasionally volunteers at stores around town and helps as much as he can.
Naturally, his kind demeanor and helpful nature brought lots of interest his way from the people he encountered. Hoover says that Anthony was a frequent visitor of Hoover's non-profit bookstore, which is where she first met him.
"We have free Wi-Fi, so he'd bring his computer and sit there for hours," Hoover states on her GoFundMe page. Anthony had found the computer in a dumpster and fixed it up. At first, he told Hoover and her husband that he lived with his grandmother. However, they noticed that he always wore the same close and would avoid talking about himself.
It took awhile for Hoover and other members of the community to get Anthony's true story out of him. When they did, it was more heartbreaking then they ever expected. After his mother abandoned him at the age of 15, Anthony found himself living on the streets. He tried to finish high school but was simply not able to pull it off.
However, Colleen is hoping that will all change now, with the help of Anthony's community. Over the past few months, Anthony has been able to get an ID, is renting a small apartment and is taking GED classes. Due to his schooling, he isn't able to work a full-time job and is currently living on food stamps.
Colleen says she set up the GoFundMe account in the hopes that something good would finally happen to Anthony. Now, 2500 people have made that happen. Keeping with his nature, Anthony has now asked for donations to his campaign to stop. He feels that he has already received enough money. Instead, he's requested that funds go toward places that have helped him over the year, like The Dinner Bell in Sulphur Springs.
