Student raises over £21,000 for homeless man who offered her change so she could get home safely at night
Robbie is known in Preston for his selfless gestures
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Your support makes all the difference.A student has raised over £21,000 for a homeless man, after he offered her his last few pounds to ensure she could get home safely at night.
When Dominique Harrison-Bentzen lost her bank card on a night out in Preston, the man, known only as Robbie, insisted that she take his last £3 so that she could get a taxi home.
The 22-year-old University of Central Lancashire art student declined Robbie’s offer, but was so touched by his selfless gesture that she launched a fundraising campaign to help him secure a home.
She added that Robbie was kind despite being "[faced by] ignorance every day” and said she is on a mission to find him, the Guardian reported.
Harrison-Bentzen added that as she spoke to locals about his kindness towards her, she learned that he had previously returned wallets untouched to pedestrians and had offered his scarf to people who were cold.
“He has been homeless for 7 months through no fault of his own and needs to get back on his feet but cannot get work due to having no address. So that’s when I decided to change Robbie’s life and help him, as he has helped many others," she said.
She has since set up a donation page and social media accounts to promote the cause, and has asked visitors to mirror Robbie’s kindness and donate £3.
After she and fellow campaigners spent 24 hours on the streets of Preston on Tuesday night to raise awareness, she was given over £200 by passersby and hit the £21,000 mark on her GoGetFunding page.
Today on Facebook, she posted her thanks to those who joined her
As news of her mission has spread, her fundraising page has become overwhelmed by visitors and crashed on Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier today, Harrison-Bentzen wrote on her personal Facebook page of the overwhelming level of support she has received.
“When I set out to help Robbie, I knew it was going to be a challenge. Little did I know that I would not only change Robbie's life... not only lives in Preston... but make a global statement spreading positive awareness!” she said.
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