https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLgwB4FYuWg
The homeless veteran whose generosity inspired people to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to get him on his feet plans to pay it forward once again.
Johnny Bobbitt, a former paramedic and Marine Corps ammunition technician, had been living on the streets of Philadelphia for over a year when he selflessly gave a stranded motorist named Kelly McClure his last $20 for gas.
In the weeks following, McClure and boyfriend Mark D’Amico continued to bring Bobbitt basic necessities and extra cash before creating a GoFundMe page to get him off the street.
The initial goal was $10,000. Before they hit the $1000 mark, Bobbitt was already ecstatic.
“$769?!” he exclaimed in disbelief. “Holy shit!”
At the time of publication, thousands of people have donated over $380,000 in 16 days.
“It’s like winning the lottery,” he said in an interview with Good Morning America. “Of course it changed my life. I wanna give a lot of it away.”
"Everybody out there is facing some kind of struggle, so if I can touch their life, the way mine was touched, [it'd be] an amazing feeling." Veteran Johnny Bobbitt reunites with the woman he helped, Kate McClure, who has since raised over $360,000 for him. https://t.co/aFvSt42jpy pic.twitter.com/O9X71ZqJUz
— ABC News (@ABC) November 26, 2017
“This money was given to help me. Why not help other people in similar situations or people that are actively helping other people in different situations?”
The money he does keep won’t be squandered. He’s already sought the counsel of a lawyer and financial adviser—but not before getting a brand spankin’ new haircut.
https://twitter.com/getjohnnyahome/status/934099008494161923
“I’ll definitely get a place to live, but there won’t be no brand new car,” he told Good Morning America. The Raleigh, North Carolina native did say his new vehicle will “absolutely [be] a truck.”
You’re an inspiration to us all, Johnny.