An undergraduate learner who helped a homeless fellow in D.C. by raising over half a million dollars claims that the funds have now been returned, marking a dramatic turnaround in a story that received a lot of buzz on the internet.
Sanai Graden revealed she was out of communication with Alonzo the man she came across in the latter part of January while strolling through the city of Washington, D.C., in a couple of clips from TikTok that were uploaded this past week.
Upon sharing a clip showing herself settling his lodging and buying his drug, the twenty-one-year-old undergraduate student and Doughlas quickly gained widespread attention. Graden used GoFundMe to generate almost four hundred thousand dollars for Alonzo, and their story was featured by a number of local media platforms.
Despite the public knowledge of his terrible crime history, involving an attack on another homeless lady, the university learner was dedicated to assisting Doughlas.
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However, Graden said it has been challenging for her to remain in contact with Alonzo ever since The Washington DC Post published an article about their tale in March. Graden gave him gift cards for food, but he became vague, she added. He also misplaced the telephone she had bought him.
Graden stated, “I truly did attempt to assist the man,” in a video that has received over one million visits. “I made an effort to change his entire lifestyle. However, there are situations when someone you desire something for may not have the same vision for themselves.
Sanai said she decided to reimburse her contributors for the funds. GoFundMe verified in a statement that the initial campaign for Graden had received a refund in response to the organizer’s demand.
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GoFundMe has “remained entirely dedicated to assisting in transferring the cash collected to Doughlas, precisely as the contributors wanted,” the business claimed since the fundraiser started. However, it has only been feasible to deliver this cash to Doughlas with the initiator’s or the recipient’s assistance.
When The Post asked questions, neither Sanai nor her lawyer answered. One of the inquiries was about what She intended to do with the more than twenty-five thousand dollars that was received in a different GoFundMe for the learner’s costs. Doughlas was likewise unreachable for this piece.
She claimed that meeting Doughlas at Logan Circle completely changed her life as a California college learner intern in Washington, D.C. In a recent post, Sanai added, “I was a nobody.” “That stroll to the grocery shop and being interrupted for tea altered my life completely.”
However, Sanai noted that “the scenario turned from being nice to terrible pretty rapidly” when GoFundMe started receiving donations from all around the globe.
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It became more difficult to get in touch with him, and the homeless guy did not follow through on her advice to obtain identification. “There was an excuse every time I inquired concerning the ID,” she stated.
Sanai claimed that, subsequently, Doughlas stopped communicating with her. She added that, after experiencing despair, she lost interest in her training. “I just wanted to find him a place to live and some medical attention,” she noted.
“I’m limited in what I can accomplish. He cannot be made to do anything by me. He’s an adult. Sanai stated in her TikTok updates that she is currently concentrating on her forthcoming graduation from school.
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