Every year for her birthday, YouTube ICON Colleen Ballinger (the genius behind Miranda Sings) and her partner in crime/best friend, Kory DeSoto, put together a livestream with the goal of raising money to help fight childhood cancer. Over the past three years, Ballinger has raised over $200,000, and this time around she did not come to play. By the end of today's three hour stream, Colleen was able to reach over $133,000 for organzations devoted to cancer research and supporting families of children affected. What is most incredible is that the majority of donations come from her fanbase which is made up mostly of teens and young adults. If you thought you couldn't love her anymore than you already do, she will also be adding $20,000 of her own money to the total. This year, Colleen will be giving the money to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Family Reach, and organizations dedicated to researching NUT midline carcinoma.
During the livestream, Colleen, Kory, and some of their family members also chose a few lucky people who had donated or promoted the fundraiser to win some legit prizes (shout out to the used banana chip from last year's fundraiser). They gave away everything from Harry Styles tickets to clothes from her own closet to thank contributors for their support.
I have been a fan of Colleen for years, and the fact that she and Kory put so much time and passion into these fundraisers makes me so proud to support her. In a world full of so much negativity, these are the kind of people we need more of. I encourage everyone to educate yourselves on these amazing organizations she is helping and think about what you can do to make your own difference in the world.
Colleen will be continuing the fundraiser through her Fundly page for the next few weeks.