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Here Are The Top GoFundMe Campaigns In Illinois (Michaels Rant Misses Cut)

By Kelly Bauer | December 1, 2016 5:56am
 A woman caught on video ranting at Michaels employees also yelled at Peet's Coffee workers in Boystown over the summer.
A woman caught on video ranting at Michaels employees also yelled at Peet's Coffee workers in Boystown over the summer.
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CHICAGO — A GoFundMe campaign to help a Lakeview Michaels employee has brought in tens of thousands of dollars.

The Stand Strong Against Racism campaign, which has been shared more than 11,000 times, was started to help a Michaels employee who was called an "animal" in a viral video. The organizer, Jessie Grady, had originally hoped to raise just $400.

The outpouring of support for the berated employee has brought in $30,000 so far, but it’s far from the most successful GoFundMe in Chicago history.

That honor belongs to the fundraiser for Fidencio Sanchez, an 89-year-old Near West Side man who sold paletas from a pushcart, which broke the state record in September by raising more than $380,000.

Here are the top 10 GoFundMe campaigns in Illinois:

1. Relief for "Paleta Man" Fidencio Sanchez: $384,260 (the goal was $3,000)

2. McDonald Twins and Family: $296,128 (the goal was $100,000)

3. Peggy and Kaki's Education Fund: $163,093 (the goal was $250,000)

4. Chicago Nuns Need Heat: $157,044 (the goal was $150,000)

5. Lesley DeMaio Duffy's Family Fund: $126,380 (the goal was $130,000)

6. Fairdale Relief Fund: $122,800 (the goal was $150,000)

7. Fund Medical Needs of People on Maidan: $189,222 (the goal was $500,000)

8. #EthanStrong for Ethan Sappington: $116,800 (the goal was $100,000)

9. Sharon Gray Memorial Scholarship: $110,632 (the goal was $200,000)

10. Czaczkowski Family Fund: $103,798 (the goal was $125,000)

The campaign for the Michaels employee has raised a little more than $30,000, with that money coming from 2,103 donors, according to GoFundMe. The highest donation so far has been $500.

People from all 50 states have donated to the campaign, as have people in 14 countries, GoFundMe said.

Joel Cervantes (from left), Eladia Sanchez, Fidencio "The Paleta Man" Sanchez and Jose Loera are shown with a check for nearly $385,000 from GoFundMe.

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