YouTube star MrBeast donates tech to ECU students
One of the most-subscribed YouTube creators in the country stopped by East Carolina University to donate more than $27,000 in laptops, iPads and headsets. MrBeast, the famously generous YouTuber whose main channel has 62.5 million subscribers, brought the donation to ECU’s STEPP program office in Joyner Library. The program provides support and resources for students with learning differences.
MrBeast, aka Greenville native Jimmy Donaldson, often posts viral videos of philanthropy stunts like adopting every animal in a shelter, giving 10,000 gifts to kids for Christmas and letting people keep the car after an Uber ride. Last Thanksgiving, he provided hundreds of holiday meals for families in Pitt County.
He recently created a charity and an accompanying YouTube channel called Beast Philanthropy. While the charity’s primary mission is to combat food insecurity, it was approached by an anonymous donor wishing to partner on a technology gift. In addition to the STEPP program, Beast Philanthropy donated equipment to numerous public schools as well as Boys & Girls Clubs. The charity valued the total donations at $300,000.
Beast Philanthropy said in a statement, “This donation to the STEPP program will allow all students to have the tools that they need to be successful in any classroom. An anonymous donor who is passionate about technology wished to partner with Beast Philanthropy to help students gain access to the technology they need to thrive in a digital world.”
In a video about the donations, which has more than 7 million views, Donaldson travels to each location and unloads pallets of computers and other tech, and humorously struggles to transport them through too-small doorways. He says in the video that all the ad revenue, brand deals and merchandise sales generated from Beast Philanthropy videos will fund the charity’s food pantry.
Dr. Sarah Williams, executive director of the STEPP program, said, “This generous gift provides cutting-edge technology that our students will use to support learning and success in the college classroom. We are so thankful to Beast Philanthropy for this incredible support!”
Visit this video on YouTube for closed-captioning.
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ECU highlights student support during Learning Disabilities Awareness Month