Deli manager who went viral for giving cash for good report cards expands efforts
A Staten Island deli manager has expanded his viral initiative to reward students with cash and snacks for academic improvement. Supported by a growing GoFundMe campaign, he is now also organizing large-scale school supply giveaways for thousands of students.
Why it matters
This highlights the role of social media influencers in filling gaps in community support and education incentives.
A deli manager on New York City's Staten Island who encourages students to up their grades in exchange for cash and snacks is expanding his efforts.
For three years, Wail Alselwi has been rewarding students with cash prizes and snacks for high marks and progress on their report cards, and now, Alselwi has funding behind his mission.
A GoFundMe that makes Alselwi's giving possible has risen from $70,000 last summer to over $500,000 this year.
This year, in an effort to help before the school year even got started, Alselwi asked his more than 1 million TikTok followers for assistance to give away school supplies to over 3,000 students.
"First day, I got, like, seven boxes, and then up to 15 to 25 a day. One day, I had 65 boxes in one day," he told ABC News' Danny New in an interview airing Monday.
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