What could have been one of the worst days of Alan Barnes’ life has turned into something much, much more. Though the idea of someone violently taking advantage of a man in Barnes’ condition is downright despicable, **what happened next will move you to tears.**Barnes, a 67-year-old disabled man, was mugged outside of his home in Tyneside, UK. His story made national news, and inspired a 21-year-old beautician named Katie Cutler to take action.
Horrified by what happened to Barnes, Cutler set up the Help Alan Barnes online donation page using the crowdfunding site GofFundMe. She initially hoped to raise about $1000 for the injured man to go towards medical expenses and home improvements. The site has raised over $460,000 so far.
Members of the community donated their services to Barnes as well, offering to update his home to make it more accessible and convenient. Neither Barnes nor Butler expected the community to respond as generously as they have, but the campaign has moved both of them in ways that they couldn’t have imagined.
