fund set up for honest homeless man raises $98k

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HONEST_HOMELESS_MAN_FUND?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-09-19-09-29-18

BOSTON (AP) -- A fund for a homeless man who turned in a backpack with more than $40,000 inside has collected nearly $98,000 - an overwhelming response that is a "statement to everyone in America," according to the man who started the donation drive.

Glen James flagged down a police officer Saturday after he found the backpack containing $2,400 in cash and almost $40,000 in traveler's checks at the South Bay Mall in Boston. The man who lost it told workers at a nearby store and they called police, who later returned the backpack to him.

Boston police honored James with a special citation Monday. After reading media accounts of James' honesty, a stranger, Ethan Whittington, started a fund for James on the crowdfunding site gofundme.com. By Thursday morning, $97,889 in donations had been made.

Whittington, a 27-year-old from Midlothian, Va., who is an accounts manager for a marketing firm, said he decided to try to raise money for James after reading about his honesty. Now Whittington says he's overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers.

[Happyhippychick]

1. This entire story helps to maintain my faith in humanity