In 2010, a new website was launched called GoFundMe. GoFundMe allowed people to start campaigns to help them raise money for various things. Strangers could donate to help people with things like celebrations, medical bills, schooling, and more. In the nearly 15 years since its launch, GoFundMe has helped thousands of people, raising more than $9 billion.
GoFundMe can help those who truly find themselves in a tough financial situation. But one Disney actress is standing up against a ton of backlash for creating one to help her son.
Alyssa Milano, well-known to fans for her role as Phoebe Halliwell in the TV series Charmed, has a 12-year-old son who absolutely loves baseball. He plays on a team that is hoping to take a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, where they will also compete in a tournament. The trip will cost approximately $10,000 — covering uniforms, travel costs, and dues for the rest of the families with boys on the team.
Many found Milano’s GoFundMe completely tasteless. GoFundMe is considered a place where people who are truly struggling financially can go for help. Milano’s net worth is estimated to be between $5 million and $10 million. She is also married to a successful Hollywood talent agent — Dave Bugliari — who is also worth millions of dollars.
My son’s baseball team is raising money for their Cooperstown trip. Any amount would be so greatly appreciated. You can read more about the team and make a donation here:
My son’s baseball team is raising money for their Cooperstown trip. Any amount would be so greatly appreciated. You can read more about the team and make a donation here:https://t.co/PMV9aEFnou
People were shocked that Milano would ask strangers to donate money, when she could easily cover the cost of the trip herself.
“Imagine being so out of touch that you ask your followers to contribute money to your child’s trip when you have a net worth of 10 million dollars,” one user wrote. “This is gross. Pay for it your own damn self. #AlyssaMilano #gofundme.”
Despite the backlash, Milano defended the GoFundMe, saying that she had already paid for a number of things for the team.
I’m getting media inquiries about whether I have financially contributed to my son’s baseball team.
I’ve paid for uniforms for the entire team and coaches, thrown bday parties and sponsor any kid who can’t afford monthly dues.
The kids also do fundraising themselves—car washes, movie nights, and many other fun things!
Thank you to all who have contributed to the gofundme! You’ve made things easier for these boys and their families.
I’m getting media inquiries about whether I have financially contributed to my son’s baseball team.
I’ve paid for uniforms for the entire team and coaches, thrown bday parties and sponsor any kid who can’t afford monthly dues.
The kids also do fundraising themselves—car washes,…
Milano did receive some support, but received further backlash when she made the comment that she would pay for the entire team if she could.
It’s unreal, right away, just because you’re an actress, people think you have to fund the entire thing. There’s not a damn thing wrong with your doing this. It’s a great example for the kids to see you as Alyssa the Mom, not Alyssa the actress. This world is overrun with/Karens!
It’s unreal, right away, just because you’re an actress, people think you have to fund the entire thing. There’s not a damn thing wrong with your doing this. It’s a great example for the kids to see you as Alyssa the Mom, not Alyssa the actress. This world is overrun with/Karens!
Commenters pointed out that she has been on several incredibly successful television shows — Charmed, and Who’s The Boss? — which ran in syndication for years and netted the actress millions.
You absolutely could… I’m not saying you should or need to but to come on here and say you can’t afford this is ridiculous… while not knowing your financials my guess is you make more then enough money in a week to pay for this entire trip… Spare us the you would if you could.
You absolutely could… I’m not saying you should or need to but to come on here and say you can’t afford this is ridiculous… while not knowing your financials my guess is you make more then enough money in a week to pay for this entire trip… Spare us the you would if you could.
Milano has worked with Disney for decades, making a number of notable appearances. She voiced Angel in the 2001 film, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure. She also portrayed Scarlett Rosetti in the Disney animated series Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil. Milano has also made appearances in the hit ABC shows, Castle and Grey’s Anatomy.
At the time of publication, Milano’s GoFundMe has surpassed its $10,000 by just over $1,000.
Though he wasn’t a huge Disney World fan according to his wife, Clemmons, North Carolina resident Brian Long loved his family, and he knew his daughters loved going to the parks, so he was happy to take them to visit.
Brian and his wife Heather had planned a trip to the parks just after the beginning of the 50th anniversary celebration at Walt Disney World with their three daughters, Natalie, Nicole, and Charlee. The three girls had been to the parks with their parents before and had magical memories of cheerleading competitions at the Most Magical Place on Earth, but their trip that began in mid-October threatens to overshadow those happy memories.
The family was excited to be bringing along Brooke Naghdi, whom Brian and Heather considered their adopted daughter, for the first time. The family set out from their home in North Carolina in the late evening hours of October 14 in an attempt to avoid the traffic they anticipated along Interstate 95 as they traveled to Florida.
Around 4:00 a.m., as Brian was driving along a stretch of the Interstate in Georgia, and Brooke was taking her turn in the passenger seat of the vehicle, Brian’s wife Heather says she awoke to the sounds of Brooke yelling for help. Brian was experiencing a grand mal seizure, and the vehicle was hurtling down the road at between 90 and 120 miles per hour because his foot was engaged with the gas pedal and wouldn’t release.
“[Brooke] was trying to get to the brakes,” Heather said. “I threw off my seatbelt and was reaching over Brian to get the steering wheel. I was trying to keep us on the road and not hit anyone else. He jerked one good time and put his foot on the gas pedal and smashed it to the floor while having the seizure. That’s when I knew we were not going to be able to avoid an accident. I thought we were all going to die.”
The SUV in which they were riding went airborne before flipping three times. Heather was ejected from the vehicle as she had removed her seat belt to reach over Brian and get control of the steering wheel.
Sadly, 41-year-old Brian was pronounced deceased at the scene because of the seizure. Heather and Brooke were critically injured because they were tossed about inside the vehicle as it flipped.
At the trauma center in Georgia where Heather was taken, she had to undergo surgery for her broken arm and for broken bones in her face. She also suffered lung damage and broken ribs. It made every breath painful. In the future, she will need additional procedures because of her injuries. Brooke suffered a broken back and will be in a brace for the next three months. She will also have to have future procedures to correct issues caused by her injuries.
Friends have set up a GoFund Me page in honor of the familyto help with expenses and to help replace part of the income that has been lost from Brian’s job and since Heather is unable to work right now at the family’s cell phone repair store. Heather was just recently released from Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia, and was happy to return home to her kids, but heartbroken over the loss of her husband, whom she’d known since both of them were toddlers.
Services for Brian will be held this weekend. We wish Brian’s family peace in the coming days and months, and we hope their recoveries are speedy and successful as well.
