From The Root -
Stanford-bound Teen, Who Planned on Using College Savings to Bury His Mom, Gets Outpouring of Support
Dellarontay Readus planned on supporting his mother once he finished college. He worked super hard to earn a full ride to Stanford but sadly his mother passed away before he could accomplish his dream.
Dellarontay Readus and his mother Lynn K. Readus. GOFUNDME SCREENOT
Dellarontay Readus spent his high school years working to making his mother proud. He earned over a 4.0 GPA at Melrose High School in Memphis, Tenn. And was the valedictorian of his graduating class. InApril, The Root reported on Readus' acceptance to all 8 Ivy league schools.
Just one month before Readus was to attend Stanford University of a full scholarship, the 18-year-old lost his mother, who battled with heart and stomach issues for years, according to WREG.
"It's just that it hurts so much, I can’t do anything else but cry," Readus told the news station. "It feels terrible, man, because my momma was honestly my reason for everything I’ve ever done."
Two days ago, Readus' older brother Eugene Hampton created a GoFundMe page just to get enough money to bury their mother. The family only asked for $2,000.
"The total cost is around 5k," he wrote on the site page. "However we can raise the rest on our own if we can get help with this amount."
Readus' told the news site that he is willing to use some money he saved up for college to help offset the cost.
"Basically it all comes down to the fact that we’re poor, and we don’t have anything," Readus told the news site. "We didn’t have anything our whole lives, and we still don’t have anything right now."
In two days, since the crowd-funding page went live, the family has raised over $25,000. They've vowed to use the extra money towards a headstone and want to include the phrase "loved and supported by many" as a nod to all those who contributed.
"I was planning on taking care of my momma. I was planning on getting an education, taking care of her, making sure she’s straight," Readus told the news site.
Readus added through his tears: "I hope she's looking down on me, and she's able to see everything I’m doing. I hope she’s able to see all the good work I'm going to put in this world."
http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2015/08/stanford_bound_teen_who_planned_on_using_college_savings_to_bury_his_mom.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26
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