There’s nothing sweeter than a homemade gift from a child. But instead of a macaroni necklace or colorful doodles, 11-year-old Lily Born created an unbreakable, spill-proof cup for her grandfather who has Parkinson’s disease.
In the video below, the Chicago-based preteen explains the touching inspiration behind her invention: the Kangaroo Cup.
“This whole thing all started when I realized that my grandpa was shaking a lot because he had Parkinson’s, and that meant a lot of spilling at every meal,” she says. “That meant a lot of bending and cleaning up for grandma. And that wasn’t good.”
With the help of her inventor father, Joe, Lily created a ceramic, three-legged tumbler that’s more stable to hold onto for people suffering from hand tremors. Lily adorably named her design after kangaroos since the animals use their tails like a third leg to help them stay balanced while jumping and standing.
MORE: This Spoon Restores Dignity to Those with Parkinson’s
The first version of her cup was successfully crowdfunded, but as Fast Company reports, it broke too easily since it was made from ceramic.
Now, Team Roo (as they like to call themselves) has put out a new, improved design that’s made of BPA-free plastic. Not only is it sturdier, but it’s also stackable, has an elevated base so there’s no need for coasters, stands on uneven surfaces like grass, and comes in a variety of colors. This version was also successfully crowdfunded and is now available to purchase on Kickstarter.
Impressively, the cup’s not just for people who have Parkinson’s. Now that it’s made of plastic, it can be used for anyone who is prone to spills, such as young children. And as this story proves, we should never look down on someone’s abilities (or lack of) just because of their age.
As Lily says, “Just because you’re a kid doesn’t mean you can’t do big and great things.”
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ALSO: This Young Genius Used LEGOs to Create an Incredible Tool for the Blind
Tag: crowdfunding
Want A Stake in Your Neighborhood’s Next Development?
Real estate is considered a venture for the wealthy, often leaving out the voices of those living next door to new developments. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
With the help of crowdfunding, two brothers have set out to change that dynamic.
In 2010, Ben and Daniel Miller created Fundrise, a crowdfunding platform that allows residents to invest in a project with as little as $100, giving communities a stake in shaping what projects pop up next in their neighborhood. The company officially launched in August of 2012, following the legalization of crowdfunding in the JOBS Acts, according to the New York Times.
Large-scale, institutional investors are often removed from projects in which they pool their cash into, which can lead to a commercial project being a bad fit for a community. So who better to know what an area needs than its locals? If more residents are invested in their community, that could spur more economic growth as well as help determine the best fit for commercial projects.
The Fundrise concept is simple: Developers list projects on the site and investors can invest as much or as little as they want, generating income from rent, if the development is leased or any proceeds or appreciation if a property is sold. The company estimates its investors see a return of 12 to 14 percent after fees.
MORE: It Takes a Village: Crowdfunding Neighborhood Improvement
More than 300 developers have listed on the site over the past several months, financing an estimated $15 million worth of projects in New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Los Angeles, according to Fortune. The new flush of funding will help the site expand to the Seattle and San Francisco markets as well as help the platform scale it’s quickly rapid pace of raising around $1 million per week, according to Ben Miller.
While the company was founded to break down the monopoly big investors have on the market, the Millers are not ruling on enlisting the wealthy for help.
“We found that if you have 1,000 or 2,000 investors, that [will add up to] a few million, but if the project is $10 million, you need $8 million more,” Miller told the Times. “You need to get the scale.”
The company contends that institutional investors will embrace the idea of social capital, working with community members who could help with the exhaustive processes and permits required for urban buildings.
Regardless of how large an investment is, the stakes are high in real estate. But if more neighborhoods begin to work together to determine the future of their community, the investment is priceless.
Take a Look! Levar Burton Tearfully Thanks Supporters After Donations Revive Reading Rainbow
You might have heard that Levar Burton, the delightfully charming host of Reading Rainbow (or Geordi La Forge for you Trekkies out there), reached his fundraising goal to revive the classic PBS show, after a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign.
Burton, in the video below, watches as the online donations rapidly tick past the $1 million goal. With tears in his eyes, he says, “I am so proud that this community has come together to support this effort, and it’s a people’s thing. It’s the $5, it’s the $10, it’s the $25, it’s the $1 pledges and it’s unbelievable. Or actually, it’s very believable.”
MORE: This Is the Most Adorable Way Ever to Get Kids to Read
“We are literally changing the world, one children’s book at a time,” he concluded.
Incredibly, the Kickstarter is now well past $3 million and there’s still an entire month of fundraising left to go.
After the beloved show was pulled off the air in 2009, the Roots actor bought the rights to the franchise, re-launching it as a tablet app in 2012. But, of course, not everyone has an iPad, leaving Reading Rainbow unavailable to many.
With the donations, he is trying to bring Reading Rainbow and its extensive library of books and interactive games to the Internet so needy classrooms around the country can have access to it online for free.
As Burton says in his Kickstarter, one out of every four children in America will grow up illiterate and we cannot afford to lose generations of children to illiteracy.
Burton told People that he wants his product to reach as many schools as possible. “The more money we raise, the more of an effect we can have on the way we are educating our children in this nation, in the classroom – where it really makes a difference.”
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This Man’s Seriously Bright Idea is Giving People the Ability to Create Power Anywhere
What would you do if your phone’s juice was running low? Most of us would probably try to find the nearest wall socket. But what if you were nowhere near an electric outlet? Or what if the power was out?
Considering our modern world’s amazing technological capabilities, the way we power our gadgets and gizmos hasn’t changed much since, well, ever.
And that’s where Harold Tan, the founder and CEO of SunJack, (aka the world’s most powerful solar charger), comes in. His device can power up eight iPhones with only five hours of sunlight. Granted, solar chargers have been around for some time now (we’ll explain why the SunJack packs such a powerful punch later). But more than just giving us the convenience of quickly juicing up our smartphones during outdoor camping or music festivals, what makes this 34-year-old entrepreneur important is that he’s also bringing light to people in need — across the globe and here in the United States.
MORE: So Meta: Using the Power of the Sun to Create Solar Devices
The Los Angeles-based Tan told NationSwell that he’s currently in discussions with the Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Smokejumpers (airborne firefighters) to donate units for local emergencies or other natural disaster situations, like Hurricane Sandy. “At those times, cell-phones are not just a luxury, but a lifeline to communicate medical emergencies or even to provide lighting at night,” he said.
Additionally, Tan said that his start-up is working with homelessness organization PATH to help provide energy independence to those of the population without homes, so they can power cell phones and apply for job interviews or stay in touch with social workers.
Not only that, the London-born Tan teamed up with Greg Cooper (who heads philanthropic tech company Dome KRB) to help the rest of the world achieve energy independence. “So, what TOMS Shoes does for shoes, we do for energy. So with every purchase of a SunJack we’re donating solar chargers out to Papua New Guinea and other third world countries, so that these huts can have energy independence and be able to power their lighting needs,” Tan told Gather Green. “Without these lighting sources, rural areas are currently resorting to kerosene lamps and indoor fires which are causing serious health issues.”
ALSO: This Genius Device Can Detect Cancer Using Solar Power
SunJack recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign more than a week early, raising thousands more than the initial goal of $33,000. The company is now pumping out 300 units for an initial production run.
So how exactly does the SunJack work? The charger runs on monocrystalline solar cells — the same type of solar cells that go on rooftops. As Tan says, what’s different about his product is how its proprietary USB port and lithium-polymer battery optimizes the power of sunlight. (It’s like getting “more water out of your faucet faster.”) The charger is extremely powerful for its size (it can be folded up and toted around like an iPad), plus it’s virtually indestructible, as demonstrated by the car that runs over it in the video below.
As we’ve seen multiple times before, solar power is changing the face of conventional energy. In the long run, solar power might just be the cheapest form of energy. Not only is harnessing the clean, green power of the sun a smart financial move, but it also allows anyone anywhere the ability to create power just with the sun’s rays.
DON’T MISS: How to Crowdfund Solar Power
Along with our growing consciousness of protecting the environment is a simultaneous move towards energy independence; solar chargers allow us to slowly cut ties from Big Power and peel ourselves off the grid.
Funny how something as old as the sun is changing modern electricity.
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Watch Why This Homeless Man Breaks Down In Tears After Walking Into His Friend’s House
If you can think back to March, you might recall a certain video of a local homeless man named Eric “winning” the lottery. The incredible clip, created by popular YouTube star Magic of Rahat, touched of millions of viewers (15.7 million and counting), making grown men and women cry.
And now that Magic of Rahat has a new video, it looks like you might want to reach for that box of tissues once again.
As we mentioned previously, the original video created so much buzz and community support for Eric that thousands of online donations poured in. A whopping $44,000 was raised in three weeks — twice the initial goal of $22,000.
MORE: Watch The Magic Trick That’s Both Heartwarming and Baffling at the Same Time
When asked what he was going to do with the large sum, Rahat told his fans to “stay tuned for a follow-up to see what this money will do for Eric.”
Well, the follow-up is here — and we think it’s the most heartwarming one yet.
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In the video, Rahat breaks down where exactly the $44,000 in donations went: $11,000 for a year of rent; $3,700 for furniture and appliances; $2,900 for utilities, cable and insurance; $5,000 for supplies, clothes and food; and $21,400 in a joint bank account between Eric and himself (Rahat mentions that he won’t be taking a single penny).
Want even more great news? Eric mentions in the video that he has a job now, so it looks like he’ll be able to support himself, too.
Talk about a happy ending…
When a Former Campus Legend Became Homeless, This Amazing Community Stepped Up
For nearly 15 years, a Wendy’s cashier named Ishmael Mohammed Jr. served up smiles along with his cheeseburgers, brightening the days of students at the University of Texas at Austin as they toiled through their undergrad studies. But when circumstances left Mohammed down on his luck, it was the students who wanted to do something special for him.
As the Daily Texan reports, the man affectionately known as “The Wendy’s Guy” was a campus legend and inspired a documentary about his record-breaking fast food feat in 2005 when he made 246 sales for $1,035.43 in half an hour. In 2012, he left his job and to go back to his hometown of New York. No one had heard from him since, until he was spotted by UT alum Benjamin McPhaul. The much-loved former fast food worker was homeless and begging for money in front of a local cafe.
MORE: When One Man Lost His Home to a Fire, This Community Did Something Remarkable
Springing to action, McPhaul set up a GoFundMe fundraiser that soon went completely viral. In less than three days, 1,500 UT students and alumni pitched in more than $30,000 to get their friend off the streets. Some even offered to help get Mohammed a job. As McPhaul wrote on the website, he is currently working with case workers and lawyers to help get the donations to Mohammed and help him find an apartment.
“If this money comes through, I want to get off the street; I’m tired of being homeless,” a grateful Mohammed told the Daily Texan. “I want to give some of it to my daughters and son, and come here and thank [the community.]”
The Next Frontier in Crowdfunding: DIY College Scholarships
Fed up with the lack of scholarship opportunities at your school? Well, now even scholarships can be DIY thanks to Cabell Maddux, a recent Wesleyan University graduate.
Maddux and his friends started a crowdfunding system called Scholarships Expanding Education to help students pay for college. SEE flips the traditional scholarship crowdfunding model around by inviting donors to start a scholarship in their own name. Then donors can recruit other people to donate to the fund. The donor can set GPA limits and majors so that the scholarship can be catered to what he or she would like to see. “We noticed the buzz around crowdfunding for students with a couple of sites that started up years ago, and these were sites where students were creating their own profile. As students ourselves, we thought it would be so hard for us to sell our stories to 100 strangers,” Maddux told Fast Company. “So we came up with this concept of flipping this on its head, with starting with someone who’s essentially the giver, so the student isn’t having to mobilize this crowd of donors.”
SEE debuted last month with encouraging results. A fund set up for Maddux’s grandfather’s birthday has raised $550 in the last week. And SEE has raised $8,000 in scholarships for Harvard, Fordham, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Averett University. Maddux and his team have applied for nonprofit status hoping to make scholarship donations tax deductible. The team aims to get things running smoothly before Maddux goes to medical school next year. “We want to build and provide another access point to financial aid,” Maddux told Fast Company. “We want to make this simple for the schools as well.”
MORE: The Neediest Students Couldn’t Afford His Help, So This Test-Prep Prodigy Stepped Up
How $5 and a Plate of Spaghetti Can Change a City
There’s a lot of money in the crowdfunding world. And MealTics is looking to move some of that support into hungry communities that need a financial boost. They’ve combined the crowdfunding model with traditional fundraising to build an opportunity for people to easily turn meals from their favorite local restaurants into donations for local shelters and soup kitchens. Their current campaign to raise 5,000 spaghetti dinners from Rino’s Restaurant, outside Philadelphia, takes just a $5 donation from diners, and it’s starting to catch on.
Oregon has an Indiegogo Campaign to Give Portlanders a Huge Off-Road Bike Park
Portlanders have been talking in their sustainable libraries and wheat grass shot-shops about building a big, new off-road bike park. The city, and state, listened. Oregon teamed up with Indiegogo, and is looking to raise $100,000 to turn 38 acres of unused earth into a bike utopia. This could be the beginning of a new era of infrastructure investment; crowdfunding is big, but the government hasn’t so much as dipped its toe in the communally-funded pool. Since the recession, budgets have been slashed, and infrastructure projects have been stalled. Oregon could pave the way for cities and states around the country to repair their bridges and bottom lines.
[Image: Build Gateway Green, Indiegogo]
This Startup Helps You Crowdfund Your Life For the Next 10 Years
Founded by a team of former Googlers, Upstart is a crowdfunding platform for entrepreneurs and recent college grads that lets you raise money in exchange for a share of your future annual income. The idea represents a paradigm shift in higher education and in the way startups get funded. Many Venture capitalist firms profess to invest in entrepreneurs, but most firms are structured to invest in companies, not people. “It’s a combination of the money-raising power of crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and the professional networking benefits of LinkedIn,” according to USA Today. Perhaps the most disruptive aspect of Upstart is in the way we view continuing education. Many investors that end up backing individual entrepreneurs also sign up to mentor that person over the course of several years, which makes this new model especially appealing for those seeking an alternative to student loans.