An Iowa State fan has raised over $100,000 for a local children's hospital thanks to his viral College GameDay sign.
Carson King, 24, told Aaron Calvin of the Des Moines Register he was initially hoping to receive a few dollars with his sign, which read "Busch Light supply needs replenished" and included his Venmo account name. Once the donations hit the $600 mark, he decided to donate the money to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.
"This was way better than expected," King said. "It just goes to show that no matter if you're a Hawkeye fan, Cyclone fan, or Grand View Viking, we're all Iowans, and Iowans take care of each other."
During a live broadcast of ESPN's College Football GameDay, Carson King held up a sign asking people to send him money for beer.
— Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) September 17, 2019
It was meant as a joke, but soon he was flooded with thousands of dollars in donations.
Now he's giving all $8,000+ to Iowa's @UIchildrens Hospital. pic.twitter.com/NLKk1QQgdl
King eclipsed the $100,000 mark partly due to Busch Light and Venmo, which pledged Tuesday to match the donations to the hospital. Busch Light also announced that it'll supply King with free beer.
We see a lot of great stories, but this is one of our favs @CarsonKing2. Count us in for matching the donation to the hospital, too. #ftk💛@BuschBeer @CollegeGameDay https://t.co/thS8JXOXC3
— Venmo (@venmo) September 17, 2019