The GoFund Me page that was set up for 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who was shot in the head in Missouri after entering the wrong house as he went looking for his younger twin brothers, has raised more than $2.6 million.
The feat was reached after accumulating almost 70,000 donations as of Tuesday morning. The donors included significant contributions from celebrities including a $1000 donation from Julianne Hough and another $1000 from comedian Lil Rel Howery. Guy Oseary, Madonna’s talent manager sent in $5000 and Christina Ricci and author Pamela Meyer each sent $500 to the fund.
The GoFundMe was set up by Ralph Yarl’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, who penned a beautiful bio.
“Ralph Pual Yarl is a fantastic kid, and I am not just saying this because he is my nephew. He truly is. At school, he is a member of the Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team. Jazz and competition band. He is a section leader in the marching band; a scholar and one of the top base clarinet players in Missouri. He recently earned Missouri All-State Band recognition with an honorable mention. He plays multiple instruments in the metropolitan youth orchestra. He is a 2022 Missouri scholar academy alumni. Ralph can often be found with a musical instrument. He loves them all,” she wrote on the fundraising fund.
The page was set up to cover the teen’s medical bills and therapy. Spoonmore also opened up about what happened that night when her nephew was shot.
According to the police, Ralph had a life-threatening injury but was in stable condition. According to the page, if some money is left over after Ralph’s medical bills are covered, it will go towards Ralph’s university expenses and a trip to West Africa. Before the tragic event in his life, Ralph was looking to get enrolled at Texas A&M University to study chemical engineering. He also planned to get an academic or music scholarship.
Teachers and friends have described him as “super smart” and a “musical genius”.
Ralph’s aunt wrote: “Life looks a lot different right now. Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable. He is our miracle. We have heard these types of stories many times, and unfortunately, most black boys are not alive to get another chance. Ralph deserves to have the future that he has dreams about.”