WallStreetBets — the Group Behind the GameStop Movement — Raises $200K for Gorilla Charity
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Members of the popular Reddit group that sparked GameStop's massive stock rise are using their newfound money for a good cause.
In a post submitted over the weekend on the subreddit, WallStreetBets, a Reddit user Pakistani_in_Murica said they used the extra cash they made from GameStop investments (read more about it here) to benefit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
According to the organization's website, they help protect two endangered gorilla species located in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda and Congo.
With a donation to the fund, anyone who wants to help in their efforts can symbolically adopt a gorilla. Pakistani_in_Murica said they "adopted" a wild gorilla named Urungano, who was born in June 2017.
The donation announcement garnered an incredible amount of attention on the subreddit, earning more than 112,000 upvotes as of Monday afternoon and hundreds of awards (which users have to purchase with real money to give out).
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But, most importantly, it seemed the post inspired other WallStreetBets members to donate to the fund.
Tara Stoinski, the president and CEO of the fund, even recorded a message addressed tp the subreddit to thank them for their donations.
"I was just made aware that you have been adopting gorillas through our website," Stoinski says in the video. "I wanted to say thank you so much for this incredible support ... it will go a long way in helping our important mission."
According to Newsweek, a spokesperson from the organization said they've received more than $265,000 in donations over the weekend.
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On Monday, the Fossey Fund posted a series of tweets highlighting and thanking the Reddit community for their fundraising efforts.
"It's safe to say that the #investor community on @reddit is not traditionally who we think of as our supporter base," they wrote. "But they definitely surprised and overwhelmed us over the weekend."
"As it turns out, gorillas are a great #investment! Gorillas live in the Congo Basin, the second-largest rainforest in the world and a natural defense against #climatechange," they added. "When we save gorillas, we save the planet. How's that for #ROI?"
