DES MOINES, Iowa — You just knew a story this good wouldn’t end without an exclamation point, and, on Wednesday, the Iowa man behind a hospital fundraiser that started when he held up a “beer money” sign during an ESPN broadcast hit his whopping $3 million goal.
On Monday, Carson King’s two-week long fundraiser for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital came up just short of his final goal of $3 million. King announced Tuesday afternoon that he’d raised a grand total of $2,950,000.
But two days later that total was pushed to the $3,000,000 finish line thanks to a late donation from West Des Moines-based Doll Distributing, the local distributor for Busch Light in Central Iowa. The company says 13 different distributors from across the state chipped in to make the final $41,000 gift.
King’s fundraiser started before the Iowa-Iowa State football game in Ames when he held up a sign asking for money via Venmo to buy more Busch Light during ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’. The sign worked, with donations pouring into his account.
King quickly announced that he’d donate all the money sent to his Venmo account to the UI Children’s Hospital. Busch Light and Venmo both quickly announced they’d match whatever King raised. Several other donors including RAGBRAI and Carson’s employer, Prairie Meadows, announced major gifts as well.
King says he plans to deliver the final $3 million check to the hospital on October 12th when the Hawkeyes host Penn State.
READ MORE: Andy Fales and Carson King talk about what’s next for the viral fundraiser