Zinger Key Points
- MrBeast aims to help thousands of kids in South Africa gain access to education by buying them shoes.
- "They have to walk for miles over harsh terrain, broken glass and contaminated water," he says.
A YouTube star known for handing out large sums of money and high-value prizes to unsuspecting subscribers has been using his platform for more charitable acts over the last year or so.
In his latest video, he found a way to put shoes on the feet of thousands of children in need.
What To Know: YouTube sensation Jimmy Donaldson, better known by his creator name "MrBeast" runs one of the most popular channels on Alphabet Inc's GOOGGOOGL YouTube platform.
In his latest video featured on his Beast Philanthropy channel, which launched in late 2020, MrBeast set out to help thousands of kids in South Africa gain access to education by buying them shoes.
At the beginning of the video, Donaldson noted the only way these kids can get to school was by walking.
"Which means they have to walk for miles over harsh terrain, broken glass and contaminated water," Donaldson said in the intro.
To solve the problem of thousands of youth in need, the YouTuber partnered with a charity called "Barefoot No More" to make the shoes before setting out on a journey to find those who needed them most.
Thousands of kids lined up near schools in Cape Town, South Africa, and many of them were able to pad and protect their feet for the first time.
"To witness these kids wearing their first ever pair of shoes was really emotional, and again, a realization of the basic needs that most of us take for granted," Donaldson said.
One of the teachers at the school said the act of kindness was "absolutely amazing."
See Also: MrBeast Asks Fans To Rearrange Displays At Walmart: 'Maybe Move Some Hershey's Bars'
MrBeast has faced a lot of criticism for generating significant income from his videos, but it seems much of the disapproval is misplaced.
Donaldson built the Beast brand making viral videos on just about anything you can imagine, but he didn't have to start doing random acts of kindness or launch a philanthropy channel. If you can incorporate helping others into your career, why not do it?
He replied to some of the criticism on Thursday reminding viewers that "100% of all revenue from Beast Philanthropy goes towards running my food banks and helping ease human suffering, and since inception I’ve personally put in millions into Beast Philanthropy."
Some of the philanthropy has even been spilling over onto his main channel. In the last video on the original MrBeast channel, Donaldson paid for 1,000 blind people to have cataract surgery. The video features several clips of patients across the world removing bandages and experiencing clear vision, some for the first time.
Related Link: MrBeast's 1,001 Acts Of Charity: The Gift Of Sight, And A New Tesla For 1 Teenager
And let us not forget, the 24-year-old YouTuber has pledged to give away all of his money before he dies: "every single penny," he said in a tweet earlier this year.
Photo: Shutterstock
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