A Kutztown University freshman Jessii Fossburg needed a viral video to get 500,000 views to win a contest to help her mother.
Derek DeShane, who produced the video, pledged the grand prize of $50,000 to help her mother Patti Coyne Powell, 41, stricken with cancer and financial difficulties.
Although the video did not reach 500,000 views, it won first place and resulted in a complete surprise for everyone involved.
“In the end, all of everyone’s efforts really paid off and we won the competition, but we were disappointed we did not achieve the goal of 500,000 views that would have won us the $50,000 grand prize. We could point to the direct donations of $8,000 and we knew that was at least a minor victory,” said DeShane.
DeShane said what was even better was that Lenovo offered to ‘gross up’ the prize amount so he could give the full $15,000 after taxes. He was given the chance to almost triple their impact and he said they had to do it.
“For me, it seemed that Lenovo was giving us a chance that probably no other contestant would get given the context of what we were trying to do for Patti,” said DeShane. “We realized that this donation could represent a year or more of rent and that’s far bigger to a family than a week in Hawaii. The choice seemed obvious.”
DeShane, who entered a video into a contest sponsored by his company Lenovo to get 500,000 views by Jan. 31, felt it was such a lucky thing that he knew Tim CoyneSmith, Fossburg’s uncle. They were just getting lunch when CoyneSmith had the idea to use the video contest to help Patti, who had a diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer that had spread to her liver and to her bones and in danger of losing her home. They decided it was well worth taking a shot and in the end, DeShane felt it worked out great for everyone.
“It was definitely intense and it was kind of stressful, like, ‘Are we going to get there? Are going to win? What’s going to happen?'” said Fossburg.
Fossburg said that when her Uncle Tim was invited to the wining ceremony they hoped they were going to do something anyway even though they didn’t win. Although DeShane did not win $50,000, he did win a family trip to Hawaii with an alternative option to take a cash prize of $15,000 after taxes to give to Fossburg’s family.
“When we found out, particularly myself, that the DeShanes decided not to take the trip and give us the money anyway, I was speechless; lost for words,” said Fossburg. “All of us. We don’t even know what to say.”
Fossburg said her mom is happier and more hopeful.
“She’s so grateful. We’re not going to have to worry about money for awhile,” said Fossburg. “When she found out, it was like a glorious moment for our family. She’s more hopeful. She feels better. I mean those are all awesome things that I wanted for her.”
Fossburg said they were amazed that the video got up to the thousands and then said it was mind-blowing when it hit near 100,000. She said the support she received from Kutztown University has been incredible and that Kutztown has officially become her second home away from home.
“Just support from my community, the building I live in, my resident director, everybody, just continued support. Everybody kept coming up to me, ‘We’re watching the video'”, said Fossburg. “In the lobby, people would sit there and watch the video and Kutztown sent out a monthly newsletter they do and I was the first person on the newsletter. They didn’t have to do any of that and they did. That was incredible. I mean I love my school to death; it’s awesome.”
KU rallied to help Fossburg, spread Fossburg’s story and the video link through news updates to campus, to Facebook and Twitter according to Tina CoyneSmith.
“Kutztown University was amazing in helping her originally and in helping her promote this and we’re really grateful for that,” said CoyneSmith.
CoyneSmith said the university helped Fossburg with the right offices and the right people to help her find the right resources she needed to stay in school.
“She was successful. She stayed and she made Dean’s list and in part because of the good work of people who helped her find resources there,” said CoyneSmith. “Kutztown has been extraordinary.”
“All of the views the story generated really mattered,” said CoyneSmith. “So, we did not win the grand prize. That’s not the tremendous news. Our friend, Derek DeShane, did win first place in Lenovo’s viral video contest. His video had the most views; close to 100K.”
CoyneSmith said Lenovo recognized the excellent thing DeShane did and offered him a choice. He could either take the first place vacation prize or he could choose a $15,000 cash prize that he could use to support her sister. Derek and his wife, Amy, chose the cash prize to go to Patti’s expenses.
“They are truly exceptional and inspirational people. Lenovo agreed with me and in recognition for the DeShanes’ generosity, Lenovo also gave Derek a, Do What’s Right Award,” said CoyneSmith.
CoyneSmith said there were so many people to thank. The story was in about 10 news outlets including, The Kutztown Patriot, WFMZ and ABC11 in NC.
“We can’t thank you enough and, of course, everyone who watched the video. [We thank] Lenovo for being an excellent company who cares about its employees and their broader community and for making a cash prize possible. [We thank] The DeShanes for winning and giving away $15,000 to a family in extreme need and in so doing, for humbling us, for showing us what it means to love our neighbor and for inspiring us to pay it forward the rest of our lives,” said CoyneSmith.
She said the timing was especially good for her sister who had suffered recent setbacks and will need additional hard treatments. Additional funds were raised through the GiveForward site and that the money donated will help cover some basic expenses for a while.
“This was a great story with a great ending. THANK YOU so much,” said CoyneSmith. “At the end of the day, love wins.”
CoyneSmith said it shows the power of small things.
“If lots of people do small things with great love for good reason and a good cause, you don’t have to do a big dramatic thing to change the world. You could do a small thing, a kind thing, in the right directions and it can have huge impact,” said CoyneSmith.
To make a donation, go to https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/kl16/patti-coyne-marine-strong.
Reflections from the producer of the viral video, Eric DeShane:
When the contest ended, the DeShanes were exhausted. They had put many after-work hours into the campaign to get the views.
There were other very strong videos in the competition and the outcome remained far from clear in the final couple of weeks. Patti’s story really helped propel the view rate higher; people were inspired to watch, share and even make donations. The momentum accelerated with all of the media attention. In the last two days of competition, the video got 20,000 views. This sealed their victory. People made a real difference just by watching an online video. DeShane asked as to how often does that happen?
“This experience reminded me of a couple of things: First, that fear of failure should never stop me from trying big things and second, how good it feels to give,” said DeShane.
The DeShanes volunteer in their community and give to causes they care about, but never on a large scale.
“My wife and I are not wealthy philanthropists, we are just normal people, so this may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a large donation and we are lucky to have the opportunity,” said DeShane.
DeShane said Patti’s story is difficult, but also inspiring. He saw what could be done in a short period of time when a whole bunch of people decide they want to help in whatever small way.
“It’s hard to know what to do in most cases when someone is very sick,” said DeShane. “Most of the time, we end up feeling helpless since cancer is something hospitals and doctors need to be involved in. It’s very empowering to be able to do something for a loved one when they are sick. To focus on helping, and hope for the future, is important for all involved.”
DeShane said they could still drive more donations and help her family further. To make a donation, go to https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/kl16/patti-coyne-marine-strong.