GoFundMe Holds $400K Raised For Homeless Man, TikToker Fighting Back!

Viral TikToker and fashion student Sanai Graden has been working hard to help a homeless man she ran into in late January but has hit a major roadblock.

After successfully raising more than $400,000 for Alonzo Hebron, who she nicknamed "Unc," GoFundMe has refused to release the money, and Graden is fighting back.

While Graden was walking to the grocery store in late January, Hebron stopped her to ask for a cup of hot tea. That one request turned into the two spending the day together, picking up his medications at the pharmacy and eventually getting him a hotel room for the night.

Her video quickly went viral and many others asked if they could help out. That's when the college student decided to start a GoFundMe page for him. Now less than two months later and more than $400,000 raised, GoFundMe is refusing to release the funds.

Since their chance meeting while Graden was vlogging on her way to the store, she’s helped Unc out with food, hotel rooms, and more, and all out of her own pocket. She has continued to share their journey together on TikTok which has grabbed many people’s attention and their help with donations on GoFundMe. 

Graden hasn’t been able to access the money raised so she can further help Unc out because GoFundMe is refusing to turn the money over.

“At this time, GoFundMe has refused to make the funds available to Sanai as the organizer to make the funds available to Alonzo for use,” Graden’s attorney, Na’il Benjamin said, according to WUSA9. 

Graden has been trying to come to an agreement with GoFundMe for more than a month now. 

“As is our standard practice and outlined in GoFundMe terms of service, we temporarily hold funds raised so that they can be delivered to an intended beneficiary,” GoFundMe told WUSA9. “In those instances, donations remain safely held by our payment processor partners.” 

But Benjamin said this goes against the fundraising site’s terms of service.

“Sania is an organizer, [and] the terms of service specify what the organizer is responsible for, and that the organizer making a commitment to use the funds consistent with the language in the campaign to donate,” Benjamin said. “She is supposed to have access to those funds, according to the terms of service.” 

Throughout this frustrating process, Graden has shut down the option of more donations on the GoFundMe page. A message on the page reads, "The organizer has currently disabled new donations to this fundraiser."

Graden recently shared a short and to the point video on TikTok to describe how she's feeling about the struggles she's having with GoFundMe.

"How the inside of my head has been sounding this past month bc GoFundMe won't release the funds and I've been trying my hardest to complete my mission with Unc," she wrote on a video of her dancing around.

Many of her followers left supportive and uplifting thoughts in the comment section.

"Don’t stop fighting!!!!! This is all apart of the testimony," one person wrote. Another added, "We got your back. We will fight!!!"

Not long after Graden's video of helping Hebron went viral, controversy struck. A report came out about Hebron's past criminal history. He was reportedly convicted of brutally attacking a woman in 2020 and stabbing a man in 2012.

This news didn't deter Graden from continuing to help her new "Unc." She shared a video that addressed all that was happening and her thoughts on it.

"I understand that life happens. We all have a story. We all have a background. It’s just a part of the game," she shared in a TikTok video. 

"We were all placed on this earth, and no one was given a blueprint. We’re still figuring out each and every day. I understand the importance of second chances and that’s what I want my nonprofit to be about is giving people a second chance."

The viral TikToker further explained that the man she met on the street is not the same man he was a few years ago when the incidents took place. She said the man she knows is a sweet, grateful man, who recognizes his blessings.

With millions of people witnessing all the college student has been doing for the homeless man, they wanted to do something nice for her. A GoFundMe page was started to help pay Graden's college tuition.

The page was started on February 2 and has raised $26,453 so far.

"Now, it's our turn to rally around Nai and support her noble cause. By contributing to this GoFundMe, you're not just funding a college student; you're investing in a movement of love and empathy," part of the description on the fundraising page reads.

"Nai has proven that small acts of kindness can have a profound impact, and together, we can amplify that impact."