My Experience

Nearly a year ago, on November 30, 2013, an idol passed away in a horrific car accident. News headlines covering the tragic accident began to slowly emerge. At that time, I had just returned from an exhaustively long trip only to learn the vague news that a Fast and Furious star was killed in a fiery car accident. I stood there in shock as I quickly took to online sites to see if this was true. The only news source that covered the incident at the time was TMZ, as well as troll sites that claimed his death had occurred days before from other causes. All I had was the TMZ article and a statement from Paul's publicist denouncing the claims from the troll sites days prior. At this point, I was in complete denial, even when Paul's team finally took to Twitter to confirm his death. I still didn't allow myself to believe this horrible news. I spent the next several weeks in a weird state of anger, sorrow and confusion, scouring the internet just to find any piece of evidence that would disprove his death. Once I finally accepted Paul's passing, the bitter truth would make the next few months one of the hardest in my life.

What Paul Walker Meant to Me

Growing up, Paul Walker has always been my role model. I have had a love for cars from an early age, and the "Fast and Furious" movie series had a big impact on me. I recall memories as a 6 year-old child staying up all night at my cousin's house just to watch 2 Fast 2 Furious on HBO. I remember pretending I embodied Brian O'conner given my love for import race cars, always referencing lines from the movie, and pretending to be him any chance I had. I felt he was the only celebrity that actually shared the same interests as I given my passion for cars and ocean life. I felt that he was one of the few people that I can actually relate to. I have always looked up to Paul Walker, and feel his inspiration has helped me get through thick and thin. But the news of his tragic death ended all of that and tore me to pieces. More difficult than learning of Paul's passing at the peak of his career was learning about all incredibly meaningful contributions Paul has made to the world through his humanitarian efforts. Knowing how humble and altruistic Paul really was just made his passing 100 times harder to digest as he didn't deserve to go so early. Because of this, I was compelled to create a campaign in commemoration of Paul Walker's passing to rekindle his memory and give back to the man who has remained an inspiration to me to this day. 

How Paul Walker has Given Back to the World

Paul is a true humanitarian. He gave back to his community with every opportunity he got. Paul was a man of action and really turned ideas into reality. The 2010 earthquake in Haiti was devastating for everyone. While numerous people posted their online support by expressing their desire to somehow help the victims in Haiti, Paul was one of the few who took the initiative and led a relief team to Haiti on very short notice which led to the creation of his non-profit foundation known as Reach Out Worldwide. Paul's team of friends and skilled volunteers quickly expanded and took on more challenges like aiding in subsequent relief efforts following the earthquake in Chile, the Indonesian Tsunami, the Philippines Typhoon, and numerous natural disasters here in America including the recent tornado in Arkansas. It soon became clear that Paul's relief efforts were not superficial stunts but actually made a difference. In Haiti, for example, they set up a makeshift hospital in an abandoned orphanage and treated numerous victims, saving lives. Adding to this, Paul donated over 2.5 million dollars over his lifetime to assist in such humanitarian efforts. The main point to note is that no one asked Paul to help out with these disasters, no one told him to create a non-profit organization, no one told him to donate. Paul did this on his own solely out of his own concern for humanity, which I feel is something rarely seen in today's society. While most of us fail to take meaningful action when disaster strikes, Paul would be out there making a difference. The loss of a person who only gives and never takes is truly heartbreaking. Adding to this loss was the knowledge that Paul, who previously majored in marine biology, was also a true advocate for the environment as he spoke out about ocean conservation and the preservation of marine life.

What Makes Paul Walker Different 

Paul Walker is unlike any other. While most of hollywood seemed to flash their wealth and exploit their fame, Paul lived a low-key life. Paul was never the kind of guy who took much value in monetary possessions; he was humble and grateful for what he had. He never let his Hollywood fame get to his head and never let fame define him, even with his star-status in a billion dollar franchise. He was one of the most grounded, down to earth celebrities there was, who never really lost touch with his roots. That is one of the main reasons why I had so much respect for him. Paul had so much character and depth and there was much more to him than meets the eye. In addition to his passion for automobiles, he was driven to give back and make a difference in this world. He completed many honorable achievements  but never asked for anything in return. He was so low-key that he rarely ever mentioned his charitable acts and contributions and actually tried to keep them a secret. While most celebrities are quick to brag about their contribution when giving to charitable events, most of the world was not aware of Paul's countless devotion to saving lives. It seemed the only thing that was important to Paul was knowing he was able to create positive change in the world. He always put others before himself which is a trait rarely seen in this day and age. Small examples of his generosity included a story when he walked into a jewelry store and overheard a couple talking about an engagement ring. The ring was $10k and the fiancé, who was an Iraq veteran, just couldn't afford it. Paul later paid for the ring in full for the couple and told the clerk to keep it anonymous. It is acts like these that tears my heart knowing that Paul is no longer with us.

What Am I Doing

Paul Walker founded the non-profit organization known as Reach Out Worldwide after he and a team of dedicated volunteers began to deploy around the world to aid in the relief of natural disasters such as the Haitian Earthquake and the Philippines Typhoon. My goal is to raise $1000 the end of November for the 1 year commemoration of his passing. I know this does not sound like a lot but to a 17 year-old this is actually a significant amount of money. This campaign was created to raise money for Paul Walker's ROWW, but what I also wish to achieve with this is to bring Paul Walker back into our thoughts. There are countless actors who pass away and seemed to have faded into oblivion. Paul has done so many great things for this world that I can't bear the thought of him being forgotten. I made a promise to myself that I will keep the memory of Paul Walker alive and I am not planning on breaking that promise.

As this campaign initiates, I will continue my efforts to raise funds through community-outreach efforts and will constantly keep updating and adding funds to this campaign as it proceeds.

Goals

Why Am I Doing This

Ever since Paul's passing, I have always wanted to create a campaign for Paul but this always remained an idea and I initially failed to take step into making this effort a reality and felt it was now time to put this plan into action. As November 30th began to approach, his inspiration compelled me to finally get started on this campaign. What really pushed me to pursue these efforts was not the fact that Paul Walker was my favorite childhood actor who shared the same interests as I did but motivated by the selflessness of his charitable acts to humanity. I always knew Paul's outer persona as a cool, adventurous guy, but I never really knew about Paul's inner layers of humbleness and altruism. Paul was very secretive about his acts of charity so learning about his relief efforts with ROWW after his passing was really a huge shock for me. When paired with reading about how grounded and selfless he was, it really made the blow of losing my role model so much more difficult. I felt like I should have appreciated Paul more when he was alive and wish had known about his work as a humanitarian much earlier. Paul's acts of kindness have inspired me to give back to my community and grateful to have an opportunity to honor his memory. 

As a 17 years old, I may be young but I feel I am still fully capable of making a difference. Raising $1,000 may seem far-fetched, but anything is possible. It doesn't matter who you are or how old you may be, anyone can make a difference.

                             

Your Contributions Matters

All funding raised for this campaign will go directly to Reach Out Worldwide. Any contribution is greatly appreciated no matter the amount. A small donation could mean one more bucket of water or a pack of antiseptic wipes for victims of the next natural disaster. The point is that any contribution, no matter what the amount, will be put to good use. And the fact that you even contributed means a lot to me.

Please note that I do not want to pressure you to donate. I want you to contribute under your own free-will to give back and pay our respects to Paul Walker and his legacy for giving.

Perks