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Members of the popular Reddit group that sparked the massive rise in GameStop shares are using their new money for a good cause.
In an article submitted over the weekend to the sub-reddit, WallStreetBets, a Reddit user Pakistani_in_Murica said he used the extra money he made from GameStop investments (read more here) to benefit Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
According to the organization’s website, they are helping protect two endangered gorilla species located in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda and Congo.
With a donation to the fund, anyone who wishes to contribute to their efforts can symbolically adopt a gorilla. Pakistani_in_Murica claimed to have “adopted” a wild gorilla named Urungano, born in June 2017.
The donation announcement garnered incredible attention on the subreddit, garnering over 112,000 upvotes on Monday afternoon and hundreds of rewards (which users must purchase with real money to return).
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But, more importantly, it looks like the post inspired other WallStreetBets members to donate to the fund.
Tara Stoinski, the fund’s president and CEO, even recorded a message to the subreddit thanking them for their donations.
“I learned that you adopted gorillas through our website,” Stoinski explains in the video. “I wanted to thank you very much for this incredible support … it will go a long way in helping our important mission.”
According to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the organization said it received more than $ 265,000 in donations over the weekend.
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On Monday, the Fossey Fund released a series of tweets highlighting and thanking the Reddit community for their fundraising efforts.
“It’s safe to say that the #investor community on @reddit is not traditionally what we see as our fan base,” they wrote. “But they really surprised and overwhelmed us this weekend.”
“Ultimately, gorillas are a great #investment! Gorillas live in the Congo Basin, the world’s second largest rainforest and a natural defense against #climate change,” they added. “When we save gorillas, we save the planet. How’s that for #ROI?”
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