LeVar Burton’s ‘Reading Rainbow’ Kickstarter Closes Out Campaign With $6.4 Million (426 hits)
LeVar Burton was able to raise some serious funds for his “Reading Rainbow” Kickstarter campaign while setting a new record for the crowd funding Website! Everyone loves a good book, and now LeVar’s supporters have ensured that a new generation will be introduced to some classic reads!
After 35 days online, The actor far exceeding his expectations at the officical close of his online fundraiser. According to Mashable.com, LeVar’s campaign for “Reading Rainbow” broke the record for the highest number of supporters for a single project. At the final tally, 105,857 donors had chipped in to bring the show to YouTube and classrooms everywhere. The campaign for a Veronica Mas movie was the next biggest campaign in Kickstarter history with 91, 585 supporters.
“WE DID IT!” LeVar informed fans on Facebook. “All told, including Seth MacFarlane‘s generous pledge, we’ve raised $6,408,916 with 105,857 individuals coming together for our kids!” The Kickstarter closed out with $5.4 million in earnings. Seth had pledged to match every donation over the $4 million mark dollar-for-dollar, but only on the condition that LeVar’s campaign could make it $5 million. His private $1 million offering is separate from the official Kickstarter total because the Website puts a $10,000 cap on donations.
The “Family Guy” creator wasn’t the only celebrity to put his support behind the movement. Best Man Holiday star Taye Diggs applauded Levar’s earning power for “Reading Rainbow” on Facebook. “Yo! A big ‘Chocolate ME’ SHOUT OUT! to LeVar! ReadingRainbow in full effect!” Taye wrote. “We must need more of this type of programing for students world wide. This says a lot!”
MUST READ: Terrence J’s Memoir, ‘The Wealth Of My Mother’s Wisdom’ Is A How-To Guide Worth Reading Originally, LeVar had only set out to raise $1 million for the campaign. His aimed to create a digital version of the show for home viewers and classroom edition for teachers to use in their lesson plans. Underprivileged schools would get free access to the new “Reading Rainbow” episodes under LeVar’s plan.
With the original $1 million, LeVar aimed to bring “Reading Rainbow” to the web and offer about $1,500 free subscriptions to schools. Now that LeVar has pulled in more than $6 million, “Reading Rainbow” can be made into an app for mobile devices, Android phones, gaming consoles and OTT boxes like Roku! LeVar can also supply free subscriptions more than 7,500 classrooms!
If you still want to chip in for “Reading Rainbow,” you can do that here!
