State trooper’s generosity helps raise more than $100,000 for 4 orphaned children
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Georgia State Patrol Trooper Nathan Bradley has become a hero after going the extra mile to care for four children whose parents who died Oct. 31. His generosity has already been acknowledged and praised nationally, but his support for the children continues.
After intercepting a call on Halloween, Bradley responded to the scene of a car accident that killed Donald and Crystal Howard, the parents of the four children, ages 13, 10, 8 and 6. According to Bradley's description of the evening, Bradley's supervisor gave him permission to care for the children while they awaited the arrival of the children’s grandmother, who was driving from Florida to assume care of them.
The trooper took the kids out to eat and then took them to the Georgia State Patrol Post to feast on Halloween candy and enjoy a marathon of Disney films. Bradley attempted to help the children enjoy the evening before delivering the news the next day.
The 13-year-old Howard son later contacted Bradley, explaining that upcoming costs for the funeral and transporting the parents' bodies to Florida would amount to approximately $7,000.
So Bradley created an online fundraiser Tuesday, which received an outpouring of support. The original $7,000 goal was quickly surpassed, reaching more than $100,000 from almost 3,000 supporters. Numbers continue to climb.
"They keep saying, 'You have more and more and more,' and every time I hear 'more,' I just want to cry," the children's grandmother, Stephanie Oliver, told Fox 5 News. "I didn't know people I don't know cared so much. I've never dealt with this, never. It's just so amazing."
Bradley continues to update the GoFundMe page as support grows. According to the website, “sums donated will be given directly to the family” to first cover funeral costs, and any additional donations will be “placed into a trust fund that is set up by the family and will be used to provide higher education” to the children.
Email: ajohnson@deseretdigital.com
Twitter: @axelrad_
