Here are some of Washington’s top GoFundMe fundraisers in 2024
December might be known as a time of gift-giving, but sharing wealth appears to be a year-round activity for many Washingtonians.
The Evergreen State was the ninth most generous state for GoFundMe fundraising in the U.S. in 2024 in terms of donors per capita, according to a year-end report by the crowdfunding website. Washington residents donated more than $85 million to GoFundMe fundraisers in 2024, said spokesperson Ari Romio.
Tragedies – including a Renton girl’s cancer diagnosis and a U.S. Navy veteran seriously injured in a Tukwila drive-by shooting – marked the five highest-grossing fundraisers in Washington in 2024, which together raised nearly $1.2 million.
But Washingtonians also raised thousands to help replace a historic Port Townsend theater’s digital projector, support striking Seattle Art Museum employees and celebrate the 85th birthday of local publisher David Brewster.
Below are the top five grossing GoFundMe fundraisers in Washington in 2024, along with a few other causes locals helped support.
1. Tacoma bagel shop owner killed
Amount raised: $303,125.
Support poured in for the staff of popular Tacoma bagel shop Howdy Bagel and its co-owner Daniel Blagovich, whose 32-year-old husband and business partner Jacob Carter was shot and killed in New Orleans on Jan. 5.
Carter was vacationing with Blagovich near the tourist-filled French Quarter when someone shot him multiple times shortly before 2 a.m. New Orleans police arrested a 16-year-old in connection with the shooting less than a week later. The 16-year-old has since pleaded not guilty.
Howdy Bagel, which grew from its farmers market beginnings to a brick and mortar restaurant last May, temporarily closed for about one month as Blagovich and the shop’s staff took time to “reflect on the life of sweet Jacob,” Blagovich wrote Feb. 5 on the fundraising website. Proceeds from the GoFundMe helped cover the bagel shop’s rent, employees’ wages and other business expenses during their break, according to the fundraiser.
“For Jake, Howdy has always been about so much more than just bagels,” Blagovich wrote. “We hope to continue sharing Jake’s light, love, and spirit of inclusivity.”
2. Woodland boat captain drowned
Amount raised: $257,189 as of Monday.
More than 1,000 people have donated to the widow and two young children of 26-year-old Michael Shufeldt, a man from a Southwest Washington town of Woodland who died after his commercial guide boat capsized on the Columbia River near Hood River, Oregon, on Sept. 25.
A large wave crashed over the stern of Shufeldt’s fishing boat at about noon. Search and rescue teams found the vessel the next day at a depth of about 40 feet near the mouth of the White Salmon River, but couldn’t find Shufeldt, who was presumed dead, according to the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office.
“Conditions at the time of the accident were treacherous, and preliminary evidence suggests a tragic accident,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement identifying Shufeldt.
Shufeldt was a skilled angler who owned his own fishing charter company, the now-closed Reel Deal Fishing Adventures, according to the fundraiser.
“Michael was not only a skilled fisherman but also a loving husband and father,” wrote Marlin LeFever, the fundraiser’s creator, a popular YouTuber in the area’s fishing community. “The PNW fishing community will forever remember him as an amazing angler & friend.”
3. Family devastated by fatal crash near Renton
Amount raised: $235,741 as of Monday.
Thousands donated to help pay for a family’s funeral expenses and medical treatments after a March 19 car crash in the unincorporated community of Fairwood near Renton killed a 38-year-old woman and three children, and injured four others.
Andrea Hudson died in the crash along with three children of close friends – 13-year-old Matilda Wilcoxson, 12-year-old Eloise Wilcoxson and 12-year-old Boyd Buster Brown – who were passengers in her car. Two of Hudson’s children, Nolan and Charlotte, 14 and 12 at the time of the crash, were seriously injured.
Chase Daniel Jones, 18 at the time of the crash, was charged with four counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of vehicular assault and reckless driving. Witnesses said Jones was weaving in and out of traffic and speeding before he allegedly ran a red light and T-boned Hudson’s minivan at the intersection of Southeast 192nd Street and 140th Avenue Southeast.
Hudson organized and led a home schooling group, according to her sister-in-law, Chelsea Hudson.
“Anytime I was around her, it was like I was taking notes on how I could be a better person,” Chelsea said in March. She was “a friend to everyone, kind to everyone. I don’t think I ever heard her say a bad word about anyone.”
A fundraiser for Brown’s family raised $83,664 and another for the Wilcoxson family raised $130,753 by Monday.
4. Renton child’s brain cancer diagnosis
Amount raised: $203,109 as of Monday.
A Renton couple sought help to pay for medical expenses of their 5-year-old daughter, Kefaye, who was diagnosed in 2024 with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a difficult-to-treat brain tumor.
The couple called Kefaye their “ray of sunshine,” who doted on her baby sister and enjoyed dancing and playing piano before her illness compromised her motor skills and balance, according to their fundraiser.
By last Wednesday, Kefaye had completed six of 10 radiation treatments and was gaining strength after having a nasal feeding tube installed, her father wrote that day. Both parents have started working less in order to care for Kefaye, and the fundraiser is helping cover their expenses as their oldest daughter participates in clinical trials and therapies.
“She’s not just our daughter; she’s the beating heart of our family, the joy in our lives,” her family wrote. “Through it all, Kefaye is showing incredible strength and resilience.”
5. Veteran’s recovery after drive-by shooting
Amount raised: $178,450 as of Monday.
Nearly $200,000 has gone to help a Lacey, Thurston County, family pay for Evan Hershey’s medical care after he was injured in a February drive-by shooting on Interstate 5 in Tukwila.
Hershey was driving his 2015 Ford Mustang home from work Feb. 19 when someone fired into his car at about 11 p.m. Bullets struck his spinal cord and kidney, his family wrote on their fundraising page.
The U.S. Navy veteran was in a rehabilitation facility as of April. Proceeds from his family’s fundraiser are helping pay to replace his totaled car and find him a new living space that both can accommodate his wheelchair.
“Evan is always the first to aid another whenever a need arises. He has always acted selflessly in service to others,” the Hershey family wrote. “His cheerful energy and awesome sense of humor continues to be his trademark.”
More notable WA fundraisers
Rose Theatre: Cinephiles donated nearly $105,000 to replace a broken digital projector and install a new one at the historic Rose Theatre in Port Townsend. The new 4K laser projector was delivered by Dec. 22, the theater’s staff wrote in an update that day.
Seattle Art Museum strike: Security staffers at the Seattle Art Museum raised more than $28,000 to support colleagues who went on strike in November calling for increased wages and better benefits. The 12-day strike ended with a vote by unionized employees to ratify their first contract with the museum, which included a 4% wage increase for union members at the start of 2025 and more pay hikes in 2026 and 2027.
Fireworks Spectacular: Organizers of the annual “Over the Water Fireworks Extravaganza” in Liberty Lake, Spokane County, surpassed their $20,000 goal to host the 2024 Independence Day show. The 100% crowdfunded fireworks exhibition has been a tradition in the city for over 35 years, according to the fundraiser.
David Brewster turns 85: Friends of famed local publisher and editor David Brewster raised over $19,000 to host the 85-year-old’s birthday bash in October. Brewster founded Town Hall Seattle and multiple media organizations including Seattle news site Crosscut.com (now the Cascade PBS newsroom) and Seattle Weekly.