GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A man who has been saving money to help local kids in his Grand Rapids neighborhood was robbed. In turn, a local community donated the money that was taken.
Donny Irving moved into the Southeast side about 10 years ago. He started meeting the kids in the neighborhood by playing basketball with them and doing other fun activities. It lead to the creation of the non-profit "Community Kids."
"Most of them know me as we’re going to go to Donny’s house to play basketball or to hang out," said Irving, Michigan Vision Director of Community Kids.
Donny recently decided to purchase a boat, to use for both personal use and to take kids out on the water.
"That’s kind of a part of the ministry just trying to get kids out on the lake, especially with all the parks being closed and all the pool being closed."
Originally, Irving planned to purchase a boat for $2,000 but found a cheaper one. As a result, he had $1,000 left over. He told FOX 17 he never leaves cash in his house, but he was getting ready to deposit the money at the bank.
When he came home from work on Tuesday, he discovered someone had been inside.
"Then I questioned like, was someone in here? Then I went up to my bedroom, and my whole bedroom was tipped over. Every dresser, everything, and that’s when I realized that someone broke into my house."
The area has a strong neighborhood watch, but no one saw the theft as it was happening.
Thankfully, someone saw Irving's post on social media and offered to step up and donate the money that's gone. The money will go towards the boat and other activities for the kids.
If you would like to donate or learn more about the non-profit, you can visit communitykids.org/donate.
