Christmas was just around the corner, her rent was due and she had no money for either.
Kayla Howarda single mother of four, received generous donations from people across the country after her seven-year-old son accidentally wiped her bank account for Roblox purchases.
According to 12News, Howard’s son, who reportedly has autism, spent $897 on the gaming app. The purchases exceeded the amount in her bank account and resulted in overdraft fees, leaving her account over $1,000 in the red.
“They explained to me that my account had a total of seven unauthorized debits,” Howard said of the call she received from her bank before Christmas.
Howard started a GoFundMe set with the exact amount her account was negative.
“I set the target at $1,244 and that’s because my account was so negative,” Howard explained.
After reading her story, many strangers who could relate to Howard’s situation as a single mother, with two jobs, or with an autistic child donated to her campaign.
“Last time I checked it was $10,979!” Howard said. “Ten times the target.”
Howard shared that she bought a Christmas tree and surprised her kids with gifts for the holidays.
Since reaching the amount, Howard has stopped accepting donations for the campaign, but has set a new goal of giving back to her community.
“What I’m most excited about is starting a non-profit organization named after my daughter specifically to help families with children with autism,” Howard said.
“Thank you to everyone who supported me and my children during this time. Thank you for reminding me there are good people in this world,” Howard said.
12News aired an earlier report on the situation, prompting Roblox to refund Howard’s money.
Since the bug, Howard has made the necessary changes to place regulations on her children’s devices under the Roblox app.