We all have a goal in life. For some it is to be rich, others want to be famous, but I think many of us just want to know we did some good in this world.
If that's the case, then all we can say is that Willie Ortiz is nothing short of a hero to the stray cats of Hartford Connecticut.
The 76-year-old man had been feeding the local feline population for over 20 years, and was saddened that there were too many for him to keep up with himself.
He would drive more than 22 miles each day, taking his truck loaded up with cat food that he bought by selling salvaged materials, and feeding cats at different points around the city.
He kept this up every day, and eventually his generosity was discovered by the local news network who wrote a short story on him.
But then, something incredible happened that surprised even Ortiz!
Once the story had been written about him, some members of the internet forum Reddit.com decided to take action and see what they could do for this kind member of the community.
They organized a GoFundMe page, with a goal of $5,000, to help pay for some of the costs that Ortiz had. Little did they know, the internet couldn't do enough to help this savior of cat-kind!
The goal was reached, and then just kept going! By the end of the campaign, the page had raised over $28,000 for Ortiz to continue his passion.
A friend of Ortiz who helped organize the fundraiser spoke with the local news station after it finished. "I thought it was a mistake at first; I had never seen anything in my life like that," said Kathleen Schlentz, "When I called Willie to tell him, he was practically in tears."
Ortiz plans to buy food and medicine for the cats, and also begin a project for spaying and neutering to keep stray populations down. He says he will continue to do this until he cannot go on any longer.
