Entrepreneurs reach out to those working from home to donate transit fare to Fare it Forward fundraiser

Entrepreneurs are reaching out to those who are working from home to donate their transit fare to the fundraiser they created called Fare it Forward.

News 12 Staff

Apr 5, 2020, 11:17 AM

Updated 1,474 days ago

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Entrepreneurs are reaching out to those who are working from home to donate their transit fare to the fundraiser they created called Fare it Forward.
Michele Sileo and Chrisie Canny say they met through a mutual friend at a party just a few months ago and later created a community fundraiser together.
They say they are asking those who are still employed and working from home during the coronavirus pandemic to donate the dollar amount of their daily commute for those who cannot work from home.
A new person is selected each day of the week to receive the donations.
The entrepreneurs say they changed the rules of the fundraiser after receiving a nomination for Juan and Jillian Rios.
Juan is an FDNY EMT who was diagnosed with COVID-19 and is now hospitalized, while his wife, Jillian, is not getting paid because she is a per diem employee who works as a substitute aid with the Department of Education.
The couple has two sons, so Sileo says there was no time to waste.
Canny says creating an LLC or nonprofit would take too long, so they are turning to Venmo to get the money to the Rios'.
The mobile payment service caps the weekly amount in an account to just under $3,000, but the fundraiser has exceeded that number.
The entrepreneurs say they plan to ask Venmo to up the limit to get the Rios family the financial help they need.
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