Crowdfunding helps to raise money for local dog's surgery

It worked for Jessica Crigger, a college student low on cash, struggling to find enough money for her dog Delilah’s surgery.

Crigger found the dog a few years ago on the side of a road near Fuquay-Varina. She took Delilah in and recently noticed the puppy limping.

When she took Deliah to the vet, she was told the dog had a torn ACL. Criggersaid she was quoted several prices for the surgery, all ranging in the thousands.

“The first estimate was a shocker, almost $3,000, which was very alarming,” she said.

Running out of options, Crigger then turned to a personal funding site called Gofundme.com. She posted Delilah’s story and the word spread quickly through social media.

In less than 24 hours nearly $2,000 had been raised for Delilah’s surgery.

Crowd funding sites have become popular in helping people share their stories and raise money.

Youcaring.com, another popular crowd funding site, helps to make changes in people’s lives, according to spokesman Michael Blasco.

“You just never know who’s going to be moved to say, ‘you know, I can step in here. I can make an impact,’” Blasco said.

Some sites charge for a percentage of the money a person raises, but YouCaring.com does not.

For Jessica Crigger, it was all worth it.

“It was an incredible experience.I’m just overwhelmed with love,” she said.

State officials haven’t received any complaints about the crowd funding sites, but advise that people research a charity before donating.