Man Behind Bullied Bus Monitor Fundraiser Launches "7 Million Acts of Love"

Max Sidorov, the man behind the wildly successful effort to raise money for bullied bus monitor Karen Klein, wants to take his anti-bullying message to the masses.

Back in June, 68-year-old Klein drew international attention after a video of her being tormented by a group of middle school boys went viral. Sidorov used the popular community funding site Indiegogo to launch a campaign to give Klein a vacation. It raised more than $700,000.

The campaign’s overwhelming success inspired Sidorov to again tap the power of the crowd—this time to support a new, much more ambitious endeavor. It’s called 7 Million Acts of Love, and Sidorov says it will “fund three amazing projects and spread a movement of love.”

Sidorov hopes to raise $7 million over the next few months to build a nonprofit that will provide free counseling services for bullied kids. He’ll also use a portion of the money to develop a TV series focused on the stories of people who have committed outstanding acts of love for humanity and the planet. The remainder of the funds will go towards a web platform designed to connect and activate people who are interested in doing good.

In the 7 Million Acts of Love campaign’s launch video (see above), Klein thanks the many thousands of people around the world who contributed to her vacation fund, and appeals to them to consider extending their generosity. “Now maybe you can help others,” she says. “I believe that now we need to take action to help kids and their families who've been affected by bullying.”