When Hannah Ingram-Moore suggested her father walk the 2.5km (1.6 miles) perimeter of his home garden as a way to stay active during the COVID-19 lockdown orders, she sweetened the pot by telling him, “I’ll give you a pound for every length that you do and if you do 100 by your 100th birthday that’ll be 100 pounds.”
Aiming to raise £1,000 by his 100th birthday at the end of this month, Capt. Tom Moore, a veteran of WWII, felt inspired to take on that challenge and raise money for NHS Charities Together as a way to say ‘thank you’ for helping him during his recent recovery from a broken hip and skin cancer. Serving as an umbrella organization that supports more than 250 individual NHS charities across the UK, they play a key role in funding pioneering medical research, mobilising volunteers to support NHS staff, and provide a forum for nationwide fundraising and advocacy campaigns that buoy the staff of the U.K.’s beloved National Health Service.
Less than 2 weeks later, this month’s #BeBetter Hero has raised a whopping £18,000,000 and has taken the world by storm with his efforts!
Eric and Erica Threlkeld in January at the border of the United States and Los Algodones, Mexico. (Eric Threlkeld)
“This is unbelievable, it really is. You can’t believe when you see these sums of money come along,” said Capt. Moore in a video interview, sitting in an armchair and dressed in a shirt and tie.
With more than 900,000 people already who have donated to his JustGiving campaign, the record traffic caused a momentary crash as he finished his 100th lap live on BBC breakfast.
He even caught the eye of Prince William, who called him a “one-man fundraising machine.”
During the war, he served with the British army India and Burma, now known as Myanmar, and went on to become an instructor at The Armoured Fighting Vehicle School.
While the image of the WWII vet in a suit jacket emblazoned with medals has in itself inspired many, so has the effort to help the country's socialized health service. The NHS is under unprecedented strain from coronavirus and workers facing similar equipment shortages as in the U.S., and Moore's challenge struck a chord.
Many of the funds donated to NHS Charities Together are disseminated to charities to use at a local level - and that's where the kind of money raised by Capt Tom will be spent. As a notable example of the impact those funds can have, the money has already helped pay for electronic tablets that allow patients who are in isolation in hospital to have contact with their friends and family.
“To all those people who are finding it difficult at the moment…
the sun will shine on you again, and the clouds will go away.” - Capt. Tom Moore
Moore's effort on behalf of health workers has also inspired nearly half a million people to sign a petition for him to receive a knighthood, with the midwife who started it calling him an “amazing motivational hero.”
“We created this little gem and he became a picture of hope in the United Kingdom in all this adversity,” said Ingram-Moore of her father.
Encouraged by the tremendous support, Capt. Moore completed his task on Thursday, April 16 — dressed in a suit and tie, with service medals on his lapel — well ahead of schedule. Standing on either side of him as he finished his last lengths was a guard of honor in uniform, with health care workers cheering him on at the end of the path.
“It isn’t for me, it’s for all the people, the doctors and the nurses, whichever country you are in, it’s for them because they are doing so well,” he said of the funds he raised. “They are the front line and we're all behind giving them back up, providing the goods they need, and a little pat on the back to tell them how well they are doing.”
And for this selfless act during an unprecedented pandemic, we salute Capt. Moore. Yet another incredible story of how one person with a simple, humble goal to help others can truly change the world!
Do you know someone like Capt. Moore who is not letting something as silly as age or being in self-quarantine stop them from having an impact on their community?
Take a minute to tell us and describe how they live up to the I Do It For Her mission and maybe we can help them continue having that impact! And if you haven’t already, please consider making a tax-exempt donation to help us provide partial scholarships to low-income students attending college.
Hope each and every one of you are staying safe amidst all this coronavirus tragedy. Please remember to look out for those in need and try your best to stay connected to others if you’re practicing self-quarantine or social-distancing.
- Adam