Model who raised more than $500,000 for bushfire victims after sending fans nudes in return for donations has her Instagram account deactivated
- Kaylen Ward offered to send a nude photo of herself to any person who donated
- She has already raised more than AUD$500,000 for the current bushfire appeal
- Texan model said her family has disowned her but she doesn’t regret decision
An American Instagram model raised more than $500,000 for Australian bushfire victims by sending nude images of herself in exchange for donations to charities.
However, Kaylen Ward, 20, claims her generosity has seen her Instagram account deactivated.
The Los Angeles-based influencer said she wanted to help after seeing the devastation the bushfires had caused and thought her x-rated images would be the best way to raise funds.
Instagram model Kaylen Ward was sending nude photos to people who donate to fires
Ms Ward, 20, claims her generosity has seen her Instagram account deactivated
Within minutes of posting her offer on social media, her private messages on Instagram and Twitter were bombarded by hundreds of people sending in their receipts to prove they had donated.
But when the post went viral Ms Ward’s Instagram was deactivated, and she was forced to start a new account while she worked on reinstating her original account.
On Monday she shared that both accounts had been deactivated.
‘My IG got deactivated, my family disowned me, and the guy I like won’t talk to all because of that tweet but f*** it, save the koalas,’ she said.
Despite her accounts being deleted, Ms Ward claims she still managed to raise half a million dollars.
‘We have hit and estimated $500k…… guys I am crying…. this is f***ing crazy.’
To receive a ‘personalised’ nude image, people had to provide proof of a donation of more than $10 being pledged to an Australian charity.
She listed some of the official organisations her followers could donate to which would help the fire efforts
Ms Ward said she was moved to contributing to the fire cause after she saw harrowing photographs online
She asked her followers to donate directly to a list of charities she suggested, which included NSW Rural Fire Service, Victorian Country Fire Service, Red Cross and certain koala hospitals across the nation.
Ms Ward hoped her post would attract ‘a few thousand dollars’.
Within one day, she had about 20,000 messages in her inbox with receipts.
Ms Ward said now some of her other friends in the industry have followed suit, and together they’re all continuing to raise money for the cause.
‘When I first started I was nervous, super anxious. But five minutes later, my inbox was flooded and those thoughts went out the window,’ she said.
She will now consider doing the same for future natural disasters.