How A Horrific Killing Led This Guy To Run 3,000 Miles Raising Bitcoin For The Homeless
Jason King, founder Sean's Outpost
Homeless advocate, runner, and Bitcoin lover Jason King has combined all three together for an epic adventure. He's running across the country — some 3,100 miles — to raise money in Bitcoin for the homeless.
He's the founder of Sean's Outpost, a homeless outreach center in Pensacola, Fla., which is named for King's best friend who was allegedly robbed and then killed in 2012.
Recently, Sean's Outpost discovered it could do more to house and feed people when it received Bitcoin donations instead of other currencies.
Back in March, when one Bitcoin was worth about $50, Sean's Outpost made this announcement that it would be accepting the currency: “Donate 1 BTC and we will feed 40 people.”
Over the course of the following months, donations poured in including a donation of 75 Bitcoins from Butterfly Labs/Bitcoin Development Fund.
Sean's Outpost went from being able to provide 50 meals a week to thousands per week. Then it built homes for them, hiring the homeless to do the work and teaching them a job skill along the way.
On his blog, King explained why Bitcoin, which allows people to transfer money anonymously, was an ideal way to support his work:
Yes, yes we can build houses with [U.S. dollars] too. That's not unique to Bitcoin. But there is a lot unique to this community. And a lot of goodwill and compassion here. And being able to receive donations, globally, without a record of donors that can be confiscated is a big damn deal. ... When you allow people to dictate who has the right to donations you never know where that will stop.
Sean's Outpost is now nearly legendary in the Bitcoin community.
So, as part of this ultra-marathon, KryptoKit, an online Bitcoin wallet, supplied King with an RV as a support vehicle.
Jason King holds author Jeffrey Tucker in front of the KryptoKit bus
King began his run from the North American Bitcoin Conference in Miami on January 26, and he will make a pit stop on March 6 at the Texas Bitcoin Conference, where he's speaking.
The marathon is an amazing enough story on its own. But this adventure has its roots in a horrible tragedy.
Sean's Outpost is named for King's best friend, Sean Dugas, who was killed in 2012. Dugas was 30 when he was killed.
Two brothers allegedly robbed him for his valuable collection of cards used in the role-playing game "Magic: The Gathering." Each card created for the game is unique and gives players various powers. Some of the cards in Dugas's collection were worth between $25,000 and $100,000, police told Tampa Bay 10News.
Dugas's body was found buried in concrete in the backyard of the brother's father's home in Georgia, weeks after Dugas had been reported missing, the Associated Press reported. The cards were sold in Pensacola, Tenn. and Georgia, the police said.
Dugas loved people so King wanted to honor his memory by helping people in need, the homeless, King said on his website. And the adventure began from there.
Donations are accepted here.
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