Hello, guys!
Today, we are going to talk about a man who proves that there is nothing in the world that a person can’t do. His name is Phil Heckels and he is from Worthing in England. What he has done is that he has collected a whopping 13.6k pounds (nearly 18k dollars) as a charity.
But what is impressive about the entire thing is that he has managed to collect such a large amount of money with his crappy drawing skills. Hercule is 38 and he has never drawn in his life (his drawing also says so). However, while making thank you cards with his son, he drew a couple of things and uploaded them.
It seems like people really liked his crappy drawing skills because after he has uploaded those pictures, they went viral. After that, people started approaching Hercule to make lousy pet drawings for them.
“The requests for portraits have gone through the roof. I have no way of counting the messages in my Facebook inbox, but I think there must be approximately 2,000, maybe more. I have had to slow down the output a little over these couple of days due to all of the media commitments taking up time, but hopefully, people will bear with me and I hope to be back to drawing 3-5 portraits per day which has probably been about my average,” he said.
Scroll down to check out the crappy pet drawings.
The Head of Fundraising and Communications, Ruth Poyner, says that “we, at Turning Tides, are absolutely thrilled by the amazing talent, energy, and enthusiasm Phil (aka Hercule Van Wolfwinkle) has poured into his Pet Portraits. Phil and all his avid supporters have not only raised a staggering £10,000+ in just a month, in support of our charity; he has also increased awareness of the rising numbers of homeless men and women in our community”.
“We are facing an unprecedented need for our services in West Sussex and are greatly concerned as we enter the winter months, how the ongoing pandemic will have an impact on the hundreds of men and women we already support but also those who will inevitably become homeless and need our support as the economic consequences of Covid take effect.”
“Phil is exceptionally self-effacing but he has really brought a smile to so many at such a difficult time. Additionally, to know the donations from his much-beloved pet portraits will also have a lasting positive impact on the most vulnerable people in our community is really very special.”
“Turning Tides believe that everyone has the right to a home, regardless of the difficulties they may face in their lives. The work we undertake to empower homeless and insecurely housed individuals is vital,” Poyner shared.
“Through a variety of specialist support services, both residential and community-based, the aim for each person is that they are empowered to fulfill their potential and secure a brighter future. Turning Tides is the largest provider of homeless services for single people throughout West Sussex. We run 22 properties in various locations across the county and we are firmly committed to ending local homelessness. For over 28 years, we have supported thousands of rough sleepers and homeless men and women.”
“After a couple of shares, I started getting requests from people I didn’t know asking for portraits. That’s when I set up the Facebook page Pet Portraits By Hercule and the JustGiving page which is raising money for my local homelessness charity, Turning Tides. I was having fun drawing the pictures, people seemed to enjoy laughing at them, and if we could make a bit of money for a brilliant cause in the process—great!”
English