Ed. note: Hi Google! Check out this follow-up: So, About That ‘Creepy’ Chauncy’s Chance Campaign if you arrived by way of search engine.
We previously discussed the mega viral Chauncy’s Chance campaign but have to be honest with you: it’s really starting to creep us out.
Feel good news stories say the campaign’s owner Matt White is an ‘angel’ who did a selfless thing for a family in need. On the surface, it would appear that his intentions were good. And we want to make it clear that we aren’t accusing him of fraud. However, there are some giant red flags with this entire situation we simply cannot ignore.
Matt has appeared to make it his duty to serve as press rep and spokesperson for Chauncy’s family. He frequently speaks about ‘we’ and ‘us’ when talking about the blessings ‘they’ are receiving due to this fundraiser. First red flag.
Matt quickly purchased multiple domain names shortly after the fundraiser went viral and continues to refer to it as a movement, one in which he obviously plays a large role. You’ll note the family is rarely if ever interviewed without Matt hovering close by. Second red flag.
Statements Matt has made to the media are starting to contradict themselves. As the family has been driven out of their home ‘for their safety,’ it seems as though Matt has decided he should accompany them on the run. Third — and massive — red flag.
Check out this WMC report:
White said Barbara told him to set up the fund a specific way.
“I want you to set this up so neither me nor Chauncy have access to this money,” she told White.
White said it is being put in a managed fund that will go toward a house and Chauncy’s education. And, they both said they are grateful.
Matt White said he and the family have found a safe place. He said the money will not be available for them for about a month, so Kroger has donated food and he is using his credit card for expenses.
As we know it per Matt, he bought the family $70 in groceries when he first met Chauncy 2 weeks ago. And now we’re being told Kroger has donated food. So, we should assume they’re set for a bit. But then, in another interview, Matt describes their new life in hiding, and says they are getting by thanks to the kindness of strangers. They?? Did he not have his own apartment and food when he met this young man?
Then we have this report from WREG:
Home is now wherever 15-year-old Chauncy Black and Matt White can find it.
“Right now I just have to keep them on the move because everybody recognizes me and Chauncy wherever we go,” White said.
We caught up with them and Chauncy’s grandmother and brother after they spent the night with friends who opened their home in East Memphis.
“We are just living off the graces of other people right now for food and for places to stay,” White said.
So wait, now the ‘good Samaritan’ is on the run with the family, needing handouts from anyone who will help him them? How can anyone watch the interview above and not feel completely creeped out?
Now check out this video Matt posted to his ‘Chauncy’s Chance’ YouTube channel. Notice they are sharing a chair and Matt has his arm oppressively swung around Chauncy’s shoulder. Is this appropriate behavior for a grown man and a child he didn’t even know 3 weeks ago?
On that note, there’s also this photo Matt posted to his Facebook page the other day. Yeah, because taking pictures of people when they’re sleeping isn’t creepy at all.
In one of 20 updates to the GoFundMe campaign, Matt speaks of how “God keeps providing for us” and that “[E]ach day we are being provided for.” Again, we have to ask: who is we?? Without knowing any better, based on the way he speaks and the fact that he has basically moved in with this family, we’re wondering if Matt had anything of his own before meeting Chauncy?
At this point, it’s clear Matt is driven by ego. He can claim it’s the work of God all he wants, but this is straight up creepy. He needs to butt out, go back to his apartment (if he has one), assign an independent trustee to manage the $336k+ raised to date, and leave them the hell alone. All Chauncy wanted on that fateful day was some donuts, and now he’s being trotted out to the media and dragged on this ‘journey’ which Matt claims is a gift from God.
It’s unlikely Matt is going anywhere. He has added “Chief Executive Officer at Chauncy’s Chance” to his jobs on Facebook. Clearly, he believes this is his job now. And it is beyond weird.
If the family is in ‘hiding,’ why is Matt constantly giving interviews? Does it have anything to do with the fact that he continues to raise the campaign’s goal amount? Is $336,000 really not enough??
Mark our words: things will get crazier once the money is released. He stated in an earlier interview excerpted above that it will be about a month before ‘they’ see any money. We can’t help but wonder if Chauncy and his family are simply going along with Matt’s intrusive insertion into their lives because they haven’t seen any money yet.
Stop eating it up, people. Stop encouraging this invasion of privacy and calling it generosity. Stop feeding this man’s ego and telling him what an angel he is. Perhaps he meant well at the beginning but this has gotten absolutely out of hand and I hope for Chauncy’s sake he is able to get out from under the grip of this ego-driven creep who made this story all about him.
We’re saying what others are afraid to say because we are concerned about this young man. And our creep-o-meter is rarely wrong.
We will, of course, be keeping a close eye on this one. If you’ve come across any posts or videos you find odd, get in touch.
