As I am sure you all know, both Netflix and Hulu recently released documentaries about the infamous Fyre Festival.
And if you are not sure what that is — it was an event where hundreds of people from around the world purchased heinously expensive tickets to party alongside the world’s top models — only to be met with a huge, disappointing scam organized by Ja Rule and Billy McFarland.
Both documentaries respectfully garnered the public’s attention — revealing the underbelly of what exactly went wrong at what was supposed to be one of the most lavish experiences in the history of ever for those who could fork over the cash.
Long story short, upon arriving — visitors were met with no place to sleep along with no food or water.
How much was a ticket you ask?
Anywhere from $500 to $12,000 — which promised luxury accommodations, 5-star food along with concerts of the world’s most famous performers.
And while many who were involved were scammed — folks were moved by the festival’s staff that did not receive a paycheck.
Of those folks, Maryann Rolle, featured in the Netflix documentary, operated as a caterer for the festival’s employees and visitors.
A bar owner, she worked 24-hour shifts and fed over 1,000 people.
But Maryann was not paid and decided to drain her savings account so she could pay her workers — which ended up costing her $50,000.
Viewers were moved by her generosity to her employees and decided to support Maryann as well as everyone who was hired to work for the festival.
It was not long before Maryann’s story went viral and folks began to donate money to her GoFundMe page.
People have donated over $209,000 to the Bahamian business owner.
Maryann shared on her GoFundMe page the following:
“It has been an unforgettable experience catering to the organizers of Fyre Festival. Back in April 2017 I pushed myself to the limit catering no less than a 1000 meals per day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all prepared and delivered by Exuma Point to Coco Plum Beach and Roker’s Point where the main events were scheduled to take place. Organizers would also visit my Exuma Point location to enjoy the prepared meals.
Fyre Fest organizers were also checked into all the rooms at Exuma Point Resort.
As I make this plea it’s hard to believe and embarrassing to admit that I was not paid…I was left in a big hole! My life was changed forever, and my credit was ruined by Fyre Fest.
My only resource today is to appeal for help.
There is an old saying that goes “bad publicity is better than no publicity” and I pray that whoever reads this plea is able to assist.”
And folks heard her plea, with commenters on the GoFundMe page sharing:
“I saw the interview on Netflix and it broke my heart to see such a caring and hard-working person to be taken advantage of. I want to help in any way I could. I hope you make enough to get your feet back on the ground.”
While another shared:
“This woman paid her staff with her own money and she deserves to be paid back with something more than money and I think that that is a movement of people that fully understand and appreciate what she did.”
Ja Rule, one of the main organizers of the event, has since made a statement saying how sorry he is for the trouble he caused and had not intended to scam anyone as he only hoped to create an amazing experience for people.
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