Tag Archives: gymnastics-last

Karen Klein, the Upstate New York bus monitor made famous by a viral video in which she was bullied by middle school boys, is planning to retire. The announcement comes just one week after a web campaign effort padded the bus monitor’s pockets with more than $700,000 in donations . “I’m not quitting because of what happened. That’s not it,” Klein, the 68-year-old bus monitor, told The AP. “I enjoyed working with the kids.” “I guess it’s just my time to leave . That’s what I’ve decided.” In the video, Klein is shown sitting on a school bus as teen boys hurl the most vile insults at her for over 10 minutes, eventually making her cry. The video has been reposted so many times it’s impossible to tell how many times it’s been viewed, but Klein obviously became a cause celebre. Max Sidorov, 25, was inspired to start the campaign on Indiegogo (dot) com, writing “Lets Give Karen – the bus monitor – Klein a Vacation!” Although Sidorov’s goal was to raise $5,000 by July, the site drew in $703,833 from 30,000 donors in all 50 states and more than 84 countries. “I think people love rallying around a cause, especially helping someone in need or who has been abused or can’t stand up for themselves,” Sidorov said. “It just shows there are so many great people in the world. It warms my heart.”