Community unites to help 11-year-old raising money for mom's funeral with a heartbreaking sign

Losing a parent is one of the most heartbreaking things a child has to go through, especially when they have no one else or are not financially stable. Something similar happened with 11-year-old Kayden Ely. Days after his 45-year-old mother, Shannon Mount, passed away on July 18, 2024, the tween had to stand by the side of a road holding a sign to get financial help to bury her, reported WSBTV.

When Mount suffered a cardiac arrest on July 8, her boyfriend, Billy Upton, performed CPR until the paramedics arrived, according to the New York Post. She was on life support until she died on July 18. Days later, Ely was seen holding a sign that read, "Please help bury my Mama!" on the roadside in his town of Lindale, Georgia. Community members took note of Ely standing with the sign and joined him on the side of the road, selling hot dogs and drinks to raise money. Eventually, a driver who saw Ely standing with the sign, shared it online, which grabbed attention, reports 11Alive. 

Jennifer Fife, Mount's cousin, came up with the idea to set up a GoFundMe campaign for the funeral. Fife wrote on the website that Mount did "not have life insurance and she has an 11-year-old that is left without the only thing he ever knew. He has been standing on the side of the road for two days with a sign to help bury his mama." She also shared that Ely was on a mission to raise money for his mother's funeral.

Though the funeral costs were covered, people continued to donate. Eventually, they raised about $77,291, which was way above the goal of $7,100. That's not all. An unknown individual also donated a burial plot to Ely. Addressing the donations in an update, Fife said that anything above the funeral amount would go toward meeting Ely's needs and his college fund. She wrote, "With all the extra donations, his aunt Jessica Davis and I would like to make sure Kayden gets to do things children his age get to do, sports, camps, etc... today we took him to Walmart so he could get a bed set and he got a few things he needed."

She narrated that when they were leaving Walmart, Ely's aunt asked him why he was so happy and he responded, "Mamma and I didn't have much money. We were poor and I didn't get to go buy stuff like this." Fife marveled that despite this, all he got was "a bed set, toothbrush, pillows and pillowcases. He is so thankful. Thank you all for making him smile." Mount left behind three sons, Chance Smith, Austin Ross and Kayden Ely and two daughters, Tabitha Ross and Destiny Ross.

In Mount's obituary, the family wrote that she "didn't sugarcoat anything and was ready to tell you off if you needed it. She loved her kids fiercely, even when life got messy. She loved her boyfriend, her friends, and anyone who crossed her path. She never met a stranger and tried to help everyone she could, even when she was wandering, never really settling down." Mount's funeral will be conducted on July 27, 2024.