The donation campaign for Karen Klein, the 68-year-old bullied bus monitor from the Greece School District in Greece, N.Y., ended Friday, according to the Indiegogo campaign page.
The campaign raised $703,873 -- more than 45 times Klein's annual salary of $15,506 and much more than the original goal of $5,000. A spokesperson for the campaign said around 30,000 people contributed money following the vicious verbal abuse she endured at the hands of the children she was monitoring.
Max Sidorov, the Toronto man who set up the the Indiegogo account for Klein, told the Associated Press that while the total donation amount shocked him, the outpouring of support for the bus monitor "warms his heart."
“I think that people just love rallying around a great cause, especially helping someone in need or who has been abused or can’t stand up for themselves," Sidorov told the AP. "It just shows there are so many great people in the world"
Late last month, People magazine reported Klein said she plans to donate some of the money to charity and invest the rest.
As for whether or not she plans to return to her job in the fall, Klein told the magazine she's still undecided.
Other school bullying incidents:
