13-year old kayaks 13 miles to help raise funds for homeless in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Axel Wright just finished kayaking from Channel Islands to Oxnard, but his desire to go kayaking wasn’t just for fun. 

The Santa Barbara Middle School 8th grader wanted to do something special for his 13th birthday.

So he created a GoFundMe page and kayaked 13 miles to support Santa Barbara area homelessness.

"I felt if I had an opportunity ... I should take it … and I should help out," said Wright.

Axel chose local nonprofit DignityMoves, an organization that provides interim housing and supportive services for Santa Barbara County homeless, to be the recipient of the funds he raised.

"I was stunned. I was really stunned, and I was so excited to be able to meet him," said regional advancement director Jack Lorenz of DignityMoves.

"I’m just blown away by that ... I’m amazed," said client Michael Gosser of DignityMoves.

DignityMoves directors said Wright's fundraiser to help the homeless is like nothing they’ve ever seen from a youth. 

"This is the very first kid that has actually stepped up in a way like this for us. We’ve never had anybody raise this kind of money for us," said Lorenz.

Wright's plan was to raise $1,300, but he has since passed his financial goal. 

"I raised like $3,600. I wanted to help people and make their lives better. Even if it wasn’t like a million dollars. Just like helping," said Wright.

While Wright was prepared for the expedition across the channel, he did not anticipate the profound impact of his visit to those at DignityMoves Village.

"It just makes me want to be a better person," said Gosser.

To help Wright raise more funds for his campaign, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/wx6uw8-kayaking-for-a-cause.