CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. — If you've ever visited Athens, you may have run into a disabled street artist with an incredible talent.
He recently became the target of a thief trying to make some quick cash.
Now, the Bulldog community is stepping in to help.
Channel 2’s Tom Regan talked to the artist about the overwhelming kindness.
"I just look at my art as a blessing from God,” Michael Davenport said.
Davenport says he discovered his artistic talent in the wake of a terrible tragedy.
While playing outside at age 13, he grabbed some cables that he didn’t know were electrified.
“A high voltage power line, 75,000 went through me. I was a little kid trying to be Spider-Man that day,” Davenport said.
He lost both of his hands, but two years later, he discovered something he never knew he could do.
“So, I started writing with my mouth, and became an artist,” he said.
For decades now, he's been sketching bulldog portraits for University of Georgia fans.
But last week, police say, someone got out of a van and stole nearly $60 that Davenport had collected from his sketches.
He was on a bathroom break.
“I (came) back out, I noticed my red donation bowl was gone,” he said.
The thief also took his art supplies.
But like his art, there was beauty in the response of those who’d heard about what happened. More and more people including Christa Perry started showing up to buy his unique sketches.
“He's been around forever, and everybody loves him,” Perry said.
A manager at the motel where Davenport lives set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for the artist. The fundraiser page says that the manager received countless phone calls about people wanting to help pay for Davenport’s stay at the hotel, prompting the manager to help Davenport setup a savings account and then the GoFundMe.
It says it is to “help him get back on his feet.” It has raised more than $37,000 in donations as of Saturday morning.
Caring and generous neighbors have donated thousands of dollars already.
Davenport says he is grateful to all who show they care.
“It made me feel good inside and let me know God (does) hear some prayers,” he said.
Davenport says he hopes his art provides joy and inspiration to others, especially to children.
“I’m just trying to show everyone you can be the best you be, with hands or without hands,” he said.
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