Last August, atheist Matt Wilbourn made a $100 donation to the Murrow Indian Children’s Home because a staffer told him about the work they do and he wanted to make a contribution (regardless of religious affiliation). He filled out the donation form and (honestly) said the money was being given on behalf of the Muskogee Atheist Community, which he belonged to.

That donation was almost immediately rejected. The children’s home didn’t want to acknowledge the atheist group publicly, as they did with all their donors, so they said no to the $100. Matt was dumbfounded and wondered if they’d also reject a donation of $250. They did.

At this point, it became less about the donation, and more about why a charity that purported to help children would reject a lot of money that could help those kids. How much money would it take for them to get over the fact that atheists raised it?

Matt and his wife Keli eventually raised more than $25,000 for the home… all of which was still rejected. The kids didn’t need it, I guess. Matt eventually donated the money to Camp Quest Oklahoma.

This past March, Matt told his version of the story at Freethought Festival, a free conference organized by the Atheists, Humanists, & Agnostics of the University of Wisconsin Madison.

It was a truly incredible story of atheist generosity mixed with Christian hypocrisy, pride, and stubbornness. Just because a donation comes from atheists doesn’t mean it’s tainted. Maybe if the folks at the Murrow Home put the children they serve in front of their own egos, everyone would’ve been better off.

But the massive donation to Camp Quest at least makes for a happy ending.