BUILD meets MrBeast: The big ask that became a force for good

“I say we’re building two things: Texas Aggie Medical Clinics and leaders,” said Chris Permetti ’27, chief financial officer of BUILD. “We’re sending these leaders out into the real world with skills they learned on a construction site. In Texas, there were 33 counties without medical access; we’ve helped drop that number to 31. And across the world, we’re providing access to people who can only dream of having an urgent care five minutes away.”

Founded in 2013, BUILD is a student-run nonprofit organization that unites Texas A&M students to convert 40-foot shipping containers into portable Texas Aggie Medical Clinics (TAMCs) for deployment worldwide. Although the students donate their time and labor, such a noble endeavor still requires funding, which comes primarily from generous donors.

At the end of 2023, Eric Wang ’24 and Jack Delk ’24 of BUILD’s 2023 External Relations team decided to take a chance with their donor-outreach efforts, sending social media direct messages (DMs) to leaders of various philanthropic groups — leaders Permetti described as “the top dogs … people that you would never think would reply to students.”

Permetti acknowledged the move was a long shot. In fact, he called it a “Hail Mary.”

“And, you know, one of the Hail Marys, I guess you could say, was caught for a touchdown,” he said, referring to one very important DM.

That DM led to a partnership with Beast Philanthropy, a nonprofit group that has donated over $300 million to charity since its establishment in 2020 and pledges 100% of its profits to charitable purposes. The students also got the opportunity to meet MrBeast (real name Jimmy Donaldson), an American YouTuber and entrepreneur widely recognized as the world’s biggest content creator, during the project.

Would the world-famous MrBeast extend his generosity to BUILD and its efforts?

“We sent a DM, and 30 minutes later, we got a response saying, ‘Yeah, why not?’” an excited Permetti said with a grin.

BUILD used the funding from Beast Philanthropy to produce five TAMCs, converting 40-foot shipping containers into fully functional medical clinics with dedicated spaces for patient triage, laboratory testing and private treatment. After their completion, the TAMCs were taken to Houston, Texas, where partner nonprofit Medical Bridges outfitted them with the surplus medical supplies and equipment it repurposes to benefit communities in need. Once fully equipped, the TAMCs were transported to their destinations in Texas, Massachusetts, Kenya, Nigeria and Ukraine.

Because of MrBeast’s massive YouTube presence and appeal, BUILD team members are understandably excited about the Beast Philanthropy gift — even if faculty adviser Dr. Gordon Carstens, Texas A&M professor of animal nutrition in the Department of Animal Science, wasn’t exactly sure at first who MrBeast was.

“When they told me about it, I said, ‘What’s that?’ I had no clue what Beast even was. And so I said, ‘Well, hey, why not?’ You know, they got lucky. It’s just a simple, random, ‘Hey, let’s reach out, see if they’re interested.’ And they were very successful,” Carstens said.

After Beast Philanthropy agreed to come on board, paperwork to complete the gift to BUILD began in mid-2024. Work on the five TAMCs began later, and MrBeast announced the joint project via YouTube video on April 26.

“When I came to Texas A&M, I never thought I would get the chance to work with MrBeast and to be the leader of this partnership,” said Meer Mahfuz ’26, BUILD president and chief executive officer. “In my mind, MrBeast is a whole different category of content creator and influencer, and his content was super influential to me and my childhood, as well as a lot of my friends here.”

“When I found out we were going to partner with MrBeast, I was jumping up and down. … I was whooping and hollering. … How could this even happen? I mean, this is such a big name, and we’re just students,” said Reagan Johnson ’27, BUILD chief operating officer.

But according to Permetti, BUILD is exactly the type of organization MrBeast seeks out.

“I’ve watched a lot of his other philanthropy videos, and he is big on the impact of the world. Everyone always said when I was growing up that you’re up next, that you’re the next generation. And I think BUILD is really the essence of building the new generation up to help solve these problems, solve these crazy issues that people are dealing with. You know, you’re building these shipping containers into fully functional medical clinics that we send around the world, but you’re also building these leaders and these students up to go take on these world challenges,” Permetti said.

Nearly 13 years ago, Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Deputy Corps Commander Bryson A. Sutterfield established BUILD as a student organization. “It is about taking the passion, the work ethic, the ingenuity and the selflessness of Aggies and creating something that will permanently impact lives. BUILD is what will bring us together as an Aggie Family and produce a tangible product,” Sutterfield explained when forming the organization.

Originally established with a three-year mission to build 12 TAMCs to honor the 12 fallen Aggies from Bonfire, BUILD continues to this day because students have stepped up each year to continue it. Since BUILD’s founding, more than 20,000 Aggie student volunteers have produced 60 TAMCs, impacting over 200,000 people in 24 countries across five continents, according to the BUILD website.

“It’s special that students are still doing this. This project could have died out after the initial group left, but now, year after year, students say, ‘No, I want to take this on.’ It requires grit. We go to class 15 hours a week, we work jobs and we still want to grow this organization,” Permetti said.

Johnson noted that passion and dedication enable Aggie students to create lasting change through BUILD, regardless of their age and experience level.

“Just because you’re 19, just because you’re 20, 21, 22, 27 — it doesn’t matter how old you are. There are so many Aggies who want to give back to the community. When I think of a force for good, I think of the BUILD students, and I think of the future leaders that we’re building,” he said.

Mahfuz agreed.

“BUILD is a tangible way for Texas A&M students to come together as a force for good. With Texas A&M students, it’s never that difficult,” he said.

Mahfuz also highlights that this collaboration with MrBeast will bring BUILD a whole new level of exposure. Partnering with Beast Philanthropy can amplify the university’s service and research impact by connecting Texas A&M expertise and student engagement to a massive global audience. This increased reach could draw attention to donation opportunities and raise awareness of high-need initiatives while showcasing measurable outcomes.

“He is the most subscribed YouTuber in the world,” Mahfuz explained. “We’re excited to see the work finally culminate in this one massive show-and-tell.”

Permetti concurred.

“The Massachusetts one will definitely see a huge impact because everyone knows who he is around here. Internationally, in Kenya and Nigeria, I don’t know how well he is known, but I think the clinics will elevate the interest in rural health in those regions. Other charity groups will see it and say, ‘Hey, this is something that needs to be focused on,’” he said.

“The ripple effects will be different partners reaching out to us,” Mahfuz added. “One thing we’ve talked about internally is the potential to inspire other college students. You don’t need to be rich to provide care; it’s college students at Texas A&M doing it across three continents.”

Like the thousands of other Aggies determined to do their part to make a brighter, safer world, Mahfuz sees far enough beyond himself to understand how the work he’s doing in Texas will transcend distance and other barriers to improve lives around the globe.

“There’s so much health care access that they don’t have that these clinics will provide out there. And the biggest thing that our clinics will do is provide hope that there are people in the rest of the world who care about those communities and that we’re here to help them,” Mahfuz said. “BUILD students are coming together to show that we care.”

Johnson also recognizes that his individual efforts coalesce with those of his BUILD colleagues to create a powerful force for good with a global reach. Through selfless service and leadership, along with a belief that anything is possible, Aggies are making a positive difference in the world — an outcome that aligns with Beast Philanthropy’s goal to “make kindness viral” while focusing on community-based projects with sustainable, long-term benefit.

“We’re BUILD students, but we’re also Aggies at heart, so we take pride in selfless service. But leadership is also important. Those guys didn’t reach out to MrBeast for fame — they did it because it was what was best for the organization and the world,” Johnson said. “We are making a huge impact. But the core component is uniting the student body.”

 Donations to BUILD can be made through the Texas A&M Foundation.