After seeing the flag near the city of Eldon, Missouri, Amanda Burrows started a GoFundMe page on May 3 to collect money for her own sign right next to it that reads: “Equality, bigger than hate.”

“As a society we’ve evolved past owning our neighbors,” Burrows wrote on the donations page. “I respect the history of our country and do not wish to live in a place where we can’t have differing opinions. The money spent locally in Eldon & Lake of the Ozarks by tourists benefits all local residents. I don’t want visitors to this area to leave with the impression that Eldon is stuck in a place of ignorance, hate, & racism.”

“This is not what this area is about; we wave at our neighbors, empty our pockets at cancer fundraisers & only raise taxes for schools & police officers,” she added. “I’m proud of that. I also want anyone who doesn’t look like me to feel welcome here. Love, not Hate.”

The original goal was to raise $3,850, according to KMIZ, an ABC-affiliate television station in Columbia. The money donated would cover artwork, vinyl and the fees to purchase the billboard for six months.

As of Monday morning, $37,480 had been donated by more than 1,000 people to Burrows’ cause.

The billboard went up at the beginning of June at the El Rancho and Eldon exit of the highway. Earlier this month, Burrows said that enough money was raised to extend their lease on the sign for another six months.

Donors are spread across the country, according to the GoFundMe Page. People from Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas and Guam have put money towards the cause.

“I live in a part of Florida where confederate flags are flown a lot,” one donor wrote on the page. “It saddens me that my neighbors pretend it doesn’t stand for slavery and white supremacy. Love your message.”

Burrows said in an update posted on Sunday that the response to the billboard has been “overwhelming & positive.”

“I am reading every comment & my heart is full,” she wrote. “This has exceeded every expectation I set when this was started. With this support, we can continue to exercise our right to free speech for the foreseeable future. Equality is bigger then hate.”

Newsweek reached out to Burrows for additional comment but did not receive a response before publication.