People often say that today’s kids don’t respect their elders. And yes, sometimes that’s true—young people should appreciate those who helped build the world we live in today. But that’s not the whole story. Many young people do amazing things every day that deserve more recognition.
This is one such story, and I hope that by sharing it, we can spread its impact far and wide, like ripples in a pond.
In 2018, Evoni Williams was just 18 years old, working her usual shift at a Waffle House in Houston. It was a day like any other until she noticed an elderly man sitting at the counter. He was using an oxygen tank to help him breathe, and he was struggling to cut his food. Seeing this, Evoni didn’t hesitate. She stepped in to help the man, whose hands weren’t as steady as they used to be.
A customer named Laura Wolf was sitting nearby and saw what Evoni did. “She took his plate and started cutting up his ham without hesitation,” Laura said.
Moved by this simple act of kindness, Laura took a photo and posted it on Facebook.
“To him, this may seem small, but I’m sure it was huge,” Laura wrote. “With so much bad in the world, I’m grateful to have witnessed this act of love and caring at the start of my day.”
Within a week, Evoni’s kindness had gone viral, with over 40,000 people sharing the story on Facebook. The attention didn’t stop there. The Texas Southern University School saw the post and decided to offer Evoni a $16,000 scholarship.
For Evoni, who had just graduated from high school in May and was working at Waffle House to save money for college, this scholarship was life-changing.
Even though everyone was praising her, Evoni remained humble. She told the Houston Chronicle, “I didn’t know the photo was taken until a couple of hours later.”
When asked about why she did it, the 18-year-old said, “It’s just something I would do for anybody when I saw it. It was the right thing to do.”
Stories like this warm the heart. The world needs more people like Evoni, who go out of their way to help others. It’s wonderful that her small act of kindness led to such a big reward.
Please share this story on Facebook. It will inspire more people to bring kindness into their everyday lives.
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