When people make fun of the less fortunate, they often don’t think of the hurt they can cause. Luckily, Simon Childs found support as well as ridicule.
Simon Childs is a hard working person who is going through a difficult time.
He’s 21 years old and a father. He does all that he can to support his child. In fact, he always puts the kid before himself, giving the child’s mother most of his paycheck.
Even then, Childs was getting by, when tragedy struck. His mother died suddenly.
This set off a chain of events that led to Childs becoming homeless. But he was able to keep his job at McDonald’s.
One day, when he had had no sleep for almost 24 hours, he went on his break and sat at one of the tables in his workplace. He couldn’t keep his eyes open and fell asleep. Before he knew it, he was lying on the chairs, getting rest.
As he was resting, a woman who was eating at the store took his picture. She uploaded it to Facebook with the caption “Just another reason for me to leave Fayetteville.”
That post soon went viral. Later, one of Childs’s friends showed him the post. It was another punch to the gut. Losing his mother. Losing his home. Now public shame for trying to rest.
“Everything I do, I want to work for it. It kind of hurt to see my picture up there, you know?” – Simon Childs.
But while some people were content to taunt Childs online, others were empathetic. They could see that he was someone who was struggling.
People that knew Childs commented on the post, informing those that were making fun of their friend that he was a single parent and had lost his home and mother.
Some people were strongly affected by these words. They decided to do something about it
When Childs next showed up to work, he found something he didn’t expect.
People had donated diapers, clothes and supplies for Childs’s son.
He really appreciated the gesture. Obviously, he was still upset from all that had happened recently, but this had restored his faith in humanity.
Over the next few days, more and more people offered Childs support. They gave him money, car rides and any other help he needed.
And Childs isn’t even angry at the woman who made the initial post. He isn’t the kind of guy who holds grudges.
But the woman who made the original post didn’t apologize right away, even after she found out about Childs’s situation.
Instead she told the local news channel that she “never inteneded to shame anyone in particular.” She went on to say that it was nothing personal and that she posted it in a private Facebook group.
Eventually, after pressure from the internet, the woman met up with Childs and personally apologized.
Childs was able to find it in his heart to forgive her. He just hoped that she had learned to think before she makes fun of the unfortunate.
Thanks to the help of local people who care about others, Childs has been able to find job opportunities that pay much better than McDonald’s.
Now he’s earning enough to support himself and his son at the same time again.
Overall, people had raised over $9,600 for Childs. Now that he has a stronger income, he says that he doesn’t need the money. Instead, he will give the money to a cause that helps other homeless people.
It’s great to see someone as kind hearted as Simon Childs get back on his feet and be so forgiving. If only everyone had the same mindset as him!
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