Kids are often taught the importance of being honest and doing the right thing. Although they’re good lessons to practice even without reward, sometimes, they do lead to incredible outcomes. Just like in the story below.
One homeless man’s honesty made it to the news when he returned a huge amount of money to its rightful owner. Little did he know that his one small act of honesty would create a ripple that would change his life (and others, too) forever.
Elmer Alvarez was a homeless man when he found a $10K check in New Haven, Connecticut.
Instead of cashing it in for himself, he looked for its rightful owner. Some people might think that he could’ve made better use of the money, but Elmer knew that it was the right thing to do with the check.
A real estate agent named Roberta Hoskie was the owner of the large check.
Roberta was in the middle of a bustling crowd in New Haven, Connecticut. She was on a busy schedule doing errands around town when her check slipped away in a busy intersection. She didn’t realize she lost it until the next day.
Roberta filmed the day she met Elmer via a Facebook live feed.
The day had come, and Roberta found Elmer with a friend. It turns out he couldn’t speak English that well and asked the help of a stranger to translate what he wanted to do. That is, to return the check. Roberta also found something about Elmer that shocked her.
Elmer was homeless.
She said on her live feed that while people have stereotypes about homeless people, she said never to judge them as this homeless man was a blessing for her. She returned to her office to write him a check as a reward and asked the viewers how else she could bless this man.
One of the people in the comments section said to “teach him how to fish.”
And since Roberta is in the real estate business, she realized she could send Elmer to real estate school to be a part of her company. Not only that, but she also rewarded him with an apartment and paid seven months’ worth of rent to help him get back on his feet.
Roberta’s heart was drawn to Elmer’s story because it reminded her of her own past.
A past when she, too, was homeless.
She shared that she once lived in a shelter, a high school dropout, and a single mom with only around $400 to raise her son – until one day, someone blessed her with a job that led her to her success right now. Her experience of being homeless reminded her that she could be a blessing to someone and change their life, too.
Roberta hit record when Elmer found out how he did on the exam.
When they flipped his exam paper, he passed!
It was one step closer to giving Elmer a more permanent, long-lasting reward that could change his life. And a year after that faithful day when they met, Roberta and Elmer started their foundation to end homelessness.
They started Outreach Foundation.
Roberta and Elmer, who both went through homelessness, created the foundation as a transitional home for homeless teenagers, and provide support like church services, substance abuse awareness, and education.
Elmer’s honesty is something that should be applauded. And in the end, he went from not having a roof over his head, to lending a hand to others who could really use one. How amazing is that?
Watch the video below to see more on this incredible story!
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