An 8-year-old boy from Arkansas, US, raised over $30,000 for his favorite waiter after learning that he and his family lived in a motel because their apartment was infested with rats and black mold.
As reported by The Washington Post, 35-year-old Vittoria Hunter and her family have a weekly breakfast ritual at their local Waffle House in Little Rock.
For over a year, the family sits in one section of the waffle house where Vittoria’s eight-year-old son, Kayzen’s favorite waiter, Devonte Gardner, serves.
“He’s the nicest person ever,” she told the outlet.
Kayzen, a second-grader, likes Devonte, 29, a lot because he is a lovely and nice person by nature. He makes sure to give Kayzen a high-five whenever he sees him at the restaurant, and the two joke around a lot.
“Devonte always treats everyone with kindness, and he always knows exactly what I want: hash browns with cheese and eggs with cheese,” Kayzen told The Washington Post.
A few months ago, during one of his visits to the waffle house with his grandfather, little Kayzen learned some details about Devonte’s personal life and financial struggles.
“Devonte said he wondered if anyone might know where he could buy a cheap car — he’d been having a hard time saving for one,” said Kayzen.
According to Kayzen, Devonte told him and his grandpa that for the last eight months, he had been walking several miles a day to get to work as he was living in a motel with his wife and two daughters because his apartment had been infested with mold and rats.
After listening to Devonte’s sad story, the little boy became sad and told his mom everything after returning home.
“He kept saying, ‘We have to start a GoFundMe and help Devonte get a car,’” Vittoria recalled. “He didn’t give up on it. He’s a kid with a big heart.”
So, Vittoria helped her son set up a GoFundMe for Devonte so that he could buy his new car to commute to and from work.
“Hi, my name is Kayzen, I am 8 years old,” Kayzen’s GoFundMe statement read.
“I am wanting to raise funds for my friend, Devonte, who I met and have come to know from eating breakfast at Waffle House. Devonte is a hard-working dad with two little girls and a wife. He is a dedicated worker and has to walk or get a ride to get to work every day. He was looking for a decent priced car, and his family was unfortunate and ended up in an apartment riddled with black mold.”
“He had to get his kids out and it set him back a lot. We are now helping him get into a clean rental property and want to help him even more by raising funds so he has a reliable vehicle to drive his family and get to and from work. Devonte is one of the most joyous and positive people you’ve ever met!! He always greets us with the biggest smile. I hope your heart is as BIG as mine, and you will help me spread kindness in the world. Any amount helps!!”
Until now, Kayzen and his mom, Vittoria, have raised more than 43,000 for Gardener’s family.
Speaking to The Washington Post, Devonte Gardner said he couldn’t believe it when his little buddy, Kayzen, told him about his doing.
“I started crying — I’d been quietly struggling and didn’t want to ask anybody for anything,” he said, explaining that he spends most of his tips to pay the $60 per day motel bill.
“We had to give up most of our belongings because of the mold, but we’re slowly working our way back,” he added.
“I love working at Waffle House because I have an opportunity to make people feel good every day. I love the people who come in, especially Kayzen. For this little guy to do this out of the kindness of his heart is really humbling.”
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Sources: The Washington Post – GoFundMe
