When a man stopped by his favorite Waffle House, he knew what he wanted to eat. The only problem was that he suffered from Parkinson’s disease which made it difficult for him to eat on his own. Thankfully, a kind and helpful waitress was on the morning shift that day. She went on to help him with his food. She had no idea that a customer had taken pictures of the whole thing. Soon enough, the story went viral. As it turns out, this waitress was going to get something great for her small act of kindness!
Another Day, Another Dollar
Every day, this woman would clock into her job at the local Waffle House. Conveniently, it was located just down the road from where she lived, so she didn’t have to commute as most people do.
Another Day, Another Dollar
Despite the fact that she hoped she wouldn’t work as a waitress forever, she did her best to make sure each customer in her care got the best service. What she didn’t know, however, is that her excellent service and work ethic would win her a whole lot more than gratitude.
A Normal Day
After getting into work at her usual time, the waitress, aka Evoni Williams, began her daily responsibilities just as she always would. She set up all the cutlery and condiments on the tables and made sure the register had enough change.
A Normal Day
After finishing her first tasks of the day, she patiently waited behind the counter for the first round of customers. The busiest time of day was normally the morning rush, so Evoni knew she would need all her energy for the first half of the day.
The Usual
At about 10 am, an old man walked into the restaurant. He looked very frail and tired, wheeling around an oxygen tank to help him breathe. The man, named Adrien Charpentier, was a regular at the Waffle House. He often came into the restaurant for breakfast.
The Usual
Most of the people who worked at the Waffle House knew the man already since he was such a frequent customer. Evoni welcomed him into the restaurant, as per usual, and he sat down in a nearby booth. Evoni went up to him to take his order, just like any other day.
Working Towards College
Just as many other Americans, Evoni was working hard in order to save up enough money to go to college. Being able to afford tuition is not an easy thing to do and Evoni had to be sure she could earn enough to cover the cost of her studies.
Working Towards College
She wanted nothing more than to study business management, and she knew full well that working hard first would allow her to accomplish her dream later. This reason was what motivated her each and every day. She saw every customer as a step taking her closer to her goal.
Order Up!
Adrien had been going to this restaurant for quite some time, but Evoni still hadn’t met him until this point. As soon as his meal of bacon, eggs, and toast was done being made on the grill, Evoni brought him his hot meal.
Order Up!
Before Evoni could ask if Adrien needed anything else, the restaurant filled up quickly, so she darted back to the kitchen to take care of more orders. She delivered several orders to hungry customers, working as fast as she could to keep everyone happy.
Trouble Eating
As Evoni was heading back towards the kitchen to pick up a new round of orders, she noticed Adrien struggling with his food. After she quickly delivered the new meals to the waiting customers, Evoni hurried over to Adrien to ask if he needed help.
Trouble Eating
Adrien explained that he had trouble eating on his own due to the fact that he suffered from Parkinson’s disease. This was the reason he often had other people help him eat. Evoni understood and immediately began cutting his food into smaller portions in order to make it easier for Adrien to handle them with a fork.
Capture The Moment
Evoni wasn’t aware of the fact that another customer had been taking pictures of this moment on her cellphone. The customer was named Laura Wolf, another regular who came to the Waffle House for her daily breakfast.
Capture The Moment
After she took this picture, she posted it to her Facebook page. In almost no time at all, the picture had started to gain some attention online. Soon enough, it had gone viral. Evoni had no idea she became an internet celebrity overnight, but she would soon find out.
A Town Sensation
Not long after the post went viral, most people in La Marque had heard about Evoni’s heartwarming experience with the senior customer. The story was all over the web, and Evoni had become a modern hero for his simple act of kindness.
A Town Sensation
Seeing as the town had a fair amount of controversy previously regarding racial inequality, the image of Evoni helping Adrien became a symbol of progress for the people in the town. By simply being her kind self, Evoni became a town sensation. However, her story didn’t end there.
Only The Start
Once Laura’s Facebook post about Evoni went viral, news of the kind deed traveled all over the world. Evoni had no idea her little act of kindness would end up becoming such an impressive viral story.
Only The Start
As Evoni tried to handle all the attention the post earned her, she had no clue what was in store. Something much bigger was about to happen to her which would change her life completely. And all this came from a simple act of kindness.
The Mayor
As word of Evoni’s act of kindness spread online, it was only a matter of time before the mayor of the town would hear about it as well. Bobby Hocking, the local mayor, discovered Evoni’s deed online and decided he was going to do something to commemorate her act of kindness.
The Mayor
Evoni’s story had become somewhat symbolic in the town and the locals were rallying behind her in support. Her kindness, tolerance, and good old-fashioned human decency won everyone over effortlessly.
Her Day
Seeing how much attention Evoni received for her kind deed, the mayor decided he wanted to do something really special for her. Since she became such a symbol of kindness, the mayor wanted to do something meaningful. So, he named a day for her kind deed, March 8th. “Evoni ‘Nini’ Williams Day”.
Her Day
Evoni was shell-shocked when she heard the news. She didn’t know how to react. Now there was a day specially dedicated to her. However, this wasn’t all, she still had another reward coming to her.
Financial Struggles
Evoni was moved to tears. She couldn’t believe the townspeople had gone through so much trouble to thank her for something so simple. Being her kind self, Evoni didn’t even think twice about what she was doing, let alone seeing the deed as anything out of the ordinary.
Financial Struggles
Kindness was simply part of who she was. Now, she had a day dedicated to her. Not to mention she had become a local hero. Evoni’s luck was about to get even better. She heard that her financial troubles would soon be behind her.
Falling Into Place
When word got out about Evoni and her good deed, the people of La Marque decided to join forces and help her out as a thank you for her kindness. They gathered online and created a crowdfunding page to help raise money for her tuition.
Falling Into Place
Knowing how much hard work she put into her job and how little she earned, the townspeople were touched by her kindness and wanted to chip in and help her accomplish her goal. They set a target for $16,000. The question was, would they be able to reach it?
Scholarship
As the crowdfunding campaign gained momentum, more and more people joined in to donate to the cause. They all wanted to help this young waitress achieve her goal. Evoni had no idea about this campaign and had no clue that so many people were trying to help her as much as possible.
Scholarship
When the mayor arrived to thank her for her deed, he presented the proclamation validating the day named after her. In addition, Evoni was presented with an amazing scholarship check for Texas Southern University worth $16,000!
Emotional Moment
By this point, Evoni was already incredibly surprised by all the attention she got from her act of kindness. In just a few days, her story became known all over the country, and soon after that, the world.
Emotional Moment
To top it off, she was awarded a day named after her in honor to commemorate her kind act. This is something very few people can relate to! Once she found out she also got an impressive scholarship, she was overwhelmed with emotion.
One Customer
Even though Adrien was a regular customer at the Waffle House, the way Evoni helped him had touched him as well as the hearts of many others. He could very easily say he was a happy customer and there was no doubt he would come to the restaurant more often in the future.
One Customer
The simple and kind deed Evoni had done for Adrien had such a large effect. Instead of just making Adrien a happy customer, she had inspired an entire town as well as many other people online from all over the world.
Making A Difference
The story of Evoni and her act of kindness has gained quite a bit of attention. While Evoni saw it as simply doing her job, that little bit of kindness had touched the hearts of so many people all over the world.
Making A Difference
The whole point was that even in her own little way, Evoni made such a huge difference in someone’s life without even trying to. She proved that it doesn’t take much to make such a big impact in the world.
Modern Day Hero
When someone says the word ‘hero’, things that come to mind tend to be firefighters, paramedics, police officers, doctors, nurses, and soldiers, right? However, Evoni showed the world that everyday people can be just as heroic, even while doing things that might seem ordinary.
Modern Day Hero
While a waitress serving a customer isn’t out of the ordinary, a waitress going the extra mile to show she cares about them more than just a customer sure is heroic. In many ways, Evoni is a modern-day hero which is something to be cherished.
A Little Goes A Long Way
This saying is famous – and for good reason: a little goes a long way. Evoni’s story was a great reminder of that fact. At times, all we need to do is just a bit more in order to really help or solve a problem. However, a lot of the time, it’s the little things that make all the difference in a person’s life.
A Little Goes A Long Way
Saying hello to your neighbors when you pass by them, complimenting a friend, or simply saying thank you for what you have can bring such a big amount of change for the people around you.
Bigger Picture
Evoni’s story might seem like a small one when compared with everything that’s going on these days, but honestly, it resonated with the general public exactly because this story struck a chord. At the moment, the country is having some serious identity issues, causing a lot of people to worry about the future.
Bigger Picture
However, little stories of kindness and caring can go such a long way to help remind people of what really matters most – each other. Genuine heartwarming stories are the perfect reminder of this.
Difficult Times
For many people all over the world, times are tough. Many are trying to find ways to deal with inequality, intolerance, and simply trying to make ends meet on a daily basis. So many young people are dealing with incredibly high tuition fees and student debt.
Difficult Times
Most people find it difficult to cope with the high cost of living and making loan payments back, so Evoni’s story must have struck a chord with them. She helped remind them that even people who are worse off can still be kind to others.
Kindness
Many often aren’t capable of dealing with social issues like this one on a large scale, but Evoni’s story has helped remind us that large-scale change is possible – even with the smallest things. Every action can lead to something major.
Kindness
Extending your kindness and patience to someone in need, no matter where they came from, race, or place in society, can have a serious effect one everyone around. Through love, care, and kindness, just about anything can be done.
A Heartwarming Story
At the end of the day, Evoni’s story reached thousands of people across the country as well as her home town. Her story may have seemed like just another ordinary day to her, but her simple act of kindness touched so many. Not to mention the amazing effect it had on her life!
A Heartwarming Story
Since her story came out, Evoni has become a symbol of kindness in La Marque. Her kind and caring nature will be remembered for years to come, especially on March 8th, aka “Evoni ‘Nini’ Williams Day”.