Here's a heartwarming story for you from the middle of the country.
This 8-year-old boy in Little Rock, Arkansas found out that his favorite Waffle House waiter was living in really sad conditions, so he set out to raise money for the man to give him a hand up.
Eight-year-old Kayzen Hunter has a regular ritual: breakfast at his local Waffle House in Little Rock, Arkansas with his family, sometimes with his grandpa, but often with his parents and siblings. With these trips comes his meal served by his favorite waiter, Devonte Gardner.
"It was about a year ago when they met. My dad started going and Kayzen would go with him. When he came home, he talked about Devonte and how much he liked him," Kayzen's mom Vittoria Hunter tells TODAY.com, adding that the family go for breakfast just about every weekend.
Over time the relationship continued and the waiter became very close with the Hunter family, particularly 8-year-old Kayzen.
"Every time he comes in, I always give him a high five because that's what he expects," Gardner tells TODAY.com. Gardner has memorized Kayzen's usual order — scrambled eggs with cheese, no toast, hash browns covered with cheese and an Arnold Palmer.
Now THAT is service right there. One day I hope to be a Waffle House regular where they know my order when I walk in the door.
Kayzen learned that Gardner and his family were living in a horrible apartment with bugs, rats, mold, and sketchy heating – and that he didn't have a car to get to work.
"We wanted to find something affordable, so we moved into a low-income area," Gardner says. "We just got tired of infestations with rats and roaches and all this black mold. My daughters were getting sick. No heat and things like that. When it was cold outside, we had to bundle up with like four or five blankets in order to stay warm."
"It was just horrible," Gardner says, adding that he and his family have been living in a motel for the past eight months.
Vittoria Hunter said her son immediately wanted to help.
"He came home and told me that, ‘Hey, Mom, Devonte walks or gets a ride to work and I'm gonna start a GoFundMe,'" Hunter says, adding that Kayzen had begged her for a while to do a GoFundMe before she agreed to take the plunge. "I was like, ‘Well, OK, that's really sweet. It's a great idea."
Kayzen set out to get Devonte enough money for a car, but the GoFundMe campaign grew from there.
With his mom's help, Kayzen aimed to raise a modest amount of $500 for Gardner. They posted the GoFundMe titled "Help Devonte get a family car" on Feb. 18.
"Hi, my name is Kayzen, I am 8 years old," reads the GoFundMe description. "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."
Kayzen then explains that Gardner was looking for a decently priced car, and that the Hunter family wants to get Gardner's family into a clean rental property...
Though the Hunters say the GoFundMe started out slow, as more attention comes to it, the amount — and the goal — has skyrocketed to over $100,000 as of publication.
This is the definition of heartwarming. Does it get better than that??
A hardworking guy who always shows up for his job but just can't quite get ahead is helped by a youngster who really cares for his friend.
Devonte, along with his wife and two girls, is moving into a brand new apartment, is looking for a family car, and is saving some of the money raised to help get his little girls into a good school.
"He's a positive young kid. He has a very huge heart, and I'm thankful he came into my life," Gardner says.
"I think so many people spend a lot of energy complaining about what they don't like," Vittoria Hunter says. "But if you just be positive, then you know eventually love and positivity is gonna prevail. It always does."
"'Be the change you wish to see in the world,' right? We know who we are as people and we know the potential of what our children can be," Korey Hunter adds. "Kayzen's middle name is actually Love."
