Billy Ray, a former street person in Kansas City who begged for money from onlookers, had a significant improvement in his quality of life as a result of one act of generosity.
A woman passing by at the time, Sarah Darling, put some cash in a cup being held by a 55-year-old guy, but when she tripped and spilled it, she also managed to lose her wedding band.
Harris was contemplating selling the ring to make some additional cash, but decided to give it back to the woman a few days later. He earned a $4000 appraisal for the ring.
“I’m not trying to claim to be a saint, but I’m not the devil either,” the man stated in reference to this deed of kindness.
To show their appreciation for Harris’ assistance, Darling and her husband, Bill Krejci, arranged a fundraiser for him. The goal of the fundraiser was to help Harris get back on his feet financially.
“Our objective was to raise $1,000,” Darling said, “and we organized the evening after hearing from several people who had been moved by the story and expressed a desire to support Billy Ray.”
With overwhelming support, the fundraising effort raised more than $190,000 in just under three months.
When Harris initially acquired money, he sought legal counsel right away, who assisted him in placing the funds in a trust.
Since that time, our protagonist has been able to purchase a car and even put down a deposit on a home.
And that’s not all; following his appearance on television, his family members, who had been searching for him for 16 years and believed he had passed away, were able to locate him.
Harris is now developing a relationship with them after their joyful reunion, including his friendship with nieces and nephews, whose existence he was absolutely unaware of.
He stated: “I’m just relieved that the past is behind me when I reflect about it. I mean, I finally have a human-like feeling.”
