No one ever expects to make a new friend while out shopping. However, for Colorado resident Sherri Gonzales, that’s exactly what happened recently.
She was out shopping when all of a sudden she heard a tiny voice yell out “Black Lives Matter” nearby.
Gonzales, surprised by the greeting, looked over to see a four-year-old girl named Cam smiling back at her from behind a face mask.
“I saw this woman and her beautiful daughter come in out the corner of my eye,” Gonzales wrote on Instagram.
It could have been an uncomfortable situation.
After all, Gonzales is black, and both Cam and her mom are white. However, the chance encounter soon turned into an unlikely friendship that made the local news in the area.
“I turned around looking for her and told her THANK YOU, WITH TEARS IN MY EYES,” said Gonzales.
Gonzales was so happy that someone recognized that her life matters and spoke up about it. It made her become very emotional.
She began talking with Cam and her mom and they all quickly bonded over football.
“She noticed my Bronco necklace and told me she wants to be a Broncos cheerleader,” said Gonzales.
Gonzales’s son is none other than D.J. Williams, the linebacker drafted by the Denver Broncos back in 2004.
He ultimately went on to become one of the top linebackers in the league and played with the team up until 2012.
After chatting for a bit, Gonzales once again thanked Cam for her kind words and asked if she could take a picture with her.
Gonzales wanted to remember the heartwarming moment. Of course, Cam agreed. She even had a hilarious proposition for her — “She, said ‘can I ask you a question?’ I said, yes. She said, ‘can you come over for a sleepover?'”
It was a really funny thing to ask.
However, the two of them planned to keep in touch and maybe organize something later.
“Today was a good day. THE YOUTH IS GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD,” wrote Gonzales.
What happened just a few weeks afterward went even further to illustrate that point.
Cam’s mom called Gonzales and told her out of the blue that she and Cam were having a garage sale at their house. They wanted to donate all of the proceeds to Gonzales’s organization, Sherri’s Girls Empowerment International.
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It was the second incredible surprise of their blossoming friendship.
Ultimately, the garage sale raised over $2000 to be put towards helping out the local community and internationally in Kenya where the organization is building a school. In addition, Sherri’s Girls Empowerment International also assists Kenyan small business owners, and tribes in Suswa county that are in need of clean water.
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Gonzales was blown away by the family’s kindness.
She said every penny of the money raised would go straight to the school.
We’re sure that the kids will really appreciate it!
“All of this happens because of a sweet little 4-year-old recognized that my life matters,” Gonzales told CBS4 Denver.
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It was a meeting that none of them expected. However, they will all remember it for the rest of their lives. Despite their age difference, Gonzales and Cam became instant friends. It just goes to show that whether you are young, old, black, or white, kindness defies all boundaries.
Check out the original viral Instagram post below discussing the story.
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