It pays to be honest in a world where there is so much mistrust.
One homeless man’s honesty made headlines when he returned a huge amount of money to its rightful owner.
Little did he know that his one small act of honesty can create a ripple that would change his life (and others, too) forever.
Elmer Alvarez was homeless when he found a $10,000 check in New Haven, Connecticut.
Some people might think that he could’ve made better use of the money, but Elmer knows that it was the right thing to do with the check. Instead of cashing it in for himself, he looked for its rightful owner.
It belonged to a real estate agent Roberta Hoskie.
Roberta had recently been in the middle of a bustling crowd in New Haven, Connecticut. She was on a tight schedule doing errands around town when her check slipped away at a busy intersection. She didn’t realize she lost it until the next day.
Roberta filmed the day she met Elmer via a Facebook live feed.
Upon meeting with Elmber, Roberta saw that he had brought a friend. It turned out that Elmer can’t speak English very well and had asked the help of a stranger to translate for him. During that conversation, Roberta learned something about Elmer that broke her heart.
Elmer was homeless.
Robert said on her live feed that while people have stereotypes about homeless people, we should never judge others. This homeless man was a blessing for her. As a reward for him returning the check, Roberta decided to give him some of the money. She also asked viewers what else she could do to help him.
One of the viewers suggested Roberta “teach him how to fish.”
And since Roberta is in the real estate business, she realized she could send Elmer to real estate school to be a part of her company. Not only that, but she was also going to get him set up in an apartment and pay 7 months’ worth of his rent to help him get back on his feet.
Roberta was drawn to Elmer’s story because it reminded her of her own past.
A past when she, too, was homeless.
She shared that she had once lived in a shelter. She was a high school dropout and a single mom with only $400 to her name – until one day, someone blessed her with a job that led to her current success. Her experience of being homeless reminded her that she could be a blessing to someone and change their life, too.
A few weeks later, Roberta filmed the moment Elmer got his real estate exam results back.
When they flipped his exam paper, he passed!
She was one step closer to giving Elmer a more permanent, long-lasting reward that could change his life. Only one year after their fateful meeting, Roberta and Elmer started their very own foundation to end homelessness.
It was called the Outreach Foundation.
This foundation acts as a transitional home for homeless teenagers and provides support like church services, substance abuse awareness, and education.
Elmer went from being a homeless man in need to being a certified real estate agent helping others struggling with homelessness.
Indeed, it only takes one drop to create a ripple.
Learn more about this wonderful man in the video below!
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