Helping people who need it the most is one of the most “human” things that we can do. It shows our capacity for love and reminds others what it means to truly express love. For one man, that heartwarming sentiment came in the form of a new scooter!
Navy vet Kenny Jary is 79-years-old and was recently all over social media.
79-year-old men don’t usually show up in viral videos, but when you see what happened, it will make a lot of sense! Kenny recently went through a hard time when he lost something valuable to him.
Kenny’s mobility scooter broke and he didn’t have the money to replace it.
When his neighbor, Amanda Kines, learned that it has broken, she decided to help. While Kenny was around town, his scooter would randomly stop in really bad places. He tried to mess around with the gear shift but eventually, it just stopped working reliably.
His scooter was decked out in American flags, a display of how much he loves his country!
After Navy veteran Kenny Jary's scooter broke down, TikTok users stepped up to help. More than $100,000 later, the 79-year-old from Willernie, MN was surprised with a new scooter today. Hear from Kenny about how they're now giving back to other veterans on @kare11 after the game. pic.twitter.com/kCGpR4OBuk
— Heidi Wigdahl (@HeidiWigdahl) October 4, 2021
When his scooter broke, it was unfortunate because of how expensive they are. That’s when Amanda stepped in. Amanda runs a channel that teaches sign language to the deaf (or anyone who wants to learn)!
Amanda decided to help put a video on her TikTok channel to help raise money for her friend.
Within hours, it was successful. With 5k raised almost immediately, Kenny was going to get a new scooter! When he finally found out, he couldn’t help but burst into tears.
“No, you’re kidding!” he reacted, holding back tears. “I don’t know what to say, Amanda.”
While it was amazing, it wasn’t all that happened.
The fundraiser kept going! While Kenny thought he had just received the 5k, it had blown well and clear of the goal.
“I feel so good,” he said. “I just don’t have enough words for it. I can’t believe all these wonderful people out there in the world. I just want to thank them so much. All my followers, everybody, from the bottom of my heart.”
When he finally found out the final amount, it was just too much for him!
“Oh my goodness!” Jary reacted. “Can you repeat that? Seventy-five thousand?”
He hit 75k, just from TikTok! As the news spread, it ended up pushing the number further to close to 100k total. The money was going to literally change the mans life.
Amanda explained where the money was going to go.
Kenny was able to get two scooters, pay off his medical debt, and put him in a home that was more suitable to his senior lifestyle. He was worried about things, but with that money, his life was basically made new again.
“It’s like winning the lottery, and then some,” Jary said.
Since winning “the lottery”, Kenny has been pretty active on TikTok!
His username, PatrioticKenny, has already reached 1.2 million followers. It’s an incredible feat and you know what he spends his time doing? Learning more sign language!
Check out the video below!
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