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Joel Katz

Stranger Performs Awesome Act of Kindness for Elderly Woman

Author Joel Katz
BOWLING GREEN, OH - MAY 17: A Wal-Mart greeter waits to welcome new customers to the new 2,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter store May 17, 2006 in Bowling Green, Ohio. The new store, one of three new supercenters opening today in Ohio, employs 340 people with 60 percent of those working full-time. (Photo by J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)

There are random acts of kindness that make people feel good and then there are random acts of kindness that change people’s lives. The latter happened to an 82-year-old Walmart employee who says she’s overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers after a TikTok Video of her at work went viral.

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On a recent trip to her local Walmart, Liz Rizzo noticed a woman named Carman Kelly and felt compelled to share her story with others online. “Look at this woman having to work here at Walmart with her cane,” Rizzo began in the 50-second clip.  Rizzo, who asked for Kelly’s name and permission to share the video, ended the clip, “Everyone, she’s 82 years old and working at Walmart. Let’s help her out.” She explained Kelly needed about $10,000 to pay her bills. That call to action has since been viewed over 15 million times and over 9,000 donations, totaling more than $133,000, have poured into the online fundraiser for Kelly. People from as far as Australia have donated to the cause.

Kelly, who said she has been working at the Walmart Supercenter in Apache Junction, Arizona, for nearly two years, explained to Good Morning America she’s had to work to make ends meet after leaving her former job at another Walmart store during the pandemic. Now that she’s about to receive a big windfall, Kelly said she “still can’t believe it’s happened.”  She continued, “I’m going to be able to pay off all my bills, get a new place to live, hopefully [an] assisted living place to just help me with life.”

As for Rizzo, who volunteers with the AJ Mounted Rangers, a nonprofit that helps children in the Apache Junction area, she hopes the unexpected viral success of her TikTok video can inspire others to lend a helping hand.

Kelly said she calls Rizzo, once a stranger to her, a “guardian angel.”

If you’re looking for a way to do something kind for someone, or do more for others in 2023, here are some ideas…

Ways to Spread Love and Happiness Every Week in 2023

I believe that all of us would love to spread kindness as much as possible. We don’t perform random acts of kindness for a variety of reasons, maybe we think we don’t have time, or perhaps we feel money is the issue (it’s not), or some might feel it’s “weird.” One extremely small way I try to be kind and friendly is when I’m on my daily run I give a quick wave to anyone and everyone I pass or see. I used to sometimes wait until someone else waved before I’d wave back, but at some point, I decided to always be the “wave initiator.” Again, this is a very tiny, teeny-weeny thing I like to do, but there are so many other ways to spread joy.

The fine folks at The Guardian have compiled “52 Acts of Kindness: how to spread joy in every week of 2023” to help us make 2023 a better place and more enjoyable for all of us. Some are as simple as helping a dying bee or donating a coat, while others can be more complex, but certainly doable.

Here are some of the “52 Acts of Kindness” on the list, see how many you feel you could accomplish this year…

 

  • Tutoring

    Maybe you have a special knowledge about a certain subject, try to help at least one person who needs it. Volunteer to help a struggling math student, or take some time to offer some knowledge to a student who is having trouble with their Spanish class.

     

  • Walk a Dog

    There are many people who have and need their dogs, but, for various reasons, are unable to walk them. If they can’t walk them, they may not be able to keep them. Maybe you can help.

  • Give Blood

    It only takes a few minutes and it could save a life. This could quite possibly be the easiest thing we could do that has the largest positive impact on others. And there’s the free donuts:)

  • Donate to a Food Bank

    Instead of simply donating the items in your pantry that you don’t use, go to the supermarket and buy a couple of bags of groceries that you would want if you couldn’t afford it.

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    Today, January 16th, we are open during regular market hours and all scheduled appointments will be honored. If you need to cancel, please call 732-246-0009 to leave a message with your name and phone number. Stay safe during this inclement weather!

  • Pay Someone a Compliment

    This is a win/win! You tell someone how much you love their hair or like their shoes and you both get a good feeling. Everybody loves (and needs) to hear positive things about themselves and it doesn’t cost anything.

  • Be the Office Secret Santa Year-Round

    We actually have one of those. Frania is one of our fantastic account executives here and she not only arranges all of the holiday parties and festivities, she also keeps a candy jar filled for all to enjoy. She also occasionally brings in treats like donuts or snacks for everyone. You don’t have to be a Frania, but doing something similar from time to time would certainly be appreciated and could turn someone’s bad day around.

  • Learn CPR

    If you don’t already know how to perform CPR, now could be the time to learn. You would feel an amazing feeling of satisfaction, and you would be ready to help someone in need should the necessity arise.

  • Buy Someone a Cup of Coffee

    How easy is this? You go and buy coffee everyday, but have you ever bought a stranger coffee. Simply, pay for it and say it’s your good deed for the day. It will make you both feel good and maybe they’ll pay it forward.

Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.

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