An unexpected reward resulted from the generosity of a young boy in Louisiana. Kelvin Ellis Jr., then nine years old, unintentionally helped a local business owner when he gave his one and only dollar to a man in need.
Seeing a rumpled figure outside a coffee shop, Kelvin, bless him, instinctively reached out his one dollar. Despite Kelvin’s assumption, Matt Busbice was not homeless. Wearing mismatched clothes, Busbice, a successful businessman who specialized in outdoor gear, was momentarily forced to evacuate his home after a fire alarm went off, according to CBS News.
As Kelvin drew near, Busbice was praying and waiting for the all-clear. The boy’s balled-up fist made Busbice think he was going to have to fight, so he was shocked to see a dollar offered in a kind way. Kelvin, who had just received a reward for his good grades, gave up his only item without hesitation to assist someone he thought was less fortunate.
“‘If you’re homeless, here’s a dollar,’” the youth had said, offering his only dollar that he earned from doing good in school.
“And I started to slowly open my eyes, and there’s a kid coming at me, about my height,” Busbice said.
Elated by Kelvin’s performance, Busbice gave him a snack, called his father, and finally promised him a special shopping experience at his sporting goods store. In a flash, Kelvin had forty seconds to select anything, even a brand-new bike.
Kelvin was happy with the bike but made it clear that he wasn’t looking for anything in return. He said that helping someone was the true source of joy. “Give something away,” he said, “and you feel like you’ve got a lot of things from it.”
“I always wanted to help a homeless person,” Kelvin said, “and I finally had the opportunity,” he added.
Kelvin’s deed of compassion had a profound effect on Busbice, helping him to trust people again. “You’re going to get more out of that if you give,” Busbice said. Though this idea escaped him as a child, he thought that if it were widely adopted, good things might come of it.
“If you give, you’re actually going to get more out of that,” Busbice philosophized. “I couldn’t grasp that as a kid. And if we can spread that around, everything changes.”
