On Sunday I write about individuals that we can all admire. Today I am writing about the youngest individual in my long list of Sunday honorees.
Kevin Ellis Jr. is only nine years old and lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
From CBS News:
About a month ago Matt Busbice, the 42-year-old owner of sporting goods store BuckFeather in Baton Rouge, Louisiana was awakened
in the early morning by a fire alarm going off inside his condo complex. So, Busbice shot out of bed and raced down the stairs only to discover there was no fire. But he was awake now, so even though he was wearing mismatched clothes and was disheveled, he decided to go out for a cup of coffee.
As he was about to enter the coffee shop, he remembered he hadn’t done his morning prayer. So as the security camera shows, Busbice stepped to the corner of the patio to pray.
“And I started to slowly open my eyes, and there’s a kid coming at me, about my height,” Busbice said.
The boy had his fist clenched, so Busbice prepared for a confrontation. But instead, the boy opened his fist to reveal a $1 bill.
“And I go, ‘What?'” Busbice said.
“‘If you’re homeless, here’s a dollar,'” 9-year-old Kelvin Ellis Jr. recalls telling Busbice. “…I always wanted to help a homeless person, and I finally had the opportunity.” Ellis says he had just gotten the dollar for good grades. It was the only money he had to his name.
“I haven’t had that much faith in humanity in a very long time,” Busbice said. He was so touched, he invited Ellis in for a snack and then connected with Ellis’ father, who was next door, and promised to stay in touch.
As a result of his kindness, Busbice rewarded Kevin Ellis Jr. a shopping spree — 40 seconds to pick out whatever he wanted in BuckFeather, including a new bike. Ellis says it was great, but definitely not what he wanted to get for his dollar.
“Joy, because I helped someone,” Ellis said. “Give something away, and you feel like you’ve got a lot of things from it.”
Now even though Kevin Ellis Jr. is only nine, I would guess he’s got a bright future. Kudos to his parents who obviously had taught him about what is really important in life.
5/12/24