Most of us would like to believe that if we found money on the street, we would do the right thing and hand it in.
When a man who had nothing found a life-changing amount of money, he didn’t hesitate to do the right thing and return it to its owner.
Elmer Alvarez was homeless when he found the $10,000 check in New Haven, Connecticut.
As someone who had been dealt a tough hand in life, Elmer could have done anything with that check, but he returned it to its rightful owner.
His honesty ended up setting him on a path that would ultimately change his life for the better.
The money belonged to real estate agent Roberta Hoskie, who lost the check at a busy intersection and didn’t realize it had disappeared until the next day.
Elmer said the first thing that came to his mind when he found the check was, “I got to look for this person.”
He said he didn’t think about cashing it for himself.
“It never crossed my mind because I decided to turn my life over. I’ve been clean for three years,” Elmer told CBS News.
When Roberta found out that the check had been returned, she was determined to find Elmer and thank him personally.
“I expected to find a guy all nice, clean-shaven, and blue suit,” she said.
Instead, she got Elmer, who had brought a friend with him because his English wasn’t very good, who told Roberta that Elmer was homeless.
“It shattered the stereotypes,” Roberta said.
When Roberta handed Elmer a check to say thank you he cried.
Roberta broadcast her encounter with Elmer on Facebook Live in hopes of busting myths surrounding the homeless.
There are many reasons why someone may become homeless, and Roberta understands this all too well after finding herself living in a shelter as a teen mom with just $400 a month to care for herself and her son.
Roberta streamed her meeting with Elmer on Facebook Live in the hope of shattering the myths surrounding homeless people.
“I know what it is to be homeless. Nobody deserves to live like that,” he said.
The year after they met, Roberta has also given Elmer a helping hand. Not only did she find him an apartment and pay his rent for seven months, but she also put him through real estate school so he could become an employee of her company.
Now the two plan to build a transitional house for homeless teenagers and young adults that will provide the kinds of services that Elmer said are crucial.
“I know what it means to be homeless. No one deserves to live like this,” he said.
Elmer handed that check back without any expectation that he would be rewarded. I’m so glad that people have seen the human side of those that are forced to live on the street and Elmer now has the life he deserves.
When you offer a helping hand to someone they never forget and often pay that kindness forward just as Roberta and Elmer are doing.
