82-year-old Walmart worker can finally retire after TikToker raised $120,000 for him
Topics: Good News, US News, TikTok, Social Media
Rachel Lang
Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe. bug_boys/TikTok.
Topics: Good News, US News, TikTok, Social Media
It only takes a matter of seconds to set off a chain reaction that can forever change everything for someone.
These moments might be rare, but they're good. This is one of those moments.
One month ago, 82-year-old Walmart employee Butch Marion was minding his own business.
The Maryland man was busily working 40 hours per week to make just enough money to pay his bills and other bare essentials.
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That was until Rory McCarty walked through the doors of Cumberland's Walmart store.
McCarty needed batteries. Marion needed money.
When the two men met, destiny kicked in.
McCarty decided to put a shout out online to see if the community would rally to help out a sweet old man at Christmas who was struggling.
The social media influencer's pest control business has quite the TikTok following, which gave him the perfect platform to do some good.
"I just wanted to put something in motion and the Lord did the rest," he told FOX 5 on December 21.
Fast forward to January 4 and Butch Marion walked out of Walmart for the final time.
McCarty's crowdfunding had raised more than USD$108,000 (AUD$156,000, £89,000) for the 82-year-old US Navy veteran and he could now finally retire.
McCarty, a stranger Marion can now call a friend for the rest of his life, was waiting outside with a smile and a giant novelty cheque that all came from one random act of kindness.
"I love you, man," McCarty told Marion, as per FOX 5.
Marion replied: "I love you too."
Fox 5 reports the veteran will use the money to pay off outstanding bills before he jets off to sunny Florida to see his daughters and grandchildren for the first time in years.
This is all thanks to the kindness of strangers, kicked off by one guy who really saw the little old man behind the cash register doing his best but struggling every day to make it work.
A few days after Marion retired, McCarty took to social media again to thank the people who had dug deep to donate to an old man that deserved more.
"Butch wanted me to thank everyone out there that contributed to this miracle that you gave him," McCarty's caption read.
"'Thank you from the bottom of my heart', he said."
Well, looks like Butch Marion now knows that every now and then you just need a bit of luck and a dash of kindness to change someone's world for good.
At time of writing, Butch Marion's GoFundMe sat at USD$123,850 (AUD$179,000, £102,000).
You can contribute more here.