NORFOLK, Virginia A 6-year-old Virginia girl has a gift for seeing people who often go unnoticed and her touching act of kindness is inspiring thousands.
Janiyah Lewis has always had a soft spot for the homeless her mother, Kenyatta Lewis, told Today. So it wasnt a surprise that Janiyah immediately took interest in a man who was sitting outside a store, crying.
Janiyah asked her mother why the man was so sad and wondered if he might be hot. She decided it would be best to just go to the source and struck up a conversation with the man.
Be happy its a nice day, its not raining, Janiyah said to him. Are you hot? Why dont you go home, the ground is dirty?
Thats when the man told her he didnt have a home to return to because hed lost his trailer and his wife in a fire.
She looked at him with the saddest face and goes, So that means youre homeless. So you have no food because you have no refrigerator? Lewis wrote in a Facebook post.
Janiyah opened her purse and handed the man a few dollars, suggesting he find some good food at McDonalds.
"It was clear she made his day because his whole face lit up when she took out money," Lewis told Today. "He even commented on how surprised he was to see all of this coming from a 6-year-old."
Passersby noticed the interaction between the pair and quickly followed her lead by handing the man some additional change, Today reports.
"A 6-year-old led by example, Lewis wrote. Kids see no color and that's exactly how it should be. That gives me a little more hope for the world."
Lewiss Facebook post, which included a picture of her daughter with the man, quickly caught fire. Its been shared nearly 200,000 times to date.
The experience inspired Janiyah to do even more. She and her mother created a GoFundMe account to help feed and clothe the homeless in their community of Norfolk. Theyve exceeded their donation goal by over $500.
Its not just a statement that children are our future, Lewis wrote. Its a FACT.
Janiyah Lewis has always had a soft spot for the homeless her mother, Kenyatta Lewis, told Today. So it wasnt a surprise that Janiyah immediately took interest in a man who was sitting outside a store, crying.
Janiyah asked her mother why the man was so sad and wondered if he might be hot. She decided it would be best to just go to the source and struck up a conversation with the man.
Be happy its a nice day, its not raining, Janiyah said to him. Are you hot? Why dont you go home, the ground is dirty?
Thats when the man told her he didnt have a home to return to because hed lost his trailer and his wife in a fire.
She looked at him with the saddest face and goes, So that means youre homeless. So you have no food because you have no refrigerator? Lewis wrote in a Facebook post.
Janiyah opened her purse and handed the man a few dollars, suggesting he find some good food at McDonalds.
"It was clear she made his day because his whole face lit up when she took out money," Lewis told Today. "He even commented on how surprised he was to see all of this coming from a 6-year-old."
Passersby noticed the interaction between the pair and quickly followed her lead by handing the man some additional change, Today reports.
"A 6-year-old led by example, Lewis wrote. Kids see no color and that's exactly how it should be. That gives me a little more hope for the world."
Lewiss Facebook post, which included a picture of her daughter with the man, quickly caught fire. Its been shared nearly 200,000 times to date.
The experience inspired Janiyah to do even more. She and her mother created a GoFundMe account to help feed and clothe the homeless in their community of Norfolk. Theyve exceeded their donation goal by over $500.
Its not just a statement that children are our future, Lewis wrote. Its a FACT.
