Kindness and honesty, although good traits, can’t be expected from everyone. However, doing something good, no matter how simple, sometimes returns positive karma tenfold. This happened in the case of Billy Ray Harris, whose simple action resulted in him turning his life around.
Before we start learning about his life, it’s important to note that Billy Ray Harris was homeless and in need, but instead of taking advantage of others, he decided to do what was right.
Who is Billy Ray Harris?
Billy Ray Harris was a 55-year-old homeless person who reportedly lived on a Kansas City street corner. He mostly spent his days holding out a cup and asking strangers for spare change.
This was a tough situation for him as people might expect that he wouldn’t always be able to get spare change. He mostly struggled to find food or other necessities without any spare change. Homelessness is an issue hard to address, and although he struggled to get back up, Billy Ray Harris decided to do the right thing.
How Billy Ray Harris chose to do the right thing
As usual, Billy Ray Harris was holding out his cup and waiting for spare change when Sarah Darling passed by one day and accidentally dropped her engagement ring in the cup. When Harris saw this, he initially decided to get it appraised. This was because he saw the ring and saw it as an opportunity to get potential money.
Upon appraisal, Harris was shocked that the ring was worth $4,000. Despite this, he decided not to push through with selling it. Although he could have made a quick buck, Harris decided to do the right thing and return it to Darling.
How his life changed
When he returned the ring to Darling, she and her husband, Bill Krejci, were very thankful for his honesty. This led to the couple deciding to start a fund to be able to raise money for Harris with the intent of getting him back on track.
Initially, they only tried to raise $1,000, but more people seemed interested in helping the homeless man recover. After a while, everyone was shocked when the fundraising exceeded their initial expectations.
How much money was raised?
In a shocking turn of events, the money raised for Harris didn’t just double, triple, or even increase 10 times. The fundraising, stretching over three months, resulted in over $190,000 being donated. This was enough for Harris to stop living on the street and finally afford some of the basic things in life. However, instead of giving the money to him in bulk, Harris reportedly talked to a lawyer to help him put the money he received from the fundraising in a trust.
What has he bought so far?
Some of the things that Harris has bought so far include a car, and he was even able to place money down to purchase a house. This comes as Harris fixes himself and finds a way to avoid becoming homeless again. Harris won’t have to worry about where to sleep with a new home.
Harris reunites with his family
After appearing on TV, Harris reunited with his family after 16 years. Some of his relatives and family members heard rumors that he was dead, but they could track him down since they saw him on TV. Harris even met some of his new nieces and nephews that he didn’t know existed.
Why his life changed
The main reason why Harris’s life changed was because he ultimately decided to do the right thing. Although he admitted that he initially wanted to sell the ring, this was also because he was homeless and knew that if he sold the ring, he would have at least enough money for food or maybe even a temporary shelter. However, he ultimately decided to do the right thing and return the ring to its owner.
Not only has Harris’ life changed, but he has also remained good friends to the couple, who are looking forward to introducing their 20-month-old daughter to him and explaining his impact on their lives. Billy Ray Harris is no longer homeless and has reunited with his family.
