Over the next couple of days, there will be throngs of people traveling across the country to visit friends and family in the hometowns they grew up in.
For one Virginia native and this month’s #BeBetter Hero though, returning home means so much more. Adam Armstrong, who grew up in poverty in Harrisonburg in the Shenandoah Valley, returned back with a 26-foot truck packed with $12,000 worth of toys.
“He didn’t miss anybody,” Lewis-Weeks told NBC. “His heart was truly in this.”
When Armstrong approached Harris Gardens, a low-income apartment complex in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, he told property manager Sara Lewis-Weeks he was looking to donate toys to the kids, she was skeptical.
She had seen a lot of people make false promises of this nature before and wasn’t sure that he would follow through, she told the Washington Post. After he left, she did an online search of his name and figured out that he lived in a large house across town.
Later that week she called Armstrong and asked whether he was still coming. When he said he was at Walmart buying the toys, she made fliers and hung them around the complex, telling residents to be at the basketball courts at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Sure enough, Armstrong made good on his promise and handed out gifts to about 50 children and their parents.
"I remember Harrisonburg being a friendly small town," about 130 miles southwest of the nation's capital, Armstrong said. "I remember government housing and a lot of poverty, crimes, drugs, violence and things of that nature. Every time I see kids, I know it's not their fault where they are."
Armstrong’s relationship with the housing complex is an incredible story on its own. When he was 18, he was arrested for selling marijuana and served 3 months in jail for it. After he got out, he moved into Harris Gardens looking for a fresh start.
During that time he went on to get into several business endeavors, including working as a loan officer and buying and flipping houses. Eventually, he saved up enough money and decided it was up to him to start giving back. And since 2013 he has been doing just that.
Maybe it’s the sense of nostalgia some of us get lost in each year when Christmas comes rolling around but there’s just something about the holidays that brings out the best in people. It feels like a time where we recognize the humanity in others and instead of just sitting on the sidelines hoping something gets done, we take it upon ourselves to be that agent of change.
Do you have a truly inspiring redemption story like Armstrong? How about a heartwarming account of someone you know who uses this time of year to enrich the lives of those around them in a special way?
Take a minute to tell us and describe how it lives up to the I Do It For Her mission and maybe we can help you continue having that impact! And if you haven’t already, please consider making a tax-exempt donation to help us provide partial scholarships to low-income students attending college.
Have a great Christmas/Holiday season and remember, we all have someone in our life who can inspire us to be the person they deserve.
- Adam
Photos courtesy of NBC News, Rogue Rocket, and Washington Post