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LA MARQUE, Texas — When a Texas teen helped a struggling elderly man cut up his food during her shift at the Waffle House, she didn't realize the simple act would change her life.
Evoni Williams was in the middle of a busy shift last week when one of her customers — 78-year-old Adrian Charpentier — mentioned that his hands weren't functioning well enough to cut his own food, according to KPRC Houston.
Williams immediately stopped what she was doing, leaned over the counter and carefully cut the ham on Charpentier's plate. Little did she know, someone else was watching.
Laura Wolf happened to be dining at the Waffle House at the time, and snapped a photo of the heartwarming exchange.
"It was so busy in here and she actually took the time to stop and hear what he had to say instead of walking past him," Wolf told CBS News. "That just meant something to me."
Wolf posted the photo to Facebook, along with an explanation.
"I'm thankful to have seen this act of kindness and caring at the start of my day while everything in this world seems so negative," she wrote. "If we could all be like this waitress & take time to offer a helping hand."
It didn't take long for Williams' act of kindness to go viral. As of March 12, the post had more than 144,000 likes, 72,500 shares and nearly 9,000 comments.
"God Bless you!!! It feels good to see something good in a world full of so much negativity," wrote one commenter.
"Thank you for being so kind!!" wrote another.
The post caught the attention of staff at Texas Southern University in Houston. Last week, representatives from the school surprised Williams at work with a $16,000 scholarship to the university, Today reported.
"I didn’t think it was going to go big," Williams said. "But I thank you all. It’s just something I would do any other day."
Charpentier was also there for the big reveal. He told local reporters he'd spent time in the hospital recently, and that he was grateful to Williams for her kindness.
Additionally, KPRC reports the mayor of La Marque declared March 8 Evoni Williams Day — an annual reminder to be a little kinder and seek out ways to help those who need a little boost.
Williams told CBS she plans to study business at Texas Southern University.
The post caught the attention of staff at Texas Southern University in Houston. Last week, representatives from the school surprised Williams at work with a $16,000 scholarship to the university, Today reported.
"I didn’t think it was going to go big," Williams said. "But I thank you all. It’s just something I would do any other day."
Charpentier was also there for the big reveal. He told local reporters he'd spent time in the hospital recently, and that he was grateful to Williams for her kindness.
Additionally, KPRC reports the mayor of La Marque declared March 8 Evoni Williams Day — an annual reminder to be a little kinder and seek out ways to help those who need a little boost.
Williams told CBS she plans to study business at Texas Southern University.
