Small kindness of Waffle House waitress goes viral, lands her a scholarship

Laura Wolf was eating at a Waffle House in La Marque, Texas earlier this month. She overheard an elderly customer on oxygen ask a passing waitress for help. He said his hands weren't working well and needed help cutting his ham. Eighteen-year-old Evoni Williams was that passing waitress, and she did what she always does - stopped and helped. Laura captured the small kindness on her phone and shared it on Facebook. The post went viral.

As word spread locally, Evoni was thrown into the spotlight. The public learned she works at Waffle House to save for her college education where she plans to major in business. Last week, various officials met her at the Waffle House including media to record the event. The mayor issued a proclamation, declaring Thursday Evoni Williams Day. She was given a huge vase of flowers and got to meet Laura, the woman who captured the kindness to begin with. Then, a representative from Texas Southern University came forward. He presented Evoni with a $16,000 scholarship to be used toward four semesters' tuition.

Evoni is understandably delighted with the accolades, but doesn't quite see what all the fuss is about. She says, "I was just doing what I do every day."

Waitress gets a huge tip and a life-changing offer

Cayla Chandara moved from Santa Rosa to Hawaii to attend college. Between the high cost of living there and her school loans, she was soon financially overwhelmed. She quit school and started working two waitress jobs in Honolulu to pay down those loans.

Last week, she waited on a tourist couple from Australia . She chatted with them, learning a bit about them. In turn, they learned a bit about her, including her dream of paying down loans and finishing college. The couple left her a $400 tip.

Cayla was stunned. At the end of her shift, she delivered some flowers and a thank you note to the couple at their hotel (thankfully, they'd mentioned where they were staying!)

The next day, the generous couple returned to the restaurant and spoke with Cayla. They offered to pay $10,000 of her debt so she could return to college. Their only condition - they wish to remain anonymous. 

An overjoyed, overwhelmed Cayla accepted the offer with an open heart. She promised the couple that she will be the best person she can be, and will return to college this fall to continue her studies.