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.

Getting folks back on their feet, literally and figuratively

Two years ago, Eugene Yoon followed his heart. He quit his job at a California research company and began a hike from the California/Mexico border all the way to Canada. Why? To raise funds for a total stranger.

That stranger, Arthur Renowitzky, had been mugged and shot ten years earlier. His injury left him unable to walk, and though he vowed to walk again, it seemed less and less likely as time went on. For some inexplicable reason, Eugene felt he needed to help Arthur walk again. The two spoke and Eugene was determined to make it happen.

Eugene learned of an exoskeleton which would give Arthur the support he needed to walk. It cost $80,000, well out of reach financially. Where others would see an obstacle, Eugene saw an opportunity. The hike raised the needed funds, and Arthur got his exoskeleton. When he took his first steps, Eugene was there to witness it.

Now Eugene's heart has led him to another need. He met Alberto Velasquez, a skilled garment worker, in Skid Row, and learned that the man and 24 relatives lived under one roof. Alberto and other family members already worked long hours, but were unable to earn enough to free them from their poverty. With Eugene's help, a new clothing line called KIN LOV GRA was born. Proceeds from the sales will ensure a living wage for Alberto and his family.

Man stops to help stranger, returns to build a ramp

Jennifer and Don Austin were ready to get home. Don had undergone a below-knee amputation because of months of medical problems, and the couple was anxious to let him rest and recover in his own home. They knew Jennifer couldn't get him into the house in his wheelchair, so Don was ready to hop up his front steps with crutches.

He couldn't make it. He was too weak and off-balance, and try as she might, Jennifer couldn't help him. Don sat on the stairs to scoot up on his bottom, but even that proved too much.

At that moment, Steve Smith happened to be driving by. He didn't know the Austins, but decided to circle back and stop. Smith asked the couple if they needed help, and the Austins gratefully said yes. Smith picked Don up and literally carried him into the house.

Smith's kindness didn't end there. The next morning, he came back and asked the Austins' permission to build a ramp. He supplied the manpower and made it happen.

The Austins call Smith an angel, one who saved them twice within 24 hours. They shared his kindness on social media.

Man pulls stranger off subway tracks in the nick of time

We humans like to think we can be brave when needed, that our inner hero can be readily called into action to save the day.

If only.

Truth is, most of us hesitate, grapple with indecision or surprise, or are sluggishly weighing out the pros and cons while the problem unfolds. Perhaps that's why we love hero stories. When seconds count, their best self emerges and they act.

Thankfully, Jonathan Kulig acted. On Saturday night, the 29-year-old had just gotten off a subway and stepped onto the platform. On the opposite platform, he saw something fall onto the tracks. When he reached it, people yelled and pointed to a person lying on the tracks below. The train would come into the station in less than a minute.

Kulig jumped down and scooped up the barely conscious young man. He lifted him to the edge where other subway patrons helped him to a bench. Then Kulig climbed out himself, and was promptly proclaimed a hero. The rescue was caught on video, including the dramatic moment when the train rushes into the station.

Word is that the young man who fell was drunk. He was taken to the hospital with non-critical injuries.

Kulig is employed by Con Edison, and had just gone through the MTA's track safety course. He knew how to keep himself safe as he helped the fallen person. "I did what I had to do," he said.  

The persistence of a 6-year-old saves a man's life

Six-year-old Karter Thorpe of Franklin, Virginia was riding in the backseat of his grandmother's car. As they trolled the Lowe's parking lot looking for a space, Karter called out to his 'Mimi' that he saw a man lying down on the pavement. She later reported that since Karter has such an active imagination, she doubted his words and kept driving. Karter wouldn't let it go. "You have to go back!" he told her. "He's hurt!" So to prove him wrong, Mimi turned the car around.

Sure enough, a man was lying beside a car just where Karter had seen him. The man was gasping for air. Mimi called 911 and a second passerby performed CPR until the ambulance arrived.

Mimi later learned that the 64-year-old man had suffered a heart attack. He likely would have died if Karter had not spotted him and kept after Mimi until she stopped. The man and his family want to meet Karter to thank him personally. The police officers who responded to the scene have offered to buy Karter ice cream.