WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A little holiday cheer goes a long way.
That's according to one Winston-Salem single mother, Rebecca Newman.
Rebecca and her three kids, plus her nephew, were in line at the Tanglewood Festival of Lights last week. Newman said she waited in line for a while and when she pulled up to pay, the cashier told her she'd already been taken care of by the car in front of her.
It's $15 to get into the Festival of Lights. Newman said that's a lot for her as a single mom working three jobs. But more than anything, she said the kind act restored her faith in humanity.
She posted about the act of kindness, trying to locate the person who paid for her family, and it went viral.
We now know it was Alan Hill who works for Tarheel Residential Tree Service. The logo on the car gave it away. Newman said she posted about the business so the seemingly small gesture is recognized in a big way.
"It's more than just a 15 dollar ticket to get into Tanglewood," Newman said. "People don't really understand," she continued with tears in her eyes.
Newman is a single mom of 3 with 3 kids. Hill didn't know her story before he paid for her. But turns out, he has a story too.
"My mom was a single mom too," Hill said. He gets choked up, but continued.
"My mom was a single mom and when {Rebecca} wrote that post, and when I found out what that little $15 dollars did, it really did touch me a lot."
Hill remained modest, but took the Christmas kindness one step further Monday afternoon when he met Newman face-to-face.
He gave her an additional $200 dollars, restaurant gift cards, and toys for all three of her children.
Newman burst out in tears, and said "now I can finish all my Christmas shopping."
She said it's an important lesson in being kind, and paying it forward.
"Do something good every day," Newman said. "Make it a point because you never know what someone might be going through and what their struggle is and how that could turn their day around."