The worlds of a beauty queen and a homeless man living on the street probably couldn’t be farther apart, but this holiday tale of compassion and kindness is one of the most touching stories we’ve heard about lately. Dominique Harrison-Bentzen, 22, is a student and beauty queen who was stranded last December after a night out when a homeless man who goes by Robbie, gave her his only $5 so she could get a taxi home.
Bentzen told reporters that after she lost her metrocard in Lancashier, England she had no way to get home and that’s when the good Samaritan came to her rescue. “I suddenly realized that I had no money and a homeless man approached me with his only change of £3 ($5). “He insisted I took it to pay for a taxi to make sure I got home safe.”
The woman was so touched by the man’s kindness that she sought him out so she could pay the good deed back. A finalist in the Miss Preston beauty contest, Bentzen sought the help of Facebook to track Robbie down and then develop a way to raise money and awareness to help Robbie out. Through social media efforts, the young woman was able to raise $25,000 to help Robbie get off the street, and took to the streets herself for 24 hours to see what it was like to live in the shoes of somebody without a warm home to go to. “I simply can’t just give him the money, I have to go through the right channels. So I will be spending 24 hours through the day and night as a homeless person to understand the difficulties they face each day,” said Bentzen.
Bentzen learned that Robbie’s been homeless for seven months and can’t find work because he doesn’t have an address. It’s also not the first time he’s come to the aid of one of his fellow citizens, and has offered up scarves to those who may be suffering from the cold.
It’s stories like these that remind us how much a offering just a little bit of kindness can make a big difference in the life of somebody else.