Bill Moczulewski doesn't let anything stop him from getting where he's going in life. Including to his overnight job as a janitor at Walmart in Cabot, Arkansas.
Legally blind, Bill doesn't drive. So he walks. Five miles there, and five miles back, a total of four hours of walking roundtrip — rain, snow, or shine.
"I don't call out. I want to work," Bill said.
But now, thanks to the kindness of a stranger, Bill's walking days are over.
How a Stranger Gave a Blind Man a Lift
Bill has been religiously making the same trek every Tuesday through Friday, at sundown and sunup, for years. And it isn't without its perils, as part of his journey includes crossing a four-lane interstate bridge (without sidewalks).
He used to ride his bicycle to work until he was struck by a vehicle and was forced to trade in his bike for a walker (because there is seriously no stopping this guy). And when he was hit again, a few years later? He just kept on walking.
A couple of years ago, Christy Conrad was driving by when she noticed him and stopped and offered him a ride. Bill gratefully accepted. Since then, she has driven him as often as she could.
But with her own family to care for, she "couldn't always be there."
So, two months ago, she had an idea. A crazy, wonderful idea. She decided to start a community Facebook page, Mr. Bill's Village, hoping to find one or two other people willing to help with his commute.
"If you are ever out and about and you see him please pick him up and take him to or from work," her Facebook post read. "Let’s be the village he needs!"
Well, she found more than two. She found 1500.
In an explosion of kindness, more than a thousand people stepped up, inspired by the man's perseverance and dogged determination.
"Now it's like everyone is competing to give Mr. Bill a ride," one group member shared.
It Takes a Village
In what may be the most heartwarming display of community EVER, someone inevitably shows up for Mr. Bill, EVERY SINGLE DAY.
"It's never the same person from one day to the next," Bill said.
"There's a lot of good people in this world, all over the place."
Bill Moczulewski via CBS News
But especially in a small town in Arkansas.
When Chris Puckett, owner of local car dealership, Puckett Auto Group, heard about Mr. Bill, he decided he wanted to get in on the action. An Air Force veteran with 17 years of service and 14 tours under his belt, he epitomizes their motto to "Aim High."
Initially, he wanted to gift Bill a car but when he found out that he was seeing impaired, Chris decided to give it to Christy instead (and who says karma isn't real??)
“When You See a Need, Fill It.”
And the kindness, it seems, keeps right on rolling. Other local businesses have also hopped aboard the giving train, providing meals, clothing, and gift cards.
After news of Bill travelled far and wide, Christy decided to start a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to make Mr. Bill's life a little easier.
"We have set up this Go Fund Me Account for Mr. Bill for everyone that doesn’t live locally, but would like to help," she wrote in the description. So far, it's raised $405 of its $500 goal.
Christy hopes that her actions, and the actions of those involved in Mr. Bill's Village will inspire others to become a part of their own neighborhood village.
“I hope if anyone takes anything from this, it would be: use the Golden Rule. Treat others the way you would want to be treated,” she wrote on Mr. Bill’s Village Facebook page.
“When you see a need, fill it if possible!”
In a world where you can be anything, be kind.
More from Goalcast:
Little boy sitting in a chair wearing a police oABC News
Military Dad Defends His 4 Little Daughters When Strangers Make This Rude Remark