Right in the middle of her shift, a strange man approaches her with her boss trailing him. When she hears what he tells him, she's concerned.
"Is this going to hurt my paycheck? Am I going to be docked?" she asked the Lieutenant. Soon enough, she and millions more were about to find out how wrong she was, for the right reasons.
A Stranger Makes an Offer
As a crossing guard in Detroit's busy downtown district, Linita Edge sees all types of people, but the one constant is her smile. "Be safe. Have a great evening. Oh, your hair is gorgeous," she says to a little girl who beams back at her.
So she didn't miss a beat when a man approached her with an offer. He asked if she had $1 in exchange for a jersey. She said sure, however she was busy working.
Then the stranger asked if she was a Detroit Tigers baseball fan, to which she said 'Of course!'
The stranger then asked her an awkward question about what time she finished work. Yet, the pleasant Edge told him 10 or 11. However, the man pressed her, asking if there was a chance she can get off early. With a smirk, Edge replied 'Close to none.' But, she said jokingly, 'My Lieutenant is right there across the street,' suggesting he can talk to him.
With that as motivation, the man turned around and walked straight to her boss. He returned moments later with a surprise offer.
A Man’s Surprise Offer to a Crossing Guard
That's when the strange man returned with her boss in tow. "We wanted to let you know that you got the thumbs up," he told her, as in she was able to leave work earlier.
“Oh my god, are you serious?" replied a shocked Edge.
"We’re going to the game!” the man replied, referring to a Tigers game, right by where the crossing guard was working.
That's when Edge asked her boss if it would impact her pay. With that, the man gave her $500. After saying 'Are you serious?!' Edge welled up and shared the struggle behind her smile.
"You don't even know right now," she started. "I was just telling my son, 'Son, we're going to have to put it together,'" she said, alluding to her financial struggles. "And I tell them, we're just going to have to pray."
Little did Edge know at the time, but this story was about to cross into giant glow-up territory.
A TikTok Influencer Changes a Mother’s Life
So that was not just a strange man looking for a quick date. It was none other than motivational TikToker Zachery Dereniowski (@madmotivator), who has 16.1 million followers for creating random acts of kindness.
His video showcasing Edge's story and their night out went viral with 10 million views, 1.9 million likes and over 10,000 comments.
With the motivation to do something more for Edge, in the caption under his post, Dereniowksi directed viewers to a GoFundMe page he set up for the radiant crosswalk guard. There he also shared some more details about Edge's struggles. He shared that she had recently lost her husband and was the sole provider for her son.
"Let's all come together and show Edge and her family the power of the internet and bless this family," he wrote. "100% of the funds raised will go towards paying rent, food bills, and helping her sons with their education. Be kind and love always ❤️."
How a Community Lifts a Sweet Single Mother
It seems that Dereniowksi so enjoyed his night at the ballpark with Edge that he asked her out again (Who could blame him?!). On this night, stadium announcer Chris Butzlaff got on the intercom and asked Edge and Derenioski to come to center field.
There, he announced to the crowd that the campaign for Edge was a success, as the people of Detroit who had seen Dereniowski's TikTok raised these extra funds for her. Make that $50,000 extra, as they presented her with a cheque in her name.
An overwhelmed Edge fell to her knees in tears, yelling out, "Oh god!" with her arms outstretched.
"Who knew that a T-shirt would change my life," Edge told CBS.
How a TikToker Proves That Kindness Makes Magic
Dereniowksi says that he hopes that this moment inspires scores of kindness copycats worldwide.
"I hope that this 'viral kindness' is contagious and creates a ripple effect in the lives of people who have watched this video," he added.
There's a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg quandary here. Did this moment happen because of Edge's glow, or because of Dereniowksi tapping into the power of the internet? I'd say both.
It just goes to show that when kindness combines, we can cross great places together.
More from Goalcast:
Old photobooth strip of Nana and Papa@jennjensc/TikTok
An elderly woman sits in chair with blue blanket while doing chemotherapy.@jennjensc/Tiktok
screenshot of a comment on TikTok@jennjensc / TikTok
Military Dad Defends His 4 Little Daughters When Strangers Make This Rude Remark