When Elmer Alvarez noticed a small piece of paper on the ground, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change because of it.
He couldn't believe what he was looking at. How did he get so lucky?
A Valuable Piece Of Paper
One day, Elmer was wandering the streets when he spotted a piece of paper on the pavement. At first, he thought it was a grocery store receipt, but when he looked closely, he noticed someone's signature written on it.
But it wasn't until Elmer read the amount written on the check that his jaw dropped.
$10,000
Elmer was looking at a $10,000 check. He knew that this money would change his life once and for all. He would no longer have to live on the streets and could buy himself some new warm clothes.
But then, he noticed someone's number written on the back of the check. Elmer was torn between returning the check to its owner and spending the money. What did he do?
He Decided To Find The Owner
Instead of going to the nearest bank and spending the money, Elmer decided to search for a phone to call the number on the back of the check.
Fortunately, he saw his friend pass by and asked him to make the call on his behalf because he only spoke Spanish.
Roberta Hoskie
The check belonged to a self-made CEO and President of Outreach Realty Services and Outreach School of Real Estate, Roberta Hoskie.
Elmer's friend explained to her that they had just found her check and wanted to return it to her. She didn't even realize that it was missing.
Roberta Was So Happy
Roberta thanked the kind man for wanting to return the check to her instead of spending it. However, she still had no idea that the person who found it was, in fact, homeless.
Roberta decided to document this beautiful moment by going live on Facebook, but she quickly changed her mind when she saw Elmer.
Roberta Could Relate To Him
Elmer's friend explained to her that Elmer was a homeless man who had been living on the streets for a few years now. And although he knew that this money would change his life, he would never forgive himself if he spent the money.
But what Elmer and his friend didn't know at the time was that the successful CEO used to struggle financially when she was 17. Roberta and her baby had to sleep in shelters to avoid living on the streets. So, she knew what it was like to be in his situation, and she decided to reward him for his honesty and loyalty.
She Wanted To Teach Him How To Fish
Roberta could've given Elmer some money for food and clothes, but instead, she decided to help him find a way out of homelessness.
"I'm going to teach him how to fish," she wrote on Facebook. So, how did she decide to help him?
She Was Planning Something Big
That day, Roberta wrote Elmer a check, and they bonded over similar experiences and struggles. When they said goodbye that evening, Elmer thought he would never see her again.
But unbeknownst to him, Roberta went home to work on her big plan...
A Life-Changing Opportunity
Roberta was planning to meet Elmer again to offer him a life-changing opportunity that would break him out of homelessness.
While Roberta was working on her plan, Elmer went to the bank to cash his reward. Although he had his ID on him, the staff refused to cash such a large amount of money, thinking he had stolen this check or found it somewhere on the street. So, they had to call Roberta to verify, and she quickly reassured them that everything was fine.
The Day Of
Two weeks later, Roberta asked Elmer to come into her office. At that point, more than 13,000 Facebook users were following her story, and it even caught the attention of media outlets.
When he stepped into her office, he was shocked by the crowds of people waiting to celebrate this special moment with him. But what happened next was even more shocking.
He Received A Certificate From Ms. Millionaire Mindset
Roberta handed Elmer a certificate from Ms. Millionaire Mindset, an organization that helps eliminate poverty.
Then, Roberta explained to him what she meant by "teaching him how to fish."
She Also Found Him An Appartment
Elmer received free classes at Roberta's real state school and free English lessons to improve his written and verbal skills.
Roberta also announced that she had found Elmer and his girlfriend an apartment. But they could only stay there under one condition...
He Passed All The Classes
In order to keep the apartment, Elmer had to pass his real estate classes. After successfully passing all the classes, Roberta hooked him up with a job interview at her friend's company.
As she continued to document her incredible story on Facebook, she started to receive lots of attention from the media. And it wasn't long before she and Elmer appeared on talk shows.
Working On Something Big
Elmer and Roberta are still friends to this day and are currently working on constructing a transitional house for homeless young adults and teenagers.
They want to get all the young people off the streets and offer them warm accommodation with clean clothes and food.