Homeless Good Samaritan Rewarded With Hotel Stay, Humbled by All the Attention (VIDEO)
A homeless good Samaritan was rewarded beyond his expectations this Thanksgiving by a hotel staff amazed at his actions. Joel Hartman had been homeless for a year but spent this Thanksgiving in a hotel, enjoying the simple pleasures in life and a few treats all because he did what he thought was right.
Hartman, a native of Atlanta, dumpster-diving for food when he discovered a wallet that belonged to a French tourist. He then went around to four hotels until he finally found the one where she was staying. Omni Hotel was the name of the place where she was staying, and hotel staff managed to return the wallet and decided to repay Hartman for his good deeds.
General manager Scott Stuckey spent the past two weeks looking for Hartman; he wanted to reward him for his honesty.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"He did the right thing, and now I want to do the right thing for this guy," Stuckey told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Hartman said he had been homeless since March, when his girlfriend died and he suddenly found himself in despair. Now, though, he has a slightly better outlook thanks to the kindness of others. Stuckey offered Hartman a room in the hotel through Thanksgiving, meals, new clothes, and $500 in his own pocket. He is in shock over all the fuss that's been made about his actions. According to Stuckey, donations have been pouring in for Hartman ever since his story went public.
"We're getting calls from people all over the United States, from Hawaii, Canada. They're all people wanting to know what they can do to help," the manager said.
"You've gotta be kidding me. I would hope someone would've done the same thing for me. I had no intention of anything like this ever happening," Hartman said. "It's too much. This has been a life-changing experience. It has helped bring me out of the gutter."
The hotel provided a complimentary makeover to go with his new attitude and life. A fundraising webpage has been set up for those who want to help Hartman stay on his feet; so far $1,200 has been raised for the good Samaritan.
Watch a video on Hartman HERE:
