He thought it was quite impressive that the homeless woman never asked for money. It was the reason a Florida man decided to take the time to ask her about herself— and those answers changed both of their lives for the better.
Greg Smith is resigned toward the many homeless people asking him for money. He wears a suit and tie as he travels around downtown Orlando, Florida for his job, and looks like he has cash to spare.
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But one homeless woman stood out. Amy Jo never asked for money, just wished him a good day as he hurried by. Smith decided to start buying her lunch once a week.
“For 30 minutes to an hour I get to hear how positive she is, even though she really has nothing,” Smith wrote on his Facebook page.
During one of those lunches, she “dropped a bomb” on Smith: the reason she remained homeless was because she couldn’t read. Any money given to her by strangers, she spends on reading lessons, hoping it will help her get a job.
“So now not only do Amy Joe and I sit and have lunch, I’m teaching her to read,” Smith wrote. “I rent one library book a week and we read it together Tuesday and she practices on her own throughout the rest of the week.”
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He’s even created a GoFundMe campaign that’s raised more than $2,000 to help Amy Joe learn to read and get back on her feet.
Smith encourages others to seek out “their Amy Joe,” and thinks that such helpfulness for someone in need could begin by simply smiling and saying hello.
(WATCH the video below from Greg Smith) — Photo: Greg Smith, Facebook
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