Homeless Man Who Returned Ring Given $16,000 in Donations
A homeless man who garnered national attention after he returned a diamond ring to a women who had accidentally dropped it in the cup he was using for donations has received over $16,000 from people wanting to help.
There have been hundreds of donations since news of Billy Ray Harris' good deed reunited an engagement ring to the women who had accidentally lost it.
A webpage on GiveForward.com is dedicated to raising money to help Harris get back on his feet and was set up shortly after the story broke.
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"It seemed like a miracle," Sarah Darling, the women who lost the ring, told KCTV. "I thought for sure there was no way I would get it back."
"I think in our world we often jump to the worst conclusion, and it just makes you realize that there are good people out there," she added.
Darling had given a donation to the homeless man, Billy Ray Harris, who was on the street with a cup for donations. When she emptied her wallet to give him her spare change, the ring, which she had taken off and put in the purse, also fell into the cup. Darling then walked off, unaware of what had happened.
"I was so incredibly upset because, more than just the value of the ring, it had sentimental value," Darling noted. The next day she went back to find Harris and ask him an important question.
"She squatted down like you did right there and says, 'Do you remember me?' And I was like, 'I don't know. I see a lot of faces.' She says, 'I might have given you something very valuable.' I said, 'Was it a ring?' And she says, 'Yeah.' And I said, 'Well, I have it,'" Harris told KCTV.
Harris was never going to compromise his values while some wonder why he never sold to ring to collect the money.
"My grandfather was a reverend," Harris said. "He raised me from the time I was six months old and thank the good Lord, it's a blessing, but I do still have some character."
