A server in Wisconsin received a belated $4,500 tip from a group of 250 kind-hearted citizens -- and he has a homophobic customer to thank for the community's act of generosity.
The unnamed server in Madison received a hateful anti-gay message instead of a tip on a $142.95 bill for a group he had served this past Sunday.
"Service was good but we don't tip sinfull [sic] homosexuals," the handwritten note on the bill read, showing they were both a bad person and a bad speller.
The server could do little more than turn the other cheek to the hateful patron, until an anonymous person helped the receipt find its way to Eric Salzwedel, the co-founder of Do Good Wisconsin, a local nonprofit group that encourages its members to perform random acts of kindness. Salzwedel took one look at the hateful message and decided his group of Good Samaritans would turn that hate into an act of love and generosity.
"This came across my table this morning and upsets me greatly!" Salzwedel posted to his group's Facebook page.
Rather than try to learn the identity and expose the person who wrote the note, he decided to cancel out that hate by issuing a Venmo challenge to his group instead.
"I plan to go back into the restaurant, request this server and show them that this community and so many others do LOVE them with the biggest tip they have ever received!" Salzwedel posted. "BUT I NEED YOUR HELP!"
His group of do-gooder cheeseheads opened their hearts and wallets, and two days later Salzwedel returned to that restaurant, asked for the same server, and gave him a $4,500 tip on a $45.00 bill.
The server asked to remain anonymous, but the act of kindness from Do Good Wisconsin has gone viral. And judging from the comments on the group's post to Facebook, the act of kindness has inspired others.
"Thank you for all you're doing," wrote one commenter. "The news can be bleak lately, and acts like this are an uplifting bright spot."
"Love this," wrote another, emphasizing their point with two heart emojis.
Do Good Wisconsin is currently on a Do Good Tour, traveling around the state and surprising random folks with acts of kindness. So far, they've shown at least one hateful diner the way to treat their fellow humans.
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