Many people believe that things often happen for a reason. For Uber driver Ellis Hill, meeting passenger Liz Willock was one of those chance encounters he’ll remember for the rest of his life.
Having missed her flight out of Philadelphia after the Democratic National Convention, Willock happened to run into Hill as her Uber driver. The two struck up a conversation that transitioned into the Olympics and the fact that Hill’s son, Darrell, was competing in Rio for the United States in men’s track and field. The elder Hill could not afford to go watch his son compete on the world’s biggest stage because of his finances.
Willock decided to do the unthinkable for this Uber driver she’d just met: she started a GoFundMe campaign page for Hill to raise the funds that would allow him to travel to Rio in order to support his son. His story did not go unheard. With some social media helps from Darrell, the page exceeded the allotted $7,500 mark needed to cover travel expenses and accumulated over 150 donations. All Hill needs is a passport, and Willock is in the process of having one expedited for him.
Would like to personally thank everyone who donated to help my Dad get to Rio, we achieved our goal. God is Good. #Thankful
— Darrell Hill (@B1GHomie) August 1, 2016
For Hillock, the experience has reffirmed her belief that people just want to help other people.
“People are people, so until they do something different, you expect the best out of people,” he said. “It’s an awesome thing.”
This is just one of the many amazing stories that often occur when the Olympics come back around. We are used to hearing inspirational stories surrounding the arduous journies of Olympic athletes and their path towards competing on the international stage. But to hear about how, through some amazing twist of fate, two people like Willock and Hill were able to meet in the manner they did is unfathomable. Willock stands as just one of many amazing stories of the best that can be found in people.
