Woman sets up fundraising page for homeless man who helped her get home
Credit: Nicole Sedgebeer Facebook
MILTON KEYNES, England - Nicole Sedgebeer, a 21-year-old from the United Kingdom hopes that her story will make you think twice about who you meet.
Nicole was on her way home when she missed the last train to her town. Stranded with no way to get home and about to burst into tears, she was approached by a gentle fellow by the name of Mark. Mark was a homeless man that offered to find Nicole somewhere safe and warm to shelter. Mark took Nicole to a nearby cafe that he knew was open and told the young gal that “it was too dangerous to walk by herself.”
The pair had a coffee and a chat at the café. "We had breakfast and he told me about his life. He used to work with the army and has been homeless for 12 years,” said Nicole.
Mark explained to Nicole that he had to grab his sleeping bag and that he would be back in five minutes to walk to her to the train station. Five minutes had gone by and Mark was a “no show.” Nicole left the café and started to walk towards the train station when she saw Mark running toward her. Mark had gotten a bus for Nicole to come get her.
Stunned by his kindness, Nicole took a photo with Mark and posted their story on her Facebook page.
“This man who I probably would of avoided eye contact with if he asked for spare change, completely changed such a negative event into the most eye opening event in my life. Mark you are one special man, I will never look down on a homeless person again,” wrote Nicole. “This was Mark’s first ever selfie!”
The post quickly went viral – racking up close to 14,000 shares.
In lieu of his kindness toward her, Nicole set up a JustGiving Page to help support Mark and all of the homeless people in London. “The kind act of one homeless man can help him and many others,” said Nicole.
“Mark embodies the best of humanity. He went out of his way to help me, a complete stranger, when the reality of his situation is that people walk past him every day without offering him help. Mark you are one special man, I will never look down on a homeless person again and so want to do something to help Mark and all the other homeless people around Euston.”
To date, the JustGiving page has raised £1,174 dollars, which amounts to $1,670.00 in U.S. currency. Nicole’s goal is to raise £5,000.