“There’s still good people in the world,” Tucker said.
When Tucker walked into the Mike Fitzpatrick Ford dealership in Newnan last week, she found out it would cost more than $800 to fix her car – money she didn’t have.
“She walked out in tears,” said Najour, who works at the dealership. “It broke my heart when I saw her go to her car and start getting her stuff.”
“I was going to have to leave the car there until I could come up with the money and something just came over me and I broke down crying,” Tucker said.
Tucker went home. She had no clue that Najour had spotted her tears and come up with a plan to make her Christmas a bit brighter.
“I just instantly thought, ‘Hey, why don’t I post this on Facebook?’” Najour said.
So she did just that.
“If I could just snag your attention please," she wrote. "I’m at work and there is a customer who has literally left in tears because she is having to leave her car behind. She is unable to pay the $800 it costs to repair her car. So I’m asking Facebook for help. If I could have 800 people which I know I have over that many on my Facebook, can 800 people send me $1 so we can get this woman’s car fixed. It broke my heart watching her clean her car out knowing she wouldn’t be leaving with it. Just trying to do something nice & help someone out who desperately needs it."
Within two hours, Najour had raised a little more than $1,000. She was also able to use her employee discount to get the repair costs cut in half.
The next day, Najour gave the remaining funds -- more than $500 -- to Tucker as a gift for her and her four children.
“She didn’t know me," Tucker said. "She didn’t know what else I had been going through."
In August, Tucker’s house in LaGrange caught fire. They lived in a hotel for a bit before finding a new place in Newnan. She now commutes to and from LaGrange for work, so her car means putting food on the table.
“I have a habit of treating people how I want to be treated and it will come back around in the end,” Tucker said.
The women told WSB-TV they plan to stay in touch and hope their story inspires others to pay it forward.
About the Author