Baton Rouge, Louisiana — Matt Busbice and his partners have built and sold several outdoor companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But Busbice, the 42-year-old owner of sporting goods store BuckFeather in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, says he has never felt richer than he did the day he received a single dollar.
"I haven't had that much faith in humanity in a very long time," Busbice said.
He says it all began about a month ago. It was early morning, and the fire alarm was going off inside his condo complex. So, Busbice shot out of bed and raced down the stairs only to discover there was no fire. But he was awake now, so even though he was wearing mismatched clothes and was disheveled, he decided to go out for a cup of coffee.
As he was about to enter the coffee shop, he remembered he hadn't done his morning prayer. So as the security camera shows, Busbice stepped to the corner of the patio to pray.
"And I started to slowly open my eyes, and there's a kid coming at me, about my height," Busbice said.
The Kindness of a Young Boy
One day, as Busbice was walking down the street, he encountered a young boy with his fist clenched. Expecting a confrontation, Busbice was surprised when the boy opened his fist to reveal a $1 bill.
"And I go, 'What?'" Busbice said.
"'If you're homeless, here's a dollar,'" 9-year-old Kelvin Ellis Jr. recalls telling Busbice. "…I always wanted to help a homeless person, and I finally had the opportunity."
Ellis explained that he had just received the dollar for good grades and it was the only money he had. Touched by the boy's gesture, Busbice invited Ellis in for a snack and later connected with Ellis' father to stay in touch.
A Reward for Kindness
In appreciation for Ellis' kindness, Busbice decided to reward him with a shopping spree at BuckFeather. Ellis had 40 seconds to pick out anything he wanted, including a new bike. While Ellis enjoyed the experience, he admitted that a shopping spree was not what he had in mind when he gave away his dollar.
"Joy, because I helped someone," Ellis said. "Give something away, and you feel like you've got a lot of things from it."
"If you give, you're actually going to get more out of that," Busbice said. "I couldn't grasp that as a kid. And if we can spread that around, everything changes."
