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A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM UPWORTHY
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Bill Moczulewski and Christy Conrad

Bill Moczulewski is a 57-year-old hardworking janitor at Walmart in Cabot, Arkansas. He works the night shifts from Tuesday through Friday, 10 pm to 7 am. Bill lives 5 miles from his job, and he has to walk there and back every day, no matter the weather conditions.

The entire walk, round trip, takes about 2 hours a day.

According to GoFundMe, Bill used to ride his bike to work but was struck by a car one day, but he wouldn’t let that stop him from returning to his job. He’s such a hard worker that he still made it to work using a walker. A few years later, Bill was struck by a car again.


A long walk like that could be troublesome for most people, but Bill is legally blind, which makes the trek even more dangerous. "I don't call out," Bill told CBS News. "I want to work."

A couple of years ago, Christy Conrad saw Bill on his daily walk and offered him a ride. The two struck up a friendship and she vowed to give him a ride whenever she could. "He's going to go to work no matter what," Christy said. “I picked him up in nine degrees the other morning.”

Unfortunately, Christy couldn’t always be there for Bill, so she created a Facebook group called Mr. BIll’s Village to build a team to help Bill get to work and back. Now, group members drive around looking for Bill and give him a ride if they can. It’s like Cabot has its own game of “Where’s Waldo” going on in the streets. Village members watch for Bill, pull over and give him a ride if he needs one.

The group is a way for members to come together to ensure that Bill can get around and members also pick him up meals from time to time, too.

Today, the group has nearly 4,000 followers and Bill just about always has a ride to work. "It's never the same person from one day to the next. There's a lot of good people in this world, all over the place, you know," Bill said.

To help with Bill’s commute, Chris Puckett, a local auto dealer, offered to give Bill a car. But given his vision problems, a car wouldn’t do him much good. So he gave the gift to Christy.

The group has also established a GoFundMe campaign to help Bill with his expenses. Christy has been using the money to get him a bite to eat from time to time. They recently enjoyed some Domino's pizza Bill hadn’t had in quite a while.

The story of Bill Moczulewski and the village that supports him is a wonderful example for all to share. If you work hard, you can inspire others to work hard for you. "It's never the same person from one day to the next. There's a lot of good people in this world, all over the place, you know," Moczulewski said.

More

9 beautiful responses to hate in the aftermath of the Orlando attack.

Yes, we are in mourning, but we are also not giving up.

In the aftermath of what has been named the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, people are finding ways to cope.

Many went to candlelight vigils in their hometowns to mourn, talk, and comfort friends and strangers. Others donated money to various funds attempting to support the victims, their families, and organizations working to promote common sense gun control.

And, as has become the case with most tragedies that reach so wide, many more people have taken to posting messages of love, support, and empowerment using a very special hashtag: #LoveIsLove.



Appropriately, the #LoveIsLove hashtag has become a place for all people, LGBTQ and their straight allies alike, to come together and express love in all its forms.

It's hard not to feel helpless, angry, hurt, or defeated when something like this happens. The idea of someone gunning down over 100 innocent people is almost incomprehensible. Almost. Thanks to public outlets like Twitter, however, anyone who needs to can share what they're going through.

The profoundly beautiful thing about #LoveIsLove is that most of the messages are words of encouragement.


And yes, some have even found ways to bring lightness to an event that feels unmanageably heavy.

Perhaps the most moving tweets are the ones outlining personal stories of love in the face of adversity.




There have been far too many devastating events like this recently.

If you're still struggling to find rays of hope in all the darkness, spend a few minutes scrolling through the #LoveIsLove hashtag. Take in the countless stories of love, the photos of people of all ages, races, genders, and sexual orientations smiling in the face of hate over and over and over again.

The next generation is showing us they intend to stand up for equality, no matter where they fit in.


So, here's to a future where love is love is love is love.