An unselfish deed has landed a Wisconsin Chick-fil-A employee in the national spotlight.
Hailey Bridges, a 17-year-old employee at the Appleton, Wis., Chick-fil-A, was attending her employer’s Christmas party this month when her name was chosen from a raffle. She had won a car.
But instead of driving her new automobile home, she immediately gave it to her friend and co-worker, Hokule’a Taniguchi, who didn’t own a car. Taniguchi had been traveling to and from work on a bike.
“I just couldn’t believe it. I was so shocked,” Taniguchi told WKRV. “I screamed and I ran to her and I was just like… My heart felt so full and I was so excited and then obviously I was so happy. I just started crying my eyes out.”
The car, a 2008 Hyundai Elantra, will help Taniguchi stay safer during her travels. She moved from Hawaii last year and isn’t accustomed to Wisconsin’s cold winters.
“Being able to have a car and that freedom and giving someone else a ride, helping someone else out – that just warms my soul and I’m just so excited and happy and I can’t believe it,” Taniguchi told WKRV.
The Appleton Chick-fil-A posted a message on Facebook about the good deed.
Bridges said of her friend, “She’s one of the people here that has made me be myself more, and I just feel so happy being around her and it was just an immediate decision to give her a car because she probably needs it more than anyone I know.”
Sami Hansen, director of hospitality and quality at the Appleton Chick-fil-A, applauded the two employees for their hard world and positive attitudes.
“Haley is super fun to be around… She has just really been able to plug in with everyone,” Hansen said. And Hokule’a just serves everyone with excellence and has really been able to build some strong friendships and memories with everyone as well.”
Photo courtesy of Chick-fil-a Facebook
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.