Close Ad

Struggling Waitress Works to Pay Off Debt - Millionaire Customer Gives Her $20K and Pays Her Tuition Instead
Millionaire Customer Pays $20K to Help Waitress Help With Nursing School Loans
Uplifting News

Struggling Waitress Works to Pay Off Debt - Millionaire Customer Gives Her $20K and Pays Her Tuition Instead

One wealthy regular at the Peachtree Restaurant changed a young woman's life by paying for her nursing school.

Melissa Mainer knew she wanted to be a nurse, but the path to get there was going to be difficult. All of the loans she would accrue at nursing school wouldn’t be cheap, and she needed to pick up side jobs in order for her to start paying them off.

Why One Man Decided to Help a Struggling Waitress

smiling waitress serving customer
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto

When Mainer initially took out the student loan, she had no plan to pay it off.


Still, she enrolled in school because it was her dream. She knew that she would have to work hard over a long period of time in order to chip away at the glacier of her debt, but sometimes she felt hopeless that even then she wouldn’t be able to pay it.

“I don’t ever think I saw the end,” Mainer told CBS Evening News.

The job Mainer picked up to make some extra money was at the Peachtree Restaurant.

Mainer became a waitress at Peachtree where she often waited on the same regulars who were there every week. Lucky for her, one of these patrons was Benjamin Olewine.

When Olewine met Mainer, he was retired. He had once been the Chairman Emeritus at Cisco, meaning he was now a millionaire. After retiring from that job, he focused his life on giving his fortune away to people and causes that deserved it.

When Olewine learned about Mainer’s story, he knew he wanted to help out.

Olewine’s meal of $3.45 became a lot more expensive when he pledged part of his fortune to help Mainer get through nursing school. Not just a slice of the tuition, but Olewine promised to pay all of it.

How One Customer Proved the Importance of Being Selfless

smiling nurse near a door
Photo by Los Muertos Crew

In a country where the estimated total of student loan debt is over one trillion dollars, Olewine helping Mainer out is no small feat. 

Olewine stayed true to his word and continued to pay for Mainer’s schooling, even as years passed by. In total, Olewine paid over $20,000 in tuition bills.

Mainer and Olewine still keep in touch, both of them regularly meeting up at the Peachtree to talk over a meal.

RELATED: Waitress Hands Firefighters A Note After Paying For Their Meal – What Happens Next Changes Her Life

Mainer wanted to dedicate her life to helping people as a nurse, but in order to do that, she needed help herself. Olewine knew he had the means to change a young woman’s life and selflessly donated his money to her worthy cause.

Not only has Olewine helped Mainer, but he has helped every patient she has treated and will treat because without him, she wouldn’t be where she is today.

KEEP READING:

Couple Finds Out Waitress Walks 14 Miles Round Trip To Work Daily - Hours Later, They're Back With A Surprise

Hot Stories

Why Paul Walker Left His Only Daughter With Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel & Paul Walker were more than just friends, they were …

content.jwplatform.com

When the tragic news of Paul Walker's death surfaced, the world was left in shock. As one of the most beloved stars of the Fast and Furious franchise, his passing was felt deeply by fans around the globe. But perhaps the most devastating impact was felt by his daughter, Meadow Walker, who was left without a father.

Keep ReadingShow less
Life Stories
4 Signs You've Found a Kindred Spirit, Not a Soulmate
friends wearing same outfit

Spirituality exists beyond words — to a dimension where language can only hint at deeper truths. Any words used to attempt to describe or explain it will always be poor translations because words often fall short when describing spiritual experiences. It's like trying to capture the ocean's vastness in a photograph. It might show its surface but there's no replacement for the direct experience of reality.

RELATED: The Psychology and Spirituality Causes Of An Identity Crisis

On Defining Spiritual Connections

Throughout history, people have tried to capture extraordinary experiences and spiritual connections through language. Terms like soulmates, twin flames, and kindred spirits attempt to describe these non-ordinary bonds. Yet these labels are merely signposts that point to something mysterious and won't fully capture it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Relationships
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his parents Randi and Pat
Archive

Make no mistake about it: Patrick Mahomes is the face of the NFL. The Tyler, Texas native is the son of Pat Mahomes, a former Major League Baseball player, and Randi Martin.

He burst onto the scene in 2018 when he made history by throwing 50 touchdown passes and 5,000 yards in a single season — a record he shares with Peyton Manning. He followed up his initial success by leading the Kansas City Chiefs to an incredible victory at Super Bowl LIV. If that wasn’t enough, he carried the team through to yet another Super Bowl the very next year, though they ended up losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mahomes has gone to two more Super Bowls since and he's won back-to-back titles (2023 and 2024).

Keep ReadingShow less
Family