Maya Williams was ready to go shopping.
The 10-year-old had the chance to go on a $500 dollar shopping spree because of what she did last month.
Her grandmother, Carolyn Williams, remembers the fire that tore through their home.
"So they lost everything, they had nothing. If it wasn't for Maya, we wouldn't be here, I know. If it weren't for Maya we wouldn't be here at all."
There was a viewer who saw the story and thought what Maya did was so heroic that he wanted to put a smile on her face.
This viewer didn't want us to use his name when he offered five crisp $100 bills for Maya, the 4th grader who awakened her family in a home with no working smoke detectors. Everyone got out alive thankfully.
So thanks to this viewer, Maya went on a shopping spree along with her two sisters and grandmother; they were just some of her relatives who were in that burning home and lost everything.
NewsChannel 3 decided to add another $500. Maya's grandmother was stunned.
Maya started with clothes: some fun house slippers, jeans, t-shirts, and shoes. Next, she went for the fun stuff. She really cut loose in the toy department.
Then it was time for Maya's grandmother to get in on the shopping fun.
She purchased some chairs, a small table and some clothes for other family members. But Maya wasn't finished yet; she added a book bag and a bike helmet to the shopping cart. Grandma also got hair care products and some groceries before heading to checkout.
So how did Maya do with her $500? Her total came to $544.32
The assistant manager at Walmart said, "Don't sweat it" and the store covered the difference!
Then it was grandma's turn to spend NewsChannel 3's 500 bucks; she came up short and we put the remaining $145 on a gift card for her.
"[It's] a blessing, a great blessing, and I appreciate it," says Williams. She also sent out a special thank you to the generous viewer who donated the $500.
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