Wisconsin waitress bursts into happy tears on receving $1,000 tip on Christmas morning in viral video
MADISON, WISCONSIN: A Wisconsin waitress could not believe her luck when she received a $1,000 tip on a $17 check on Christmas morning. Callie Blue, who has been working at Gus's Diner in Sun Prairie for six years, had just started her early-morning shift when Michael Johnson, president and CEO of the local Boys and Girls Club, came in for breakfast around 6.00am. He was the 29-year-old's second customer of the day and the pair talked for about 45 minutes.
Blue was unaware that Johnson was on a quest to help others. As his family could not afford to celebrate Christmas, he had grown up disliking the holiday season. As an adult, he resolved to do everything in his power to improve the lives of people in similar circumstances. He took over the leadership of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, Wisconsin, 13 years ago, and has since made significant contributions changing the lives of many people, as per CBS News.
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"This year we raised over $100,000. We gave away a brand new car to a family of five. We tipped several waitresses, we took about 50 families on shopping sprees and we secured toys for over 600 kids in our county," Johnson told CBS News.
He reportedly said that all of the funds had been raised through social media, and he had sought advice on whom to buy gifts for. He explained that the reason he was at Gus's Diner so early was because he had several hours of gift-giving ahead of him. He had spent days working to bring Christmas magic to Dane County.
"I got up at like 4:00 in the morning. I said 'OK, let me see if I can find a restaurant that's open at like 6:00,' so when I Googled it, I saw that Gus's Diner was open. Coincidentally, someone on my Facebook page had mentioned Callie, so I went up there, not even knowing if she was going to be there, and as soon as I walked in she was right there," Johnson said.
Blue was seen smiling and crying in a video Johnson took of the moment and uploaded on his Facebook Page. On the receipt's back, Johnson added a note in which he thanked Blue for "smiling and working on Christmas Day." Blue told CBS News that she initially believed the tip to be a joke. "I was like, 'This is not happening.' You always see videos and you hear this happening to other people, and you never think it's going to happen to you," Blue said, adding, "He was giggling and I was like, 'That's just not real.' It was really exciting. I only cried a little bit."
Blue has gotten in touch with Johnson since their story went viral and offered to support any more charitable endeavors he undertakes. "It's been a wild ride. It's been wild. It's been very humbling and very exciting," she said.
