Trotting on the sidewalk leading to your workplace, the cold wind nips at your cheeks, fluffs up your hair, and makes that frown stay upside down, making you daydream of retirement. The thought of the day when the morning/evening commute will be just a memory brings a spring to your step, as if that will speed its coming.

However, that daydream may continue long into one’s life, becoming a phantom of peace, just out of reach of reality. Thankfully, the goodness that we come across, although we may be suspicious of it at first, may just make those dreams come true. One man, with the help of TikTok, raised over $186,000 for an elderly Walmart employee so that she could pay off her mortgage and retire.

Let’s dive into it!

More info: GoFundMe | TikTok

The TikTok community has done it again! More than $186,000 was raised for one elderly Walmart employee, named Nola, to help pay off her mortgage and retire

Image credits: dbon973

Good things come to those who wait. Or at least that’s how the saying goes. But those good things come in all shapes and sizes, some of which we might not even think to consider as possible.

Devan Bonagura, known as @dbon973_ on TikTok, has raised more than $186,000 for one Walmart employee in the hopes that she’ll be able to pay off her mortgage and retire. The 15-second video that started it all has reached 29.1M views and 4.3M likes since it was shared on November 3.

“Life shouldn’t be this hard,” read the caption of the 15-second TikTok video that started it all. Nola was taking a break when Devan Bonagura saw her

Image credits: dbon973_

It showed Nola, an elderly woman wearing a Walmart employee vest and name tag, staring down at her lap as she sat in the break room. “Life shouldn’t be this hard…” was written in a text caption on the short video, with Devan adding in the caption: “I feel bad.”

Although he himself didn’t work for Walmart, but for a third-party company that sells phones at the store, he felt for Nola as though she was his own grandma. Hundreds of people were so touched by the video that they urged Devan to create a GoFundMe page for her so that they could collectively help her out.

He obliged, creating a fundraiser with a goal of $10,000 for Nola, titling it “Let’s help Nola retire.” “Nola works at Walmart and that says enough. Let’s all come together and help,” stated the description.

The video went viral, reaching 29.1M views and 4.3M likes since it was shared on November 3, with hundreds asking Devan to make a GoFundMe page for her

Image credits: dbon973_

Once the project was up and rolling, there were those that feared the initiative was a scam. They hoped that all the proceeds would go to Nola and that Devan would not just use her story as a means to garner fame. Devan assured them time and time again that 100% of the donations would be Nola’s to keep. “She is going to get every single dollar that was donated,” he said in a follow-up video.

That wasn’t the only bump encountered on the road to Nola’s retirement. Devan claimed he’d been contacted by Walmart about the viral TikTok, asking him to cease and desist, delete the GoFundMe page, and return all the funds to the people who’d donated.

The company had apparently received heavy backlash and threats following the video being published and advised Devan that if he failed to follow their requirements, he’d be facing police intervention.

“So, I told them: ‘Do what you gotta do, because I’m getting this money to this woman one way or another,’” Devan said, not giving up on the initiative to change someone’s life for the better. And it seemed there were many who wanted to contribute, as in 24 hours, the GoFundMe page had raised over $100,000, surpassing the initial goal in a jaw-dropping fashion.

So he did, setting the goal at $10k and titling it as “Let’s help Nola retire.” In 24 hours, they raised over $110k, all of which Devan assured people would be Nola’s

Image credits: dbon973_

On November 5, Devan posted a video on TikTok showing him meeting up with Nola to give her the good news, as well as to transfer the gathered funds. The man formally introduced himself and revealed how he’d posted a video of her on social media and how it had led to an outpouring of requests to help her retire. “They saw that you’re a very hard worker, obviously,” he told Nola. “We are all super proud of you, and we wanted to offer you the $110,000 that has been raised for you.”

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Such news would astound anybody, especially coming out of the blue. “I’d accept it, but I’d still have to work until I get the other $60,000 paid off the house,” she told Devan, seemingly nonplussed at the situation. “It won’t take long now with all that money,” she said, adding that she would retire as soon as she got it. “That’s what’s holding me at work—the house.”

There were bumps in the road. Walmart reached out to Devan, asking him to delete the GoFundMe page and return all the funds, as they were getting backlash

Image credits: dbon973_

Thanks to hindsight, we now know that the GoFundMe page has gathered up more than enough funds for her to pay off her mortgage and enjoy her sunset years. Later on in the video, one of Nola’s relatives was seen transferring the money to Nola’s name. Devan ended the video with a photo of himself and the lady, captioning it: “We love you Nola.”

The gesture, as well as Nola’s reaction to the money, has been met with both amusement and praise. “Nola’s like: ‘That’s cool and all, what about the other $70,000?’” one person joked, while another said: “Maybe excitement just doesn’t run in the family. But still so happy for her.”

The video also prompted a response from the official GoFundMe TikTok account, which said: “This is exactly why we exist. Thank you for helping her!”

Devan refused, and on November 5 he met up with Nola to offer her the money. She explained that she was working to pay off her $170k mortgage

Image credits: dbon973_

In the latest TikTok video, Devan and Nola sat down together to give a little update. She will be retiring from the start of the New Year, as she wanted to help her colleagues through the holiday season. She’d been working at Walmart for over 20 years and she’ll miss her customers, but she’s looking forward to relaxing.

Sadly, Devan received one last blow before all this concluded. He revealed that he’d since been suspended by his employer, with pay. In order to make life better for another, he seems to have pulled the short end of the stick for his own. Yet the followers he’s garnered throughout this process seem to have his back.

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It seems that he’ll continue to make smaller-scale philanthropic content when compared to long-standing TikTok personalities. However, there have been those that have criticized such content existing in the first place, arguing that it exploits “acts of kindness” and dehumanizes those that need help.

Short-term collections of funds and one-time monetary donations oversimplify the solutions to, as well as the causes of, deep-rooted societal issues that affect millions. So a question is asked: How can we still achieve charitable goals without objectifying suffering?

The people listened and raised over $186k, meaning that Nola will be able to retire and live worry-free. We wish her and Devan all the best for the future!

Image credits: GoFundMe

I say Rome wasn’t built in a day. Whilst we as human beings are capable of achieving great things when we work together, it takes time for said changes to stick, and mayhaps, if a day is brighter for one person, allowing them to take significant steps in bettering their life, then it’s a day worth celebrating.

We hope Nola enjoys her retirement and never having to worry about working to fund her home, and that Devan continues to be the vessel through which we unite and help others. And to the 13.4k people (and counting) that donated, thank you for your kindness!

You can watch the video that started the amazing initiative here

@dbon973_ :/ I feel bad. #fyp #blowthisup #sad #walmart ♬ Jocelyn Flores – XXXTENTACION

Let us know your thoughts on this story, and we’ll see you in the next one!

People were stoked about this initiative, praising Devan and finding humor in Nola’s sassiness. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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