Every once in a while, the little guy wins.
On “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” we get to see those sort of satisfying moments that happen all too rarely in life. Ellen is always looking for ways to give back to the world, and on her show, it’s not unusual to see her gifting those less fortunate with a life-changing surprise. Although she treats all of her guests with kindness, we have to imagine Ellen has a special place in her heart for her “super-fans.”
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Amber Connally of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one such fan. She and her family never miss an episode, and they’ve taken Ellen’s philosophy of kindness to heart. Although Amber’s family doesn’t have much, they go out of their way to help others whenever they can.
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Amber wrote a letter to Ellen to tell her about her family, and to thank her for inspiring kindness and compassion each and every day.
Dear Ellen, My name is Amber, and my dream is to meet you one day. I was raised by an amazing single mother and I have three younger siblings who I helped raise. I watch your show every day and cherish the life-changing things you do for others. We don’t have much, but you inspire us to give to those in greater need. We couldn’t afford Christmas again this year, so we decided to use the little money we had to buy hats and gloves for the homeless. Ellen, thank you for reminding us to be kind and to motivating us to keep moving and going when we feel like giving up. You are the real deal. I hope my dream comes true.
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When Ellen read Amber’s letter, she knew she had to have her on the show. Amber was so excited, the super fan even painted her fingernails “Ellen blue” for the occasion. She was beside herself as the camera found her in the crowd, and even as she sat beside her idol on the set, she couldn’t stop weeping.
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Ellen always has a natural way of putting her guests at ease, and she seems to be genuinely enjoying this particular meet-and-greet even more than most. When she asks where Amber’s family is, the young woman replies, “In Philadelphia.”
“Really?” Ellen asks with an impish grin. “I’ll bet they’re not!”
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Sure enough, out comes Amber’s ecstatic family! After hugs all around, including one of the little twin boys calling out, “Ellen!” and leaping into her arms – so cute! – the family is seated and begins to tell Ellen how they incorporate compassion into their daily lives.
Amber’s mother, a social worker named Carolyn, tells Ellen that the family lives by a “there but for the grace of God” mentality.
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“Well, because they could be myself and my family one day, so I just try to let them know not to take life for granted. And everybody does not try to get into a hard situation, sometimes they fall into a situation,” Carolyn says.
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Eight-year-old twins Khye and Kamran agree, chiming in that they love how Ellen encourages people to be kind to one another. Caleb, 13, admits that he also sent Ellen a letter to ask for some help for his mother, who struggles to make ends meet in spite of her full-time job.
Ellen says, “Oh, Ellen’s going to help.” And help she does.
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“Our friends at Walmart are inspired by your kindness and generosity towards your community, and to help you keep leading by example, they want to give your family a check for $20,000.”
The family is over the moon, hugging each other and crying. But Ellen isn’t finished yet!
Since they didn’t get any Christmas presents last year or the year before, she shocks them all by giving them one of each item from her “12 Days of Giveaways.”
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Just look at their little faces! It’s like Christmas morning in Ellen’s studio!
What a wonderful surprise for this deserving family! They’re truly walking the walk when it comes to giving back. Amber and her family are an inspiration, and a call for all of us to give as much as we can. In giving, we ourselves become rich.
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Thanks to Ellen, sometimes good things really do happen to good people.
Watch the heartwarming and hilarious segment below, and don’t forget to share.
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