Woonsocket Act of Kindness Goes Viral
By: Tim Studebaker
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Email: tstudebaker@abc6.com
WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WLNE) – Going to the gym is a huge part of CJ Wagner’s day.
Christopher “CJ” Wagner says, “I walk on the treadmill. And I do the weights. I ride the bikes.”
His Caretaker, Lisa Simpson, prompts him for more, “And what’s the last thing when you do a really good workout? What do we get to do at the end?”
Wagner says, “Massage.”
Simpson says, “That’s the best. Look! He loves the massage.”
Simpson was having a tough day during one of their more recent visits to Planet Fitness. Her car’s gas cap was frozen shut. She grabbed the wrong purse on the way out the door and had no money on her. Then, when they got to the gym, Wagner had no sneakers to change into.
Simpson says, “And then I glanced down and saw the boots. I was at the end of the counter and I just kind of went ‘Oh my God, what do I do now?'”
Daniel Cote, the manager of Planet Fitness in Woonsocket, knew something was wrong.
Cote says, “I know boots weren’t too comfortable to work out in. For him, he didn’t like it.”
Cote snuck out and bought Wagner a new pair of shoes.
Cote says, “I don’t know, I just feel like it’s my time to give back now that I’m in the position I’m in.”
Cote helped Wagner put on his new kicks while Simpson took a video of the whole thing, wanting to show the world what he did. She posted the video to Facebook.
Simpson says, “It’s not a lollipop. It’s a pair of nice Under Armour sneakers that he dipped into his own wallet to go out and do.”
The act of kindness touched Simpson’s and Wagner’s hearts, and now it’s touching hearts across southern New England.
Simpson says, “The fact that it went viral tells me that we want kindness in our lives. We’re tired of negativity. We just want to be kind to each other.”
© WLNE-TV / ABC6 2019
