APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. — An 82-year-old Walmart greeter in Arizona has become an internet sensation after a customer posted a TikTok video about the woman.
Carman Kelly has been a greeter at the Walmart in Apache Junction for more than two years, KPHO-TV reported.
“The customers, they hug me,” Kelly told the television station. “And they make me feel like I’m so special to them.”
>
One shopper was particularly touched. Shopper Liz Rizzo, of Gold Canyon, approached Kelly and offered to film her and posted the 90-second video on TikTok, KPNX-TV reported. Rizzo was unaware that hospital bills had forced Kelly to remain on the job.
“I was in the emergency room a few times,” Kelly told the television station. “My table at home looks like all bills! And I thought there’s no way out.”
Rizzo was incredulous that the greeter was in her 80s and still working, KPNX reported.
THE POWER OF PEOPLE❤️
— Bianca Buono (@BiancaBuono) December 17, 2022
Liz Rizzo didn't know Carman Kelly, the 82yo Walmart greeter who donned a cane & a smile as she walked in.
But Liz couldn't help but wonder why was Carman still working?
Liz made a quick TikTok. Before she knew it, she was changing Carman's life. @12News pic.twitter.com/2puHTYRhdH
“When I saw her when I walked in the door, my heart just cracked open,” Rizzo told the television station. “The seniors in our world need to be taken care of because they took care of us.”
To help Kelly out, Rizzo started a GoFundMe page with a $10,000 goal, although the greeter was skeptical at first.
“I thought no, it’s not for real,” Kelly told KPHO.
Rizzo began filming.
“I wasn’t even thinking,” she told the television station. “I just felt moved.”
Apache Junction Walmart employee Carman Kelly wondered how she was going to get by financially this holiday season. A recorded encounter with a customer quickly changed that. FULL STORY #azfamily: https://t.co/GrGse2VFeG pic.twitter.com/ruW1u58ciZ
— Elliott Polakoff (@ElliottPolakoff) December 17, 2022
The $10,000 goal was met within 24 hours, and by Saturday afternoon the page had received more than $116,000 in pledges.
“That’s mind-boggling! Who knew!” Kelly told KPNX. “There isn’t enough words to tell you how I feel.”
“This will be the golden year for me,” she told the television station.
Even with the new windfall, Kelly said she does not plan on retiring, although she might curtail her hours.
She added that she hopes to buy a home so she can live close to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, KPNX reported.
“Thank you to the people that have done this for me,” Kelly told KPHO. “I mean, it couldn’t have come at a better time.”
©2022 Cox Media Group
