Elijah Moore had no idea that a video he posted on Twitter would reach over 20,000 retweets in a matter of days. But, that’s exactly what happened when he decided to record the moment he and his friends, Gary Wood and Neil Harris, surprised their friend Kendall with a gift that he would always remember.
our friend kendall, although in college, still has some financial struggles so me and some friends went shopping…. pic.twitter.com/6zxqPSHYQe
— illest big nigga (@TheRealBigTed_) March 4, 2016
Since beginning college at North Carolina Central University last year, the freshman students instantly bonded in brotherhood as members of the Centennial Scholars Program, which under the helm of the Men’s Achievement Center aims to provide resources and events for young black men to succeed during undergrad and beyond. Upon seeing that his friend had fallen on hard times, Moore consulted with his advisor, Rodrick Heath, about taking action to alleviate Kendall of some of his financial stresses. They came up with the idea “Project Fresh” to provide Kendall with some new clothes and shoes in the hope that by looking good, he would in turn feel good and have a better outlook on his situation. Moore then took the act further by seeking young men within CSU to assist in seeing Project Fresh come true for their fellow brother. After sending for help in the CSU group chat, Harris and Wood joined the cause and together they figured out clothing and shoe sizes to then go to the local mall and purchase the new threads. As the video shows, Kendall was left speechless when confronted with the surprise from his homies and could do nothing but smile once he realized the lengths his cohort brothers went to to help him out.
“I put in the group chat if any one would like to pitch in a project fresh for kendall and they offered. So we talked and figured out his sizes and the type of clothes that would look right for his style.”
After getting approval from all his friends involved in the good deed, Moore decided to share the moment on social media. While most of the responses were positive and incited reactions that inspired many, some voiced their opinions in saying that showing the moment online was unnecessary and disingenuous.
@TheRealBigTed_ that’s love.
— Avocado Emoji (@hewyheff) March 4, 2016
@TheRealBigTed_ this 💯 bc real niggas help other men when they in need. Y’all could’ve talked shit and instead y’all helped. God bless 🙌🏿
— Darrel Long (@NiccoloMakaveli) March 5, 2016
And some didn’t get why it had to be public.
@TheRealBigTed_ I hate that, why post it on social media , instead of doing it in private. Not everything is for everyone to see
— Charlie B. Jones II (@BABYIDRISELBA) March 5, 2016
@TheRealBigTed_ it’s nice and all but did you really have to record it. You don’t have to make an announcement for doing a good deed.
— Najah Mitchell (@LittleOleNajah) March 5, 2016
Moore took the responses in stride and said, “What really stood out the most was how proud people were of me, which showed me that a gesture like that is something that is rare now-a-days which upsets me the most. It’s like people forgot that there are good people still in this world who still care.” He also let it serve as a lesson that no matter what you do, people are always going to have a reaction to it. Although prior to the act of kindness, the young men were already bonded by their organization, their brotherhood has grown stronger as they now know the lengths each other will go to to help each other out in their times of need. Moore and his band of brothers have plans to take Project Fresh a step further and into the Durham, North Carolina area to aid citizens who are also in need of financial and social assistance.
Let Kendall, Elijah, Neil, and Gary serve as a lesson to us all that acts of kindness and service to others when rooted in good intentions will come back to serve you just as well. These young men have a promising future in doing amazing things in the world and one can only hope that we are able to see, share and cheer them on as they make their communities fresher, one project at a time.
