If you were thinking the wealthiest man in the world is Jeff Bezos, or Bill Gates, or Warren Buffett\u2026think again.\u00a0 The wealthiest man in the world is a dishwasher in Tampa Florida and his name is Delywn Collins.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI grew up as a handicapped. I went to a special education\nschool. I had a slow learning problem. I had a hard time trying to read and\nwrite and spell out words. What was so hard about it, I had people making fun\nof me,\u201d shares Delwyn. But bullies didn\u2019t break the spirit of Delwyn Collins\u2026instead,\nhe chose to be inspired by them. He chose to dedicate his life to showing\nchildren that there is someone in this world who loves and cares about them.\nAnd loving and caring about children is exactly what Delwyn has spent his\nentire adult life doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 60 years old, Delwyn still rides his bike six miles to work every day. Delwyn is a dishwasher at Tampa General Hospital in Florida.\u00a0 You heard me right\u2026he\u2019s a dishwasher\u2026well a dishwasher by day and then a Santa Claus by night.\u00a0 Because for 29 years Delwyn has been taking a portion of his own hard-earned money he earns washing dishes and he goes and buys presents throughout the entire year that he stores in a secret location until Christmas arrives. He then gives the presents to foster children throughout Florida. Over the years Delwyn has personally purchased thousands of toys for over a thousand children. But that\u2019s not all he’s done…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For 29 years Delwyn has also\nset up a Foster Angels Giving Tree at the hospital where he works and he\ndecorates the tree with paper angels that list the names, ages, gender, and the\ngifts that foster children in the county would like to receive for Christmas\nthat year. Then he adds some handmade ornaments that he makes throughout\nthe year himself. Oh, I should mention\nthat on top of his learning disability Delwyn is\nalso legally blind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Delwyns Giving Tree,\nalong with his personal example of generosity, has inspired his coworkers and\nhospital visitors to take the angels from the tree each year and return them with\ngifts for all of the children. Because\nof Delwyn over 7,000 kids in foster care have received Christmas gifts over the\nyears. His humble response, \u201cI just want to show these children there is\nsomebody out there in the community who loves them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked why he didn\u2019t\nlet his childhood struggles stop him he states, \u201cI show the people as a\nhandicapped kid, what I went through, if I can make it on my own somebody else\ncan too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked how he can afford to spend his meager wages buying\ngifts for so many children he responds that he already has everything in life\nthat he needs. \u201cMy job is to help and give to others,\u201d says Collins. \u201cGod\ndoesn\u2019t care if we\u2019re rich or poor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Delwyn\u2019s example is more powerful than the most eloquent words\ncould ever write. Hearing his outlook on life and feeling his genuine love for\nhis fellow man is enough to bring even the strongest person to tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had people who needed some money on the street so I gave them\na couple of dollars for bus fare or to just get by,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m not a\nmillionaire and I don\u2019t own a car, but what I do makes me feel good on the\ninside.\u201d To Delwyn Collins I would say, \u201cIf true wealth lies in the\ngood you do then you, my friend, are truly the wealthiest man in this entire\nworld.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May we all take a page from the Delwyn playbook this holiday season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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