Server's kindness towards a struggling mom is paid forward by strangers

Going out to eat at a restaurant with well-behaved kids is every parent's dream--one that's often not reality. And for a server named Amber at The Boiler Room restaurant in Spokane, Washington, the grace she extended to a struggling mom with kids who were being 'rascals' was paid forward by her community. Rick Clark, 50, a Gonzaga alumni living in the area, heard about the story after the overwhelmed mom shared about it on Facebook. To pay it forward, he decided to rally people on Facebook to provide her with a generous tip for her kindness--including many mothers of kids with autism and special needs.

Clark surprised Amber after enjoying a meal at the establishment, and documented the sweet exchange in a video posted on TikTok. He tells Amber that the mom she helped was having a "really, really bad day. And you, not worried if anybody was looking, which is what I love, treated her with dignity and kindness." She becomes emotional as he explains to her that he spent the previous day driving around Spokane collecting donations from people who wanted to bless her, and that he had the gifts with him: $800 cash, a $50 Target gift card, a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card, a $50 Mudslingers coffee stand gift card, a $50 Zozo’s Sandwiches gift card, a $50 Chaos Arcade gift card, and 2 complete spa packages from two local spas, for a total value of $1,500 (per a post on Facebook).

Clark shared a touching story about the donations on his Facebook page. "My first stop was in a McDonald's parking lot. A young mom gave me a hundred dollar bill outside of our vehicles...She said 'Rick will you tell her that I love her?'" Although she didn't know the waitress, her kindness hit home. "As a mom with a young boy who can be a handful in restaurants, the original post by a struggling mom hit her right in the heart. She went on to tell me that it has been years since she has been able to go out to a restaurant because the last time they did, the employee made her and her son feel absolutely terrible. She wants this waitress to know that other moms appreciate the kindness and grace she gave that mom. ❤"

Amber is overcome with emotion, And Clark adds, "I know that you're not the type of person that feels comfortable with with this, but I need you to know that because of who you are...it's because of your kindness in a time that somebody needed it. And so I want you to accept this, challenge yourself to accept it because it's going to be easy to say 'No, I don't deserve this.' But you really do. And it put a lot of light out into the world. And right now people need that."

They embrace at the end of the video, both in tears. And the poignant video resonated with many TikTok viewers in the comments. "As a special needs mom I'm watching this and bawling ❤️," one shared. And another added, "As a mom with a child with autism we hope everytime we go out to eat we pray to have an understanding waitress! This makes my heart happy ❤️." Many were also moved by Clark's kind words and delivery. "The money is lovely, but the things you said to her will live in her heart forever and that’s worth everything 😭," one viewer commented. Another shared, "The discussion was worth more than the monetary reward."

Amber and Clark's heartfelt interaction perfectly sums up the power of kindness, compassion and community.