Students at Arizona State University surprised beloved dining hall worker Vicke Davis with nearly $2,500 to help make her lifelong dream of seeing the Northern Lights finally come true.
Global (25 January 2016) – A dream trip to see the Northern Lights felt impossibly far away for 59-year-old Vicke Davis. She mentioned it casually during a conversation with a student while working another shift in the dining hall at Arizona State University.
For the past couple of years, Davis has worked in the dining hall at Barrett, the university’s Honours College, where she became far more than just a familiar face behind a cash register. Students knew her as the woman who always asked how they were doing and genuinely cared about the answer.
One chilly afternoon last semester, junior Quintin Woods asked Davis what her dream holiday would be while buying lunch.
Without hesitation, she answered: “The Northern Lights.”
Davis explained that she had always dreamed of travelling to Canada to see the magical colours dancing across the sky. The conversation stuck with Woods long after he left the dining hall.
Wanting to give back to someone who had spent years showing kindness to others, he launched a GoFundMe campaign to help make Davis’ dream come true. His goal was to raise $2,000 (R32,000).
“I am sure you are familiar with an individual who is very special to the Barrett community, whose name is Vicke Davis. She has been working in the Barrett Dining Hall for numerous years, providing students with the utmost care and gratitude. Her daily Facebook posts have made us laugh and her hugs have made us feel warm inside. Every day, Vicke comes to work with a smile on her face and the goal to make the days of each of her “babies” just that much better. Many of us will go to swipe in for a meal in the midst of a long and stressful day and Vicke will provide the caring attitude that makes our day just a little bit better. I know many of us have been touched by the kind actions of Vicke. She looks at each of us as her children, and so I have taken the initiative to give back to her in a way which I feel most appropriate,” the GoFundMe stated.
Within just 48 hours, more than 150 people had donated, pushing the fundraiser well beyond its target.
“It really is a Christmas miracle. We all came together and made it happen. You all remained gracious and persistent enough to make Vicke’s dream come true,” Woods posted in an update.
Saturday Good News Wrap Up: A Million Acts of Kindness and So Much to Celebrate!
Cape Town Kayakers Rescue Starving African Penguin Far Out to SeaA couple of weeks later, around 100 students gathered near Davis’ cash register before rushing toward her with an oversized cheque worth nearly $2,500 (R41,000), along with a camera to document the adventure she never thought she would get to take.
After Woods handed over the cheque, Davis hugged all the students.
Watch the video below:
by 
