School staffer buys student Christmas presents after her family is robbed
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – A Topeka family is grateful for a stranger’s generosity after they were robbed.
The Diaz family truck was broken into and stolen last week. Inside, they had Christmas presents and a backpack filled with toys for four-year-old Kaylee Diaz.
What came next was completely unexpected by her family.
Charles Murray, a worker at Kaylee’s school, found out about the robbery and immediately wanted to help.
“I remember growing up and somebody broke into our house and stole our Christmas presents and I didn’t get anything that year,” Murray said. “And I didn’t want any child to have to go through the same feeling.”
So, he bought the little girl, who he had never met, Christmas presents to make sure she wouldn’t experience that same feeling.
“I wasn’t doing it to get thanked or anything like that, I was doing it cause it was the right thing to do,” Murray said.
The Diaz family was shocked by the man’s generosity during such a difficult time.
“It’s very appreciated. We feel very blessed that people are out there that are going to do that,” said Eivi Diaz, Kaylee’s sister.
Charles says that all too often, people get caught up in gifts this time of year and wants to remind people of the reason for the season.
“It’s not about what you get, it’s about what you give to other people so that they can have a better Christmas,” Murray said.
And that’s exactly what his gift did for Kaylee.
“I think there was a horse in there and she’s obsessed with horses so she’s very happy and she’s been playing with it since she got it,” Diaz said.
Giving back to the community is nothing new for the Murray’s. They’ve been helping the homeless in Topeka since they got married 35 years ago. They say they don’t have much, but whatever they have, they give.
“Food or just somebody to talk to or anything that they need or we can give him,” Murray said.
As for their message to people this Christmas, they hope to inspire others to pay it forward.
“Do at least one good thing this Christmas by helping someone who you don’t know and then it’ll catch on,” Murray said. “Cause then that following day you’re doing another good thing and another good thing and pretty soon it’s just going to be a better world.”
The Diaz family truck is a 2008 grey Dodge Ram and was last seen in the Buffalo Wild Wings parking lot off Wanamaker.