Back in January, 9-year-old Eli’sha Davies of Crossville, Tenn., sent President Donald Trump $3. But not only did Eli’sha get back his $3, he was also gifted a mandolin by a complete stranger moved by his generosity.
After Trump was elected, Eli’sha heard his parents talking about Trump’s campaign promise to only accept a salary of $1. Concerned that Trump wouldn’t have enough money to pay his bills at the White House, Eli’sha decided to send him his $3 allowance. This week, Trump sent Eli’sha back his $3, along with a picture and a letter challenging Eli’sha to put the money to good use in the community.
Eli’sha’s mother, Melissa, says her son often gives away his money to people he thinks are more in need. Eli’sha told his local news station, “I remember a couple weeks ago or a month ago, I gave, we went to the mission house, my grandpa and me went to the mission house, and I gave $5.”
Eli’sha’s selfless generosity has even made it difficult to purchase a mandolin, which he’s been saving up to buy for more than a year. But when John Wildeman of Punta Gorda, Fla. heard Eli’sha’s story on his local news station, he was moved to do something for the boy. “$3 is a lot of money to a little kid, most kids,” Wildeman said. “For him to sacrifice that and send that money to someone who he thought really needed it, that meant an awful lot to me.”
So Wildeman, who’s the president of the Young Musicians Education Foundation Inc., a charity that helps to provide fretted instruments to children, decided to send Eli’sha a mandolin. The only condition: he has to keep his grades up.
Unsurprisingly, Eli’sha – who’s been playing the mandolin at church but didn’t have one of his own on which to practice – was thankful for the gift. “I’d like to say that he was really generous to do that for me.”
The Guitar Center in West Knoxville also sent Eli’sha picks, strings, a tuner, and a chord chart, and his mother says he’s “getting better and better.”
Now, of course, Eli’sha has to figure out what else he can do with his money. “Well I just want to be a blessing to everyone,” he said.
Thank goodness for good people like Eli’sha and Wildeman. God bless them – we could use more kindhearted people like them in the world.
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