An unemployed single mom donated the $100 she won from a lottery ticket to a Kansas City police officer shot in the line of duty. Now, her generosity has been rewarded.
At the beginning of this month, a Kansas City Police Officer was shot responding to a report of a man threatening people with a gun. When police arrived on the scene, the suspect shot at officers and hit one of them in the head. The wounded officer underwent emergency surgery and has remained in the ICU since then.
Lottery Win
Shetara Sims hasn’t had an easy time of it lately. She was laid off last month due to COVID-19 and has struggled to pay her bills. The single mom found a dollar bill in the parking lot of a grocery store and decided to buy a lottery ticket. The dollar turned out to be lucky, Shereta won $100.
Immediately, her 12-year-old daughter knew what they should do with the money. “Mom, we should give that to the police officer who got shot.”
Sims called Kansas City Police and said she wanted to help. Police said they told her the officer was well cared for and that considering her financial situation, she should spend the money on her family. Sims insisted on helping out, so officers told her they were collecting gas and restaurant gift cards to help the wounded officer’s family eat and travel to and from the hospital.
Grieving Mother
Sims knows what it feels like when a loved one is struck down by violence. She lives in urban Kansas City and her daughter was murdered back in 2012. She told police that the detectives who worked her daughter’s case were like therapists, fathers, and lifelines all in one. It was important to her that the police know they were supported by the community.
Just a few days ago, Sims made this public post on her Facebook account.
Paying It Forward
Kansas City Police Officers said they couldn’t stop talking about her generosity among themselves and decided to share the story on social media. Hundreds of people wanted to know who this single mother who donated her lottery money was and how they could help her. But there was a problem. She called from an unlisted number and didn’t leave her name. But detectives went to work tracking her down. According to police, “By popular demand, we were able to track down this woman (though it took a while). Her name is Shetara Sims.”
Officers persuaded her to allow them to set up a GoFundMe page for her family. Initially, Sims resisted, saying, “Doesn’t the officer’s family need it more than me?” Police finally managed to talk her into accepting the help. Sims is pictured below on the left with a KCPD social worker and an officer.
As of the last check, folks had contributed $18,000 to help this mom with a heart of gold.