PC: MDMotivator, YouTube
In April 2026, content creator Zachery Dereniowski, known online as MDMotivator, sat outside a grocery store in Austin, Texas, with a birthday cake and a blindfold, waiting to see who would stop for a stranger. The encounter was captured on video and later became the basis for a fundraiser that raised more than $200,000 for Elvin and his family. Dereniowski later published the encounter in a video titled ‘Struggling Father Gives Last $1 So I Gave Him $200,000’. The video was published on April 8, 2026, and its description says Elvin had taken the time to encourage Dereniowski before going into the store. Dereniowski’s description says that the community came together with Lubetzky’s support and raised more than $200,000 for Elvin and his family. The April 8 video had accumulated millions of views by September, helping bring attention to the fundraiser and Elvin’s circumstances. The campaign ultimately crossed the $200,000 mark, providing financial support for Elvin and his family.
The figure therefore represents the wider fundraising effort, rather than a claim that Lubetzky personally gave Elvin $200,000. Because the original gesture was small compared with what followed, the story spread.
It also says that after hearing more about Elvin’s circumstances, Dereniowski decided to do something bigger for him. Person after person walked past until a man named Elvin stopped to check on him. Elvin, a father and grandfather who had moved from Puerto Rico to Austin with very little, was working at a hospital to support his family. He went into the store, bought a balloon and a card, put some of his own money inside, then returned to sing Happy Birthday and pray for a man he had never met. After hearing Elvin’s story, Dereniowski decided that the initial gift would not be the end of the interaction. He brought in Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of KIND and a Shark Tank investor, to help take the response further. Dereniowski’s published description thanks Lubetzky for supporting the campaign and specifically acknowledges his donation to help Elvin and his family. The wider effort was organised through Slingshot Giving, where viewers could contribute to the campaign. Elvin had stopped for someone sitting alone with a birthday cake, spent his own money on a card and balloon, returned to sing Happy Birthday and prayed for a complete stranger. He did this while dealing with his own financial difficulties and working to support his family. Dereniowski’s video turned that brief encounter into a much larger campaign.
Who Elvin is and what led him to work at a hospital in Austin
The newspaper reported on the encounter in March 2026, describing it as a social experiment that began outside a supermarket in Austin and developed into a story about generosity and faith. Because they struggled with drug use, it says he grew up without his parents. Elvin’s circumstances added another layer to the encounter. Dereniowski’s account describes him as a father and grandfather who had moved from Puerto Rico to Austin with nothing. By the time he met Dereniowski, he was working at a hospital and trying to support his family. Elvin was later identified by Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día as Elvin Chorpy Santiago. Its report also focused on Elvin’s interaction with a mother and child after the original meeting with Dereniowski.