To support the retirement of an 81-year-old Walmart employee, TikToker raised more than $186,000

After over a week, 81-year-old Nola Carpenter announced her long-awaited retirement, thanks to the viral fame she gained from a 15-second TikTok video. However, she expressed willingness to continue working at Walmart during the busy holiday shopping season. In a heartwarming turn of events, Devan Bonagura, a 19-year-old TikToker, captured Nola in a break room at a New Jersey Walmart on November 3, along with the caption, “Life shouldn’t be this hard.” Little did they know that this video would go on to amass more than 30 million views.

_TikTok

(Note: Devan later clarified to viewers that he does not work directly for Walmart but for an outside business selling goods at the shop.) Inspired by Nola’s story, Devan promptly created a GoFundMe page to support her retirement. Two days later, he uploaded another video showing his meeting with Nola to transfer the substantial sum of $110,000 in donations to her.

_TikTok

To put Nola’s financial situation into perspective, it would have taken her several years of working 40-hour weeks to save an additional $60,000, considering Walmart’s average wage of $19 per hour. Like countless other Americans with limited savings, retirement seemed like an unattainable dream for Nola.

@dbon973 Update video with Nola ❤️ #nola #dbon #gofundme #viral #blowthisup #love #kindness #givingback ♬ original sound – DBON

On November 13, Devan and Nola released a follow-up video expressing their gratitude, as the GoFundMe campaign had exceeded Nola’s specified goal of paying off her mortgage. The campaign had raised $180,000, with the current amount at publication being $186,653.

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A post shared by Devan Bonagura (@dbon973)

Overwhelmed with joy, Nola conveyed her elation to Devan and extended her heartfelt thanks to everyone who had either spread the word or donated. She could now retire comfortably, as her primary motivation for working at Walmart had been to pay off her mortgage.

Despite the unexpected windfall, Nola, who boasts two decades of experience at Walmart, decided to delay her complete retirement until January. She expressed her fondness for the regular customers who look forward to seeing her daily and said she would miss them dearly. Until then, Nola plans to lend a helping hand during the holiday season before finally embracing the peaceful life at home.