HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. — An act of kindness without anything expected in return.
On Friday, as the Battle of the Little Red rivalry heated up between Clinton and Heber Springs, that's exactly what happened.
The annual rivalry between the two schools is not only about sports; the two communities also encourage each other to come together for a worthy cause. Each year, as the game approaches, both towns rally to collect canned goods and raise funds for organizations that help fight childhood cancer.
This year, an anonymous man donated $50,000 to support the "Fight Like a Kid" and "Make-A-Wish" foundations.
Together, the two communities raised over $60,000, almost $48,000 more than in 2023.
Red River Radio Owner and General Manager Ali Sugg was at the radio station when the front doorbell rang, and a man said he wanted to drop off a gift.
"We started opening it up, and I just kept bringing out an envelope of $5,000, another envelope of $5,000... One hundred dollar bills, every single one of them," Sugg said."
The touching act of generosity stunned Sugg as she ran out of the radio station and found the man outside.
"I ran out and said, 'Oh, sir, I think you made a mistake," Sugg said. "'There's a lot of money in here... surely you didn't mean to give us all this.'"
That's when the man said, "It's not my money anyway. It's God's money."
Sugg and her coworkers were left in awe of the act.
"We all started tearing up, and we just couldn't thank him enough," Sugg said. "We were like, 'Are you sure?' and he said, 'This is what I want to do with my money.'"
According to Sugg, the man wanted to remain anonymous, but she did say she knew he was a veteran.
The donation checks were presented at Friday night's game between Clinton and Heber Springs, where the Yellowjackets won 31-14.