Coronavirus: Virginia man donates $1,200 stimulus check

A Virginia man received his $1,200 federal stimulus check, but he decided not to keep it. Instead, he donated it to one lucky recipient via social media.

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Cameron Crockett, of Chesapeake, who is a heating, ventilating and air conditioning technician, told WAVY-TV he did not need the cash and wanted to give it to someone who could use it, as money has become tight for many during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I felt like it would have been selfish for me to still hold onto that money for whatever purpose when I have friends out there who are truly struggling,” Crockett told the television station.

Crockett, 31, posted on Facebook, asking people to contact him if they were unemployed, WAVY reported. Fifty people responded, and Crockett randomly chose Aries Zeigler, a bartender who lost his job and was struggling to support his young daughter, as the winner.

“Now my brother can keep hanging tight while this mess drags on,” Crockett wrote on Facebook.

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“He was basically at a point where he was at a breaking point,” Crockett told WAVY. “He didn’t have any savings left, he’s faced with bills, he’s got a young daughter. I’m glad the money went to him.”

“Cameron Crockett is honestly one of the most amazing dudes I’ve had the pleasure of meeting," Zeigler wrote on Facebook. “Happy to call you a brother.”

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Crockett knows about adversity. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011, stemming from a 2008 drunken driving incident in Virginia Beach. Crockett, who has maintained his innocence, served eight years in prison.

Crockett said the experience changed his perspective on life.

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“It taught me no matter what your circumstances may be, there’s always somebody out there whose circumstances are worse than yours,” Crockett told WAVY. “While I could have held onto the money to try and buy a house or put it toward any number of things, I think it would be selfish of me to do that when I have friends out there who are faced with the very real threat of not being able to maintain a roof over their heads at all.”

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