St. Paul grandmother Kerri Turner throws out first pitch at Twins game, receives more than $44,000 for her kindness

It was a normal day for Kerri Turner at the Subway shop inside the Walmart in West St. Paul a couple of weeks ago.

Or so she thought.

About an hour before closing, a man walked up to the counter. After he placed his order, Turner, a grandmother from St. Paul, made his sandwich like she would anyone else. She concluding by asking him if he was sticking around to eat, then offered him a cup for water.

“He was just a regular person to me that I tried to treat with kindness,” Turner said. “I try my hardest to do that for everyone.”

She had no idea the man was Jimmy Darts, a social media influencer from Walker, Minn., who has created a following by rewarding kindness. He has more than 11.9 million followers on TikTok, his largest social media platform, and more than 3.2 million subscribers on YouTube.

“It’s not about me,” Darts said. “It’s not like, ‘Hey, my name is Jimmy, and we’re going to give money away.’ It’s more hidden camera stuff where we ask people for help, and if they pass a kindness test, we reward them for that. It’s nice to be able to put them in the spotlight for a little bit.”

On that particular day a couple of weeks ago, Darts walked around inside the Walmart in West St. Paul for awhile without anyone passing a kindness test. He was just about to find a new location in the Twin Cities to run his kindness test when he decided to stop at the Subway on his way out. That’s where he encountered Turner and her infectious demeanor.

“I was blown away by how sweet this lady was,” Darts said. “Her customer service was incredible, so I decided to give her a dollar tip and see how she reacted. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh! Thanks so much!’ Her thankfulness really revealed her heart.”

As a result, Darts gave Turner an additional $500, praising her for her kindness. She hugged him and shared that the money would go a long way in helping support her two grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

@jimmydarts

“I got grandbabies to take care of…” (Gofundme 1N B10)

♬ original sound – Jimmy Darts

“I gave her the $500 and went home to edit the video and I was like, ‘Wow. I think people are going to be drawn to want to help this lady,’” Darts said. “I made a GoFundMe page when I posted the video and within a few hours the donations started rolling in like crazy.”

The next day Darts went back to the Subway shop with another surprise for Turner. He gave her a letter to inform her that she would be going to the Twins game later that day. It wasn’t until she arrived at Target Field that she learned she would be throwing out the first pitch.

“I thought I was going to throw up,” Turner said. “I was so scared to go out there.”

@jimmydarts

“It’s like a dream”

♬ original sound – Jimmy Darts

The surprises didn’t stop there. After throwing out the first pitch, Turner learned that Darts had helped raised more than $20,000 for her in the 24 hours since posting his video. That number has since grown to more than $44,000.

All the attention has been a bit overwhelming for Turner. She isn’t accustomed to being the center of attention.

“I’m used to just being me and caring about people and loving people,” Turner said. “I didn’t think I’d be rewarded for something like that in this lifetime; I always thought that stuff came in the next lifetime. Then in walks Jimmy and his girlfriend and they literally change my whole life. There really are true angels out there.”

Not surprisingly, Turner has already been thinking of ways she can pay it forward. She mentioned helping out at a local women’s shelter as a potential endeavor.

“There are a lot of things going through my brain,” Turner said. “Just contributing in some way that’s meaningful.”

Asked if she had any plans to treat herself, she relented that she probably would at some point.

“Hopefully I don’t feel guilty about it,” she said. “That’s just who I am.”

As for her job at the Subway inside the Walmart in West St. Paul, yes, Turner still plans to work. She will be trimming her hours, though, to spend more time with her family.

“It’s comforting to know it won’t be a struggle anymore because we always will have that cushion,” Turner said. “Just knowing we won’t have to struggle so much is a true blessing.”

All thanks to her kindness.

“I told Jimmy if I never see him again in this lifetime, I’ll be seeing him in heaven,” Turner said. “Since this happened to me, I’ve been watching a lot of his videos, and I’ve cried more than anyone could even imagine. They’re all happy tears. He’s truly a godsend.”

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