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Students Come Together To Raise Money To Replace A Classmate’s Stolen Nintendo

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‘Tis the season for giving, and these kids are a perfect example of what this time of year is all about.

A group of students recently banded together to raise money in order to replace a Nintendo 3DS XL that had been stolen from a fellow student. Shawn Hawkins, a high school student, had written about his stolen Nintendo on the white boards of classrooms around his school. It turns out the Nintendo had been given to him by his late grandmother.

“The announcement that Shawn wrote on the board was basically him begging for his 3DS XL back,” Shawna Cantiliano, a fellow classmate, told Nintendo Life. “[The message also said] that he would not tell anyone if it was returned, that it means a lot—it was a gift from his grandma.”

Cantiliano and her friend, Piper, were moved to do something about it. After posting on social media to announce that they were collecting money for the Nintendo, the pair also reached out to a teacher, Ms. Grimm, to see if she could help. “My teacher said she’d buy it!,” Cantiliano told People magazine. “She said to raise what ever donations I can and she’d just pay the difference.”

And that’s exactly how it went down. When the students went to present Hawkins with the gift, he couldn’t believe what was happening. Thankfully, the sweet moment was caught on camera.

You can tell by Hawkins’ face that he is both shocked and extremely touched to find out that his classmates have replaced his stolen game console. And instead of reaching for the Nintendo, he goes in for a big hug, exclaiming, “Thank you! You’re an angel from God.” Such an incredibly sweet moment.

The video has gained quite a bit of attention online, and people are getting all sorts of emotional over how truly touching this story is.

“It’s so heartfelt,” one person wrote on Twitter:

Another asked everyone to get on board the “feels train” after seeing this:

People on Reddit are responding as well, saying things such as, “The look on that kid’s face made me tear up a bit.” We feel you!

This story illustrates what the season is all about, so if you weren’t in the Christmas spirit before—we have a feeling you are now. Here’s hoping you carry that feeling with you all season long.