NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Hosting giveaways is part of the job for social media influencer Jenny Reimold.
"I recognized Emily’s name because I knew her, like out of all of these people who entered, and I knew her,” said Reimold. When her adopted son randomly selected Emily Woods to win a free Florida vacation, Reimold knew this giveaway would be different.
Reimold said Woods "is a single mom and she loves the beach and I was like well it’s great that it will go to her and then when she mentioned Simon’s name and I heard about his story and I was just in tears.” The truth was Woods didn’t enter the contest for herself, instead she did it for another friend and single parent.
Like Reimold, Simon Hall is also an adoptive parent. He has seven children and one foster child.
“It was like a great surprise at the perfect timing- you know with the pandemic I’ve had a lot of lost business so for me to be able to give my kids a vacation this year is something really special. It wasn’t going to happen,” said Hall who lives with his family in Knoxville.
His catering business took a hit during the pandemic- he’s since taken on another job all while juggling eight mouths to feed.
"It's a million times better than if I was going to the beach," said Woods. She hopes her small gesture could make a big impact for the Hall family, and shine a light on the adoption community.
“I think that the gift that we received in the form of somebody paying it forward to us meant so much more than just a simple vacation. To feel loved by a friend far away is pretty amazing so I know that our family is going to be thinking really long and hard about how we can give back and pay it forward,” said Hall.
