Tyler Perry Donates Van To Disabled Woman After Hers Is Stolen [Video]
From the archive: published Oct 3, 2012, 14 years ago. Details may have changed since.
Atlanta-based filmmaker Tyler Perry has donated a van to a woman with cerebral palsy after hearing that her specially-equipped vehicle had been stolen from her driveway in Decatur, Georgia.
According to CBS Atlanta , Perry, who is best known for his popular “Madea” movies, was watching WSBTV News on Monday when he saw Alicia Day’s sad story.
In the Channel 2 Action News report, the family of the 24-year-old said someone stole her specially equipped van out of their driveway sometime Sunday between 7pm and 9pm.
Day, who’s in a wheelchair, told the station she prides herself on trying to be independent, working part-time as a greeter at Home Depot. After the theft, she had no idea how she would get around.
Her mother, Hannelore Day, also relied on the $60,000-van to take Day to work and to doctor appointments.
Just minutes after Day’s story ran, Perry called WSBTV and informed them he wanted to donate a brand new vehicle to help Alicia get back on the road.
Day said that her “mouth just dropped to the floor” when she learned that the award-winning filmmaker was stepping in to help.
“God is good, and Tyler Perry is just wonderful,” Day told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. “This made me feel so wonderful,” she said. “Tyler Perry, of all people, decided to help a handicapped person.”
CBS reports in addition to Tyler Perry’s generous contribution, Day’s colleagues at Home Depot have established a fund to help her with medical expenses.
Company officials plan to present her with a check for $5,000 on Friday.
Watch as Alicia Day receives a new van from Tyler Perry in the video below: