“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus

A father went the extra mile to make sure that his final child support payment would be unforgettable – in a bad way.

Avery Sanford, who is a senior at Deep Run High School, just turned 18.

You would think that her father would plan and surprise his daughter with a memorable party, but sadly, it was the other way around.

It was a sunny day, everyone was busy, and everything looked normal. Suddenly, a man drove up to Sanford’s home and stopped. He was driving an SUV with a landscaping trailer attached to it.

Raven Sickal, Avery’s mother noticed the vehicle and watched in disbelief as the man dumped something on their front lawn.

Raven immediately went out to confront the man. She asked what he was doing, and he answered her, “It’s your final child support payment.”

That’s when she realized who the man was.

Avery was in the middle of her class when this happened, so imagine how she felt when she heard the news.

“It’s not just my mom he’s trying to embarrass,” she told in her interview with WTVR. “It’s also me and my sister and it’s upsetting that he didn’t consider that before he did this.”

The young girl was heartbroken.

“It’s really hurtful and damaging to your kids when you do things like that,” Avery told WTVR. “It doesn’t matter if they’re young or an adult, the actions of your parents will always have some effect on you.”

But they didn’t want to dwell on the hurt and disappointment, so instead of focusing on the negative emotions that they are feeling, they decided to turn this event into a positive one.

Avery and her mom decided to use the pennies and donate every single penny to Safe Harbor.

Safe Harbor is a non-profit shelter that aims to help and support survivors of sexual violence, domestic abuse, sexual violence, and even human trafficking.

“Turning around and donating that money to moms and children in need, I feel like that really turns this situation into a positive one,” Avery shared with everyone. “You can learn a lesson from it.”

They didn’t expect that their story would go viral!

After hearing Avery’s story, other people were touched by their generosity and started donating to Safe Harbor as well.

The organization started receiving donations locally and even internationally.

Mary Maupai, Development Director at Safe Harbor, shared that she hasn’t seen this in her 20 years of service.

She even said that some of the donations had notes that said:

”I also want to support the Sanford family and their generosity in the face of a very toxic act. Peace!”

Another donor also said:

“This is a donation on behalf of Avery Sanford. Way to take the high road. What a strong and beautiful gesture you made.”

Upon hearing the wonderful news, the mother and daughter expressed their happiness with the unexpected turn of events.

“When I read about the donations, I sobbed,” Raven shared. “It made both of us very emotional. This reach has been amazing and the thoughtfulness and kind gestures have been beyond anything we expected. We just wanted to turn this around and that’s exactly what we did.”

Avery and her mom turned a very hurtful event into something inspiring and beautiful.

Raven also mentioned that she did report the incident to Henrico County Police but decided not to file any charges against Avery’s estranged father.

WTVR was able to speak with Avery’s father, and he agreed to answer some questions.

He admitted that his emotions got the better of him and that his actions that day were the result of 18 long years of frustration.

Avery’s father also said that the last thing he wanted to do was to put a further wedge between him and his daughter. Sadly, it seems like this is what happened after the said event.

Watch the video below and tell us what you think.

We’re so happy that Avery and her mother, Raven, were able to turn a negative situation into a positive one.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: WTVR CBS 6, Safe Harbor