Betty knows.
The 81-year-old Ross Eat’n Park waitress still known only by her first name has learned that she’s the beneficiary of a fundraiser that will change her life.
A GoFundMe campaign started Wednesday by a customer to help Betty exceeded $260,000 on Friday.
Tamie Konzier of Millvale wanted to help Betty retire after she served her and her 10-year-old son, Leo, lunch on Wednesday. They noticed Betty had difficulty walking and overheard her say she doesn’t get enough on Social Security to pay her bills. Konzier took to TikTok in addition to launching the fundraiser.
The campaign had raised $140,000 when Konzier got to speak with Betty on the phone Thursday, Konzier said in another video. Betty was, of course, stunned.
“How much is it?” Betty says. “I guess I better get a financial adviser. Oh my god.”
Konzier was just as surprised.
“I promise I didn’t know it was gonna go this big,” she said. “We never knew it was gonna hit social media like this.”
Betty thankfully tells Konzier she can’t understand how much the money will help her.
“My family and I are having financial difficulties, and this is going to take care of it,” Betty says.
“I’m so happy. I’m so happy for you. You deserve it,” Konzier replies.
Eat’n Park connected with Betty on Thursday, too, before she was aware of the video and the attention it was receiving, spokeswoman Courtney Caprara said.
“She is humbled by the outpouring of support,” Caprara said.
Betty is a private person and prefers not to speak publicly, Caprara said.
”We respect how she feels, so we’re not going to speak on her behalf at this time and support Betty’s decision that she will not be conducting any interviews,” she said.
On TikTok, Konzier said she and her family plan to meet with Betty next week and keep news media out of it.
From talking with Betty, Konzier said in another TikTok video that Betty wants to reduce the hours she works but does not want to fully retire from work “because it keeps her going.”
“I told her she was welcome to do whatever she wanted to do with the money. If she wants to cut down her hours and travel the world, help pay bills, it’s her money,” Konzier said. “She said working a little bit gets her out of the house and she enjoys that. I said, ‘Betty, do what you want with this money.’ ”
Konzier says her understanding is that the money is a gift that should not affect Betty’s Social Security payments and that she won’t have to pay taxes on the money.
The IRS has a page addressing money received through crowdfunding. According to the IRS, crowdfunding contributions made through generosity without the expectation of receiving anything in return may be gifts and therefore not taxable as income.
Topping the list of more than 10,000 donations was a $2,500 personal donation from Dok Harris, son of Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris. Konzier, who now works as an esthetician in East Liberty, had worked with Dok Harris at Super Bakery, a company started by his father making fortified foods for school breakfast programs.
With his office on McKnight Road, Harris said he has been to Betty’s Eat’n Park, near the entrance to Ross Park Mall. He wasn’t sure if she had ever served him.
“It’s kind of a crazy story when you think about it,” Harris said. “There are seniors who just enjoy going to work every day and smiling and making someone else’s day. It’s great to pay it forward.”
In an update Friday afternoon, Konzier said she has retained a lawyer who will set up the money from the GoFundMe in a trust for Betty, and it will be done in a way that will not affect Betty’s Social Security or Medicaid.
The lawyer has advised her to not turn off the GoFundMe, Konzier said.
“It’s doing really well, keep it going,” she said. “So I’m not turning it off anytime soon. There’s no end date on the GoFundMe. As long as the video keeps going viral and people keep contributing to Betty’s retirement, I am going to keep it up.”