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Chicago Spa Owner Helps Homeless Man Get Back on His Feet

One day, Jimmy Bakopoulos, owner of the Heavenly Massage day spas was on his way to the Gold Coast location in Chicago. At the Division Street Bridge, he came upon “Dwayne,” a homeless man standing at the stop light with a sign requesting assistance. Without hesitation, Bakopoulos stopped and gave the man some money. “I always help people if I can,” the businessman explained. “When I was growing up and working in my dad’s store, Holiday Foods, I witnessed my dad performing these small acts of kindness. He would help everyone all the time.”

Bakopoulos would see Dwayne many more times, and continued to help. He discovered the homeless man was married and had three children. “Giving him some money to get some food for his family and gets things for his kids was the least I could do,” he said in an interview with The Greek Star newspaper in Chicago. “One day, I invited his wife and kids over for manicures. I got more involved. The kids are really good kids.”

Jimmy Bakopoulos (2nd from right) and an employee (far left) with Dwayne (2nd from left) and his family.

Later, the owner of 13 spas in the Chicagoland area offered Dwayne a job distributing flyers for the spas. “He was just a good guy. Life didn’t deal him a good deck of cards.” All of this inspired Dwayne to keep working for something better. Today, Dwayne is employed full-time in a factory.

“My dad set the example. Since then, I’ve always wanted to help people. You don’t have to give a lot, just a little bit and every little bit helps. I would do this again in a heartbeat. I don’t think any of us really know these people’s stories. We should just help and hope they put it to good use.”

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