Elvin Chorpy Santiago was filmed on April 8, 2026 by content creator Zachery Dereniowski, known online as MDMotivator, as he handed a stranger a birthday cake and a blindfold outside a grocery store in Austin. The video, posted to YouTube that same day, showed Santiago, a father and grandfather who had migrated from Puerto Rico with little, pause, check on the man, and then purchase a balloon and card with his own money before singing Happy Birthday and praying for the unknown.
Santiago’s story, revealed in a March 2026 report by Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día, paints him as an immigrant who grew up without parents battling drug addiction. He now works at a local hospital and supports a wife and three children. The report highlighted how, upon learning of his circumstances, Dereniowski gave him an additional $1,000.
Instead of keeping the cash, Santiago chose to channel it toward a mother and child in need, an act that was described in the El Nuevo Día headline “Rechazó $1 000 para ayudar a otros.” The generosity became the centerpiece of a broader campaign organized by Dereniowski.
Daniel Lubetzky, founder of KIND and a former Shark Tank investor, joined the effort and announced a personal donation that helped lift the fundraiser past the $200,000 mark. The money was earmarked for medical supplies, rent assistance, and a scholarship for Santiago’s eldest son.
Local media outlets in Austin covered the story, and community members have pledged continuing support through a series of monthly donation drives set to conclude by the end of the year. The fundraiser’s platform, Slingshot Giving, now lists a target of $250,000 to fully cover the family’s short‑term expenses.
The next phase involves a town‑hall meeting in mid‑May where Santiago and representatives from the hospital will discuss how the funds will be allocated. The event is expected to draw over 200 attendees, including city officials and local business leaders.