Sometimes you just need to hear good stories about people doing good things for each other to lift you up from a crappy day. Anybody have any stories about times they've helped someone less fortunate? Thanks in advance for sharing.
Sometimes you just need to hear good stories about people doing good things for each other to lift you up from a crappy day. Anybody have any stories about times they've helped someone less fortunate? Thanks in advance for sharing.
Not a complete stranger but I just had an employee come in crying, because her parents were denied loans due to bad credit. She is going into college and her stafford won't cover what she needs. So I'm in the process of helping her figure out other alternatives. (Any suggestions?- Private student credit union?)
Gifted a family member (addict/unemployed) 20K
Gifted another person a car
Advanced someone money to pay for their initial medical care (non-insured, cancer treatment)
Recently opened my house to a mother w 2 children being evicted from apartment in large part due to deadbeat husband/father
Once was timing 3rd place at a state qualifying high school sectional where the top 2 qualify automatically. The girl in 3rd was all alone battling a 15 mph wind on the back stretch along with a steady rain. She needed to run 12:00 flat to qualify on time and ran 12:00.7 -- I rounded down - I thought she'd earned a trip to the State meet.
Was driving across town one day. Saw a mom and daughter on the sidewalk and mom was looking around distraught. I decided to turn around. Turns out, they were riding bikes, the daughter had crashed her bike, and her knee was torn up really badly. I drove them to a nearby ER, went back and got their bikes. And when they were done, went and picked them up and took them and their bikes home.
I used to take the bus to work all the time, when I was at University of Florida. I got off the bus one day with an older guy I had never seen before. I started walking toward my building, but for some reason I turned around to look at him. Something wasn't right. He started to walk slowly, then wobble. I went back to see if he was OK. He was very confused, lightheaded, and nauseous. I ended up walking him in to the dental school (right across the street, but it took a while), and staying with him while patient transport got him over to the ER. He was admitted through the ambulance bay, since he was bordering on unconscious by this point. I did not know this man, but had to give his "history" (of the past 45 minutes anyway). The nurse got hold of his wife on the phone, and she headed into the ER. I left before she got there and the staff assured me the man was OK. I went back after work to check on him. I've never been greeted so warmly by a stranger. His wife hugged me and cried like I was her long lost son. Turns out, her husband had mixed up some medications and was pretty bad off...or would have been had I or someone else not gotten him over to the hospital. Pretty much every nurse working that day came by to tell me thank you for being nice to a stranger. I guess working in the ER, they mostly have to see how strangers are not so nice to each other.
Both those situations were stressful at the time, particularly the second one. Doing nice things for someone in a time of need doesn't always FEEL good at the time. But the reward of true gratitude makes it totally worth the effort.
Thanks for the stories so far everyone. Anyone else have some great stories?
I usually don't do nice things that involve buying strangers things but about 15 years ago in front of an auto parts store I stopped at, a old man that was dirty as hell had a huge duffel bag that was full and he was holding a sign saying will work for food. I asked him what he really wanted and he said immediately he wanted food but his ultimate goal was to go to Roanoke VA to live with his sister who was going to take care of him. I took him to Burger King and then to the bus station and bought his ticket to Roanoke.
I also told the attendant at the bus station to NOT cash in the ticket. When I said goodbye to him, he broke down in tears. I went back later and was told he boarded the bus.
We bought a $50 gift certificate at Toys R Us and gave it to the family in line behind us.
All of this is nonsense wrote:
Not a complete stranger but I just had an employee come in crying, because her parents were denied loans due to bad credit. She is going into college and her stafford won't cover what she needs. So I'm in the process of helping her figure out other alternatives. (Any suggestions?- Private student credit union?)
She should go part time and work. Private, non-subsidized loans are a bad way to go, and she'll likely have the same problem; they won't loan to her without a co-signer more than likely, and when they check the parents' credit, the answer will be NO. Perhaps she needs to defer for a year. Perhaps she needs to not attend and go to a community college first.
Running along a remote "seasonal" road in the foothills of the Rockies, I noticed some tire tracks going off to a camp site. There were only one set of tire tracks (indicating that someone drove in, but didn't drive out) and they were filling in with snow. At that time of the year, it was really too cold for most to even think about camping in a tent or even in a camper. Thinking that this was a bit odd, I ran down to the camp site to find that a couple had pulled off of the "main" road and into the camp site to turn around. Their car had gotten stuck in the snow, there was no cell signal and it was 5 miles to the highway and 5 miles to the nearest town. The husband and I pushed while the wife drove. With my help, there were able to free the car from the snow.
I once saw a guy with a cardboard sign asking to work for food, and I gave him a steely glare and told him to pull himself up by his own bootstraps! That's the nicest thing anyone ever did for that guy. I'm sure he's the CEO of a big company now.
I was young and recently out of college. Had a good job but not much else. Went to pick up a pizza to take home for dinner after work on a Friday. Outside the pizza place there was a homeless person who was hungry. He asked me for a slice and I said sure. I don't know why, but I ended up just sitting down next to him and sharing the pizza. Every Friday I would get a pizza from the same place and share it with him. He had a lot of great stories, was a really nice person, and seemed to have caught more bad breaks than good. We had been sharing meals for about 8 months when I showed up one Friday and he wasn't there. I went in to pick up my pizza and the girl behind the counter told me my friend left something for me. She handed me an envelope with a letter from the homeless guy (name was Ed). The letter explained that he had gotten in contact with some family and left town to join them and hopefully get a fresh start. He said I was his truest friend, and the only person who treated him like a human being in his greatest time of need. He went on to say many heart warming things. I cried when I read the letter. I have that letter framed in my office to this day.
You seem to nice to be hanging out here.
I've done a few things for colleagues and kids where I work. I've given money anonymously to another teacher who was going through a divorce and had no Christmas money, collected money in my hall to give our custodians a bonus, given kids lunch money and gas money, gave a semi-homeless kid money.
Wow great story. Did you lose contact with the guy forever after he gave you the letter?
Although I'm a habitual do gooder this was a little over the top even for me. A few days ago-I passed a guy walking on the highway on my way to night class. On the way back home I picked him up and he told me he was walking from Florida to Maine to live with family. He threw his backpack in the truck bed and grinned from ear to ear when I offered him a cold beer. I asked if he had any money and he of course said no. I gave him some cash to buy some things at the store. He was afraid I'd steal his backpack, but I told him I'd wait for him and he could sleep in my outbuilding that night.
Took him home, the wife fed him a good meal, he took a shower, we drank a beer or two, and he went to the outbuilding. He was gone when I got up the next morning.
I've done quite a bit on the AT so...yeah, walking hungry, broke, and dirty sucks pretty hard.
Back in November I picked up an old lady walking on the side of the road at 10:30 at night in the snow. I was only going a short distance but she said she was headed for a town about 40 miles away(!) I asked what she was doing so far from home and she said that she got a notice in the mail that she had "won" a $5000 prize and some guy gave her a ride and left her there. Obviously it was a scam and she was stranded. I really felt bad for her naivety and drove her the whole way.
Walking old, broke and cold sucks too.
wow, that was awesome.
a few weeks ago i was on the way home and there were two (overweight) guys pushing a car that had ran out of gas down the road. the road was slightly up hill and they were really struggling. i drove by and didnt stop. almost home i decided to turn around and put my limited fitness to work.
when i arrived they had barely made any progress. so i helped out and pushed the car half a mile to the gas station. it was actually pretty fun, the guys got into it and we were laughing.
they gave me a quick hand shank and said thanks. that was that.
felt pretty good about myself for a few minutes.
Bad Day wrote:
Wow great story. Did you lose contact with the guy forever after he gave you the letter?
Unfortunately, yes. I was saddened by him leaving and tried to locate him thereafter. I knew a decent amount about his background, but I did not know his last name and so my attempts to find him failed.
However, he knew me. A little over 5 years ago, I received an email from someone I didn't recognize, who turned out to be Ed's sister. Ed had passed away but he had talked about me many times, and wanted me to attend his funeral. I was really surprised and taken aback. This was about 20 years after we first became friends.
I took off from work and flew to his home for his funeral. I was greeted warmly by his family and they told me how much I meant to Ed. So many emotions came back.
As it turned out, Ed did alright after reconnecting with his family. He did not want to reach out to me because he didn't want to be burdensome. I wish I could go back and tell him not to care about that.
Anyway, he included me in his will and also had another letter for me. The letter said that if he could give me all the money he had, he would, but he knew I didn't need it. Instead, he left me his favorite guitar, which is how he made a living after reconnecting with his family. He was a private music teacher. The guitar now also sits in my office, and I've tried to learn it. The second letter is in a fireproof lock box in my home.
Some years ago I gave away a couple hundred running/t&f books and tapes to other LRCers, none of whom I knew.
fast fingered official wrote:
She needed to run 12:00 flat to qualify on time and ran 12:00.7 -- I rounded down - I thought she'd earned a trip to the State meet.
Malmo could tell a somewhat similar story IIRC...