Feel Good Story # 2

Well I'm still waiting for other people to tell me about good acts of service or charity. In the meantime, here is yet another good story for you all.

In Calgary we have a local radio station that does something called "Gerry Forbes Secret Wish". Now, I'm not a big fan of Forbes. I find him to be pretty gross most of the time, but I do listen every Friday at about 7:30 am (little plug for anyone wanting a pick me up) to hear him make someones day. As annoying and over the top as he can be, he does have a big heart, and this charity of his needs to be recognized. He generally takes in donations from friends, local businesses, and the general public. A friend or acquaintance of someone in need will submit a letter into the station as to why their friend is a candidate for the secret wish. The station will then find out what needs that family has, and then every Friday morning, Gerry will call them up at around 7:30 and present them with their gifts over the air. It really is heart warming to hear, and I find myself now wanting to contribute to help his cause.

For your benefit, here is what happened today. He received a letter regarding a family where both parents have struggled with their health the last 4 years. The parents would work on and off between health problems, in entry level fast food positions, as it was the only work they were able to secure. The mother became ill and diagnosed with cancer, and recently passed away, leaving the father to care for his twin 11 year old son and daughter, all on the budget of an entry level fast food worker. So at 7:30 this morning Gerry sent out his girl to this man's house with their donations. He called and the father answered. Gerry introduced himself, gave his condolences, and offered words of encouragement. At this point the father was speechless, but said thank you. Gerry instructed him to go to the door and let his helper in, which the man did. Gerry then began to tell the man what they were receiving. He gave the family a laptop donated by future shop, so the kids could do their homework, gift certificates to get the kids new clothes for school, $250 worth of groceries for this long weekend from Safeway, and $1000.00 to help with bills. By the time he was done, all you heard on the other end was sobbing from this man, who could barely choke out a thank you. The DJ was getting choked up as well, as he wished the man a good long weekend and said he was always welcome to call the station. I'll admit, it had me feeling a tug on my heart strings, and ask most people who know me, I'm not the most emotional person. I thought it was an amazing gesture, and something that I think we can all learn from. Look around your own communities, see what charities are there and see how you can help someone in need. Like a wise man once told me, there's usually someone having a worse day than you, so let's see what we can do to help one another. Have a great long weekend!