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kelly-gump

The Kindness of Strangers

Posted on August 29th, 2010 by Kelly Gump

As some of you may know, I am a teacher. As most of you probably know…teachers don’t make huge salaries and we often need to purchase materials for our classrooms….out of our own pockets. I have done my shopping for my kiddos and we have all of the things we need to start the year off right. That said, I was looking for one last item…a luxury I suppose….I needed a coat rack for myself and my assistants. The other option would be to put them on the floor like I did last year :)

I knew I did not need anything fancy…used would do just fine. With that in mind, I posted on LeJeune Yard Sales. I said I was looking for a used coat rack and I would pay $15 for one. I was prepared to shell out the money and I was hopeful someone out there was looking to get rid of one. To my surprise, I got a reply that day and as an even bigger surprise…the gentleman who replied wanted to make me one…for FREE!

I told him I could not accept it for free, but he was clear that he wanted to do this for me. He stated that he liked to help the community, he had a wood shop and he made things for sale all the time. After a little more back and forth (and me pleading to pay), the rack was made and I picked it up this past weekend.

I felt guilty as I pulled away from his house with my free, handmade coat rack, but I really think he just wanted to help. I think he understands how hard teachers work and he saw a small way he could contribute to one classroom. Needless to say, I took a stack of his business cards and will tell everyone to contact him if they need anything made. I also made sure to explain all of this to Jake and Sam. I hope one day, they will see a similar opportunity to help someone and they will jump at the chance.

Have you ever had someone you don’t know reach out to help you? How did it make you feel?




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