If you lost $300 of your holiday shopping money while out and about on Black Friday you would probably be very sad, upset and feel like the world is against you. After going through the 12 stages of grief normally associated with a loss like this you would finally reach acceptance and move on. Not before you shed a few heartfelt tears.
Carrie McNeese of Billings had been out doing her shopping at JCPenney on that crazy day like any other crazy person when she realized her $300 was missing. After a thorough search of the store, she came up empty handed.
“You lose your Christmas money, no matter how much it is, and you’re just sick to your stomach,” she said. “I was just so down about it.”
So that was the end of it…
No, not really. The story gets interesting and turns into an episode of Keepin’ it Real – CSI Edition!
Not long after McNeese left the store, an employee there found the envelope and turned it over to Anderson. But with no name or other identifying information inside, he wasn’t sure how to get it back to her.
“I felt bad because I knew this was somebody’s Christmas money,” he said. “I know I’d be pretty bummed if I were in that situation.”
So Anderson took a look at the store’s surveillance footage and was able to pick out McNeese as the woman who had asked about the lost envelope.
Inside, he found the money and receipts, as well as the small sticky note with the kids’ sizes and first names. At the top of the note was a logo for Stewart Title Co. in Billings.
“We thought, ‘Maybe she does business there, let’s give them a call,’ ” Anderson said.
He called Stewart Title and read the kids’ names off to the woman at the other end of the line. She didn’t recognize them, so Anderson emailed her a still photo of the woman from the security cameras.
The woman immediately recognized McNeese — who works with the company regularly through her brokerage business — and gave her number to Anderson.
In a day and age when keeping that cash would have been easy to do, these employees stepped up to the plate and tracked McNeese down. We think they showed initiative and embraced so many of our Guiding Principles it’s hard to pin down which one to highlight! Keepin’ it Real never had such a holiday feel to it. Nor has it ever looked so green!
“It just touches me, that they would pick one thing out of everything like that, a lost envelope, and take the time to track me down,” McNeese said. “It’s not even about the money. It’s the fact that it happened the way it happened.
“Sometimes you just run into people that still have a heart and still have compassion. Call it the Christmas spirit or call it karma.”
John Lennon wrote a song about Instant Karma. We agree with him. It does get you! It makes you feel great if you’ve done something good for someone else. INSTANTLY!
Read the full story here.
Want to read more about how we like to give props to those who Keep it Real?
- Keepin’ it Real – The Calgary Hitmen Teddy Bear Toss
- Keepin’ it Real – Free Turkeys for the Neighborhood
- Keepin’ it Real – PinkSlipMixers.com
- Keepin’ it Real – A Teenage Hero
- Keepin’ it Real – Myrtle Beach and Sportsmanship at its Finest!
- Keepin’ it Real – Martial Arts Heros in Real Life
- Keepin’ It Real – Bill’s Excellent Adventure
- Keepin’ it Real – A Dry Cleaner with an Eye on Your Future!
We see people who Keep it Real all the time, but we’d also like some nominations to come from you, our readers. We know you see examples of people helping others with no thought of reward EVERY DAY!
To send in a nomination for a Keepin’ it Real feature, please email kyd @ realtruck.com. Please send as much information as possible!
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