Here's our first story.
After a storm dumped a silver maple tree down through his roof, Kansas resident Gilbert Kirk told local news that he wasn't looking for a miracle or an insurance handout. He just wanted a tarp.
Two days later, a stranger arrived at Kirk's debris-laden front lawn in Wyandotte County and said he'd be back in 30 minutes with a tarp. He came back with some lumber and a crew to cover up the maple-shaped gash in Kirk's house.
When the storm arrived, 71-year-old Kirk and his dog Beetle were trapped under the collapsed roof for hours. Now, for the first time in weeks, they have a new roof over their heads, and with the help of a small arsenal of standup fans, the man has the semblance of a home again. "It's unbelievable the way the community has come together," Kirk said.
KCTV called the men strangers, but the crew who installed the tarp on Kirk's roof identified themselves in a Facebook post from the network as local residents. "We just did what was right and needed to be done."
Here's another story about a student some years back.
"Some years back, I was a poor student really struggling to find the money to pay rent and for food and textbooks. It was getting late in the day, and I was rushing to catch my bus when I noticed a handbag sitting in a grassy area where we would hang out during lunchtime.
I opened it, and I rifled through the purse and found about $500 in cash. That was so much money for me, I was so tempted just to keep walking. I kept thinking how much that money would help me out, and then my conscience kicked in and I thought that the woman who had lost her bag might need it just as much as me.
I sat down with the bag next to me and waited 20 minutes. I had missed my bus and I was wondering what to do next when I spotted someone hurrying in my direction.
She was dressed in designer clothes. She was calling me a thief and said she was going to call the police, and there I was trying to explain that I'd been waiting for her to come back and I was keeping it safe.
She then snatched up her handbag and walked off, still swearing at me."
Here's our next story.
"Basically, I took my five-year-old to get her eyes checked before kindergarten. She'd been sitting pretty close to the TV and getting close when looking at paper with writing or drawings on them.
We went to the earliest appointment available at the optometrist and had her exam done. My daughter was thrilled to learn she was getting glasses and was picking her favorites from the glasses shop at checkout.
I asked the receptionist about getting the prescription, and she essentially told me that I had to pay the $150 fee due for her appointment in full before I could get the prescription so we could go somewhere more affordable. I told the receptionist some story about our debit cards being canceled due to the suspected fraud, which was only half true, to save myself the embarrassment of not being able to pay for something as simple and necessary as my daughter's prescription. I told her I'd call back and pay when I got my new card.
She said, 'Okay, no problem.'
She asked me to wait before I left so she could give me some paperwork. She gave me a look, and on top of the stack was my daughter's prescription paperwork. She simply looked at me and said, 'Have a great day, sir,' and smiled.
I told her thank you so much and walked out.
I wasn't asking for a freebie, and I wasn't expecting anything from her, yet she saw my need and met it with kindness. Thank you, optometrist receptionist."
Do you have good news to share? Send it to goodnews@wdiy.org.
