Acts of Kindness: What the world needs now

[Himalayan Hermit]

Interestingly, I found this article while reading news here in India but this article has no trace on any US news sites, or at least I couldn't find it on Yahoo or CNN.
Great show of character by this 25 yr old!

Gift of boots to barefoot man reverberates online | NDTV.com

 

[Samstwitch]

NYPD officer photographed giving boots to barefoot homeless man melts icy hearts online

A photo of a New York City police officer kneeling down to give a barefoot homeless man in Times Square a pair of boots on a cold November night is melting even the iciest New Yorkers' hearts online.

On Nov. 14, NYPD officer Lawrence DePrimo, who was on counterterrorism duty in Times Square, saw the older homeless man without shoes sitting on 42nd Street. DePrimo, 25, left and then returned with a pair of $100 boots he bought at a nearby Skechers store.

"It was freezing out, and you could see the blisters on the man's feet," DePrimo, a three-year veteran of the department who lives with his parents on Long Island, told the New York Times. "I had two pairs of socks, and I was still cold."

The random act of kindness was captured by Jennifer Foster, a tourist from Florence, Ariz., who was visiting the city. Foster, communications director for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office in Arizona, emailed the photo to the NYPD with a note commending DePrimo.

"The officer said, 'I have these size 12 boots for you, they are all-weather. Let's put them on and take care of you,'" Foster wrote. "The officer squatted down on the ground and proceeded to put socks and the new boots on this man.

"I have been in law enforcement for 17 years," she continued. "I was never so impressed in my life. ... It is important, I think, for all of us to remember the real reason we are in this line of work. The reminder this officer gave to our profession in his presentation of human kindness has not been lost."

Foster's photo was posted on the NYPD's Facebook page on Tuesday, where it received more than 320,000 "likes," 77,000 "shares" and 20,000 comments—most of them praising DePrimo, who seems to have restored Facebook's faith in humanity.

"This is one hell of a police officer," Desiree Wright-Borden wrote.

"Wow," Jack Horton wrote. "It's nice to know there are still good people out there."

"Angels truly do walk on earth!!!" Charlene Hoffman-Pestell wrote.

Some commenters, though, were skeptical, saying the photo could have been staged.

"Clever stunt!" Louis Zehmke wrote. "The hobo is 'parked' at the entrance of a shoe shop."

But Foster claims DePrimo had no idea he was being photographed: "The officer expected NOTHING in return and did not know I was watching."

If everyone practiced 'acts of kindness' the world would be at peace!

What the world needs now, is love, sweet love...

 

[Opmmur]

The real gift of caring for another, without expecting something in return. Too many people not willing to help others unless it benefits them in some way.

 

[Num7]

Let's give this thread a second chance. I created a debate topic for you Titorite, so that we can enjoy this random act of kindness here, while you'll still have a chance debate the subject, if needed.

Debate - Gift of Boots, a PR stunt? | Paranormalis

Oh, and I merged it with HH's thread to avoid parallel discussions.

Thanks.

 

[TnWatchdog]

By MARC SANTORA and ALEX VADUKUL

updated 12/3/2012 5:25:54 AM ET 2012-12-03T10:25
After Officer Lawrence DePrimo knelt beside a barefoot man on a bitterly cold November night in Times Square, giving him a pair of boots, a photo of his random act of good will quickly took on a life of its own— becoming a symbol for a million acts of kindness that go unnoticed every day and a reminder that even in this tough, often anonymous city, people can still look out for one another.
Officer DePrimo was celebrated on front pages and morning talk shows, the Police Department came away with a burnished image and millions got a smile from a nice story.
But what of the shoeless man?
For days, his bare feet — blistered and battered — were well known. Yet precise details about him proved elusive.

His name is Jeffrey Hillman, and on Sunday night, he was once again wandering the streets — this time on the Upper West Side — with no shoes.
Video: After officer’s gift, homeless man ‘lit up like it was Christmas’ (on this page)
The $100 pair of boots that Officer DePrimo had bought for him at a Sketchers store on Nov. 14 were nowhere to be seen.
“Those shoes are hidden. They are worth a lot of money,” Mr. Hillman said in an interview on Broadway in the 70s. “I could lose my life.”
Mr. Hillman, 54, was by turns aggrieved, grateful and taken aback by all the attention that had come his way — even as he struggled to figure out what to do about it.
“I was put on YouTube, I was put on everything without permission. What do I get?” he said. “This went around the world, and I want a piece of the pie.”
He did not recall the photo being taken but remembered well the gift from Officer DePrimo. “I appreciate what the officer did, don’t get me wrong,” he said. “I wish there were more people like him in the world.”
At another point he said: “I want to thank everyone that got onto this thing. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart. It meant a lot to me. And to the officer, first and foremost.”
Cop who bought shoes for homeless man 'really didn't think about the money'
Mr. Hillman said he came to New York about a decade ago and had been on the streets most of that time. He moves about Manhattan, he said, not frequenting any particular neighborhood. On Sunday, he was making his way from the Upper West Side to Times Square.
If it rained, he added, he might seek refuge on a train.
Mr. Hillman said he was from South Plainfield, N.J. He said he joined the Army in 1978 and served as a “food service specialist” in the United States and Germany.
He produced a worn veteran’s identification card that confirmed his service.
Mr. Hillman said that he was honorably discharged after five years and that before he became homeless he worked in kitchens in New Jersey.
He has two children — Nikita, 22, and Jeffrey, 24 — but has had little contact with them since a visit three years ago, Mr. Hillman said.
He was reluctant to talk about how he ended up on the streets, staring blankly ahead when asked how his life went off course.
After a long pause, he shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”
NYT: Photo of NYPD officer giving boots to barefoot man warms hearts online
Since Mr. Hillman’s bare feet became famous, other people reported seeing him without shoes — one even after Officer DePrimo’s gift — and one woman said she had bought him a pair of shoes a year ago. Whatever the case, Mr. Hillman seemed accustomed to walking the pavement shoeless.
He was panhandling on Sunday night and carried a cup with a few coins inside.
The story seemed to dominate the city’s attention late last week. Speaking of Officer DePrimo on his radio program last week, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, “That’s what they’re trained to do — help people.”
Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly expressed his appreciation by giving Officer DePrimo a pair of department cuff links during a private meeting on Thursday.
More US stories from NBC News
Officer DePrimo, 25, who lives with his parents in Suffolk County, rocketed to national attention after the Police Department posted the photo of him and Mr. Hillman, taken by an Arizona tourist, on its Facebook page.
On Sunday, Mr. Hillman was spotted by Jamie Seerman and her sister Samantha near 79th Street and Broadway as they were shopping for a Christmas tree.
As he was being interviewed, several people noticed him.
“What happened to the boots?” one man asked.
J. David Goodman contributed reporting.
This story, "Homeless man grateful for boots, but is barefoot again,"originally appeared in The New York Times.
Copyright © 2012 The New York Times
Nothing takes away this act of kindness but you wonder about the individual on the receiving end. Did someone steal the boots, did he give them away, trade them for something? I saw a guy in Nashville selling donuts on the street to cars stopped at a traffic light. I later saw the actor get into a new vehicle at a neighborhood business. He acted like Edward Norton in the movie, "The Score" but was like a regular person when getting into his car. Who knows for sure, except, again...the gesture was an act of kindness.

 

[TnWatchdog]

I don't know what happened to Sam's thread of Random Acts of Kindness. I think it was merged here...change thread title? Please relocate if this is in the wrong place. Here is another act of kindness.

Facebook: Craig Kievit
Video of Middle Schooler Wrestling Disabled Student Goes Viral

 

[Num7]

I changed the thread's title as requested.

Both threads were merged a few days ago as they were about the same thing back then.

 

[Samstwitch]

Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge has always been famous. It was the world’s longest suspension bridge when it was completed in 1937. Since then, it has become an iconic landmark of San Francisco and, tragically, one of the most popular places in the world to commit suicide. Few know this better than Kevin Briggs, a sergeant with the California Highway Patrol who has talked hundreds of people out of jumping.

CLICK ME to see Video!

 

[Samstwitch]

CLICK ME TO SEE THE VIDEO!

Texas cop hands out ticket - and $100 bill

Normally, being stopped by a police officer is not good news. But this traffic stop was not exactly typical.

When Hayden Carlo was pulled over by a Plano, Texas, cop for driving a car with an expired registration, he told the officer the truth.

"I said there's no explanation for why I haven't done it, except I don't have the money. It was either feed my kids or get this registration done," the 25-year-old told CBS News.

The cop handed Carlo a ticket, along with something extra, "I opened it up and there's a $100 bill," said Carlo. "I broke down in my car, what else could I do?"

He could, and did, update his and his wife's car registrations. Carlo's grandfather, Billy McIntire, then wrote a letter to the Police Department to commend the good-hearted cop.

McIntire told CBS, "I get emotional when we talk about this type of thing. You just don't find that many officers who would do this type of thing."

Or anyone who would, for that matter.

Recently, images of an NYPD officer buying boots for a barefoot man spread on the Web along with praise for the officer's warm gesture. But the mystery cop in Plano chooses not to be identified.

Still, the department plans to honor him anyway. A Police Department spokesman, David Tilley, told CBS, "As he told me, this man needed it more than him, and it was the right thing to do."

"He helped me out when I needed it. I appreciate that, I'll never forget that man," Carlo said. "It definitely restored my faith in God."

 

[Samstwitch]

Homeless Man’s Honest Deed Rewarded with $16K Donation, and Counting

A homeless man in Kansas City, Mo., made national headlines more than a week ago when he returned a valuable platinum and diamond engagement ring accidentally dropped into his cup of change by a woman offering some extra cash. Now, hundreds of donors have contributed more than $16,000 to a page on GiveForward.com to help Billy Ray Harris get his life back on track. The man's rewards don't stop with financial help -- the media story helped him connect with a brother in Lubbock, Texas, he hasn't seen in nearly 30 years.

KCTV first did a story on the unintended donation Feb. 9. Sarah Darling had put her engagement ring in her change purse because it was bothering her finger. A chance encounter with Harris on the street led Darling to give the man her loose change. It was only a day later that she realized her engagement ring was missing. When she came back to Harris on the same street, he still had the ring and gave it back to her.

The New York Daily News reveals when the woman and her husband returned, they gave the homeless man all the cash she had on her -- around $40 to $60. Then Bill Krejci, who is a web designer, was inspired by some media outlets' websites where people asked how they could help. Enter GiveForward.com.

For the next 90 days, anyone can donate money for Harris. The homeless man cited his reverend grandfather, who raised him since he was 6 months old, as the reason for his character trait that returned the ring to the woman. Individual donations from as little as $5 up to $500 have poured into GiveForward.com for Harris.

One comment from the Young family, who donated $250, said, "This story was on CNN and it was touching that someone with so little was so thoughtful and understanding. ... This was a unique opportunity to celebrate a good news story and act of kindness." The CNN piece was on Soledad O'Brien's show Monday.

The goal was the raise $1,000 for Harris in three months. Instead, more than $16,000 has been given to the cause in just a few days.

Krejci posts updates on the donation website. The most recent one, dated Wednesday, called all of the donors "awesome... over the past few days." Further, the web designer states he'll be having lunch with Harris in the next few days. Also, the homeless man is staying with a guy who helps run sound for a band. Krejci calls the amount of donations "unreal."

So what will happen to Harris now? MyFoxLubbock.com reports Edwin Harris, Billy Ray's older brother, wants his sibling to come home to Lubbock, Texas. The brothers lost touch and have tried to find each other over the past 27 years. When the older brother saw Billy Ray's story on the Internet, he got in touch and the two talked for 45 minutes. Edwin Harris hopes to bring his brother back to Texas in mid-March.

KCTV reveals Robin Harris, the men's sister, lives in Wichita Falls, Texas. She also saw the national story and got in touch with her homeless brother thanks to Betsy Webster, the original television reporter who broke the story.

Billy Ray Harris hesitates to come home because he doesn't want to be a burden to his family. Perhaps more than $16,000 will help change his mind.