It’s always a good time to share stories of good deeds and generosity.
As a community news organization, we’re in the fortunate position of hearing about good deeds through the groups we cover and our readers.
During the last couple of weeks we’ve heard stories about a teacher who left hundreds of thousands of dollars to help students become teachers, businesses that have donated time and/or money to help the needy, and local police officers who have pitched in to help others. Today, on our front page, we shared a “thank you” photo from Africa sent to our reporter, Tereza Verenca, who reported on and gave a little boost to an annual pirate-themed fundraiser in Burnaby. There’s nothing like seeing a bunch of kids with wide grins posing for a thank you photo to remind you that a single act of kindness goes a long way.
Also, in today’s paper, we have the story of a million dollar donation to Burnaby’s Nikkei Place.
We’ve heard about the coach who goes out of his way to pick up the kid on the team who couldn’t make the games any other way. The storeowner who always saves the day-old bread for the guy he knows can’t afford to buy any. The jogger who carries his own dog poop bag to pick up stuff that dog walkers haven’t. The unknown Good Samaritan who leaves McDonald’s meal coupons tucked into homeless folks’ shopping carts. The driver who pays it forward at the Tim Horton’s drive-thru. The unsung hero who shovelled the whole street in the big snowfall and shrugged it off. The senior who makes sure the feral cat down the block gets a bowl of food. They may not all be on the level of Bill Gates’ philanthropy, but each and every act makes our world a better place.
So, given that it’s the start of a new year, we’d like to highlight the many good deeds, big or small, in Burnaby. If you have someone who has done a good deed please send Tereza an email ([email protected]) and give us some details. We’d like to spread the good news around in Burnaby. We hope it will inspire others – it certainly inspires us.
