Good Samaritan Story

Because of travel to speaking events I will not have Weekly Meanderings today, and probably not next week, but instead we’ll have a few links scattered throughout the morning. Enjoy one at a time.

From AP News:

A fund for a homeless man who turned in a backpack with more than $40,000 inside has collected nearly $98,000 – an overwhelming response that is a “statement to everyone in America,” according to the man who started the donation drive.

Glen James flagged down a police officer Saturday after he found the backpack containing $2,400 in cash and almost $40,000 in traveler’s checks at the South Bay Mall in Boston. The man who lost it told workers at a nearby store and they called police, who later returned the backpack to him.

Boston police honored James with a special citation Monday. After reading media accounts of James’ honesty, a stranger, Ethan Whittington, started a fund for James on the crowdfunding site gofundme.com. By Thursday morning, $97,889 in donations had been made.

Whittington, a 27-year-old from Midlothian, Va., who is an accounts manager for a marketing firm, said he decided to try to raise money for James after reading about his honesty. Now Whittington says he’s overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers.

“The fact that he’s in the situation he is, being homeless, it blew my mind that he would do this (turn in the backpack),” Whittington said Wednesday.

“It’s caught on like wildfire ever since,” he said. “It’s brought me a lot of hope. … This isn’t only about rewarding a great guy. I think it’s a statement to everyone in America. If we come together and work toward one thing and work together, then we can make it happen.”