Tis The Season...
No, this does not belong in this forum. Sue me. :)
But it demonstrates, The Right Stuff AFAIK...
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BRENTWOOD — It all started with a callous comment on Facebook.
A derogatory ​Facebook comment about a man whose only home broke down on the side of a highway in far East Contra Costa County prompted an outpouring of kindness from strangers, including a Brentwood mechanic who donated his time to get the vehicle back on the road. (Courtesy photo)
A derogatory Facebook comment about a man whose only home broke down on the side of a highway in far East Contra Costa County prompted an outpouring of kindness from strangers, including a Brentwood mechanic who donated his time to get the vehicle back on the road. (Courtesy photo)
Someone offended by a motor home that had been parked on the shoulder of Byron Highway for several days made a snap judgment about its owner, a remark that didn’t sit well with Pam Cambra-Sams.
“It’s up to us to stop bad behavior and be examples. There’s just no room for belittling anybody,” the Brentwood resident said.
She challenged the man’s assumptions, but the post so rankled her that she got up early the next morning to check on the driver herself.
A middle-aged man came to the door, and when Cambra-Sams asked if he needed help, he told her the motor home — his only home — had broken down and he hadn’t been able to restart the engine.
“He was so uncomfortable to accept things from me,” she said, adding that Thanh, as he identified himself, was nonetheless appreciative and assured her that except for the tickets he’d received for parking his motor home, he was not in trouble with the law.
Cambra-Sams swung into action, turning again to social media in hopes of finding a mechanic.
Multiple people responded, but by then Cambra-Sams had remembered a long-time friend who owned an automotive repair shop in town.
Ted Curran got the call the day before Thanksgiving while hustling to reunite customers with their cars in time for the holiday weekend. Although he doesn’t usually work on motor homes, he decided to give it a shot.
He showed up that afternoon with a few tools, and as he tinkered on the RV others who had learned of Thanh’s plight stopped by with food, water, blankets and cash.
After several hours, however, Curran decided that the vehicle needed the kind of attention he only could give from his shop. He contacted a buddy who owns a towing company in Antioch, and that man showed up the same day to transport the bulky vehicle — waiving what would have been a $220 bill.
Curran hooked the RV up to water and electricity so Thanh could sleep more comfortably that night, and the following morning he and his wife gave him a ride to Fremont; as luck would have it, both men had plans to spend Thanksgiving with relatives there.
After picking Thanh up on his way back, Curran spent much of Friday fixing the RV and threw in a tune-up for good measure — seven to eight hours of labor all told worth around $1,000.
Even if this weren’t the season of giving, he probably would have paid the kindness forward anyway, says Curran, recalling a time when he, too, was stranded on a road in the middle of the night and a stranger gave him a hand.
“It’s always about doing the right thing — that’s what it comes down to — sharing a little time, talent and treasure with people,” he said.
But it demonstrates, The Right Stuff AFAIK...
cut n paste
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BRENTWOOD — It all started with a callous comment on Facebook.
A derogatory ​Facebook comment about a man whose only home broke down on the side of a highway in far East Contra Costa County prompted an outpouring of kindness from strangers, including a Brentwood mechanic who donated his time to get the vehicle back on the road. (Courtesy photo)
A derogatory Facebook comment about a man whose only home broke down on the side of a highway in far East Contra Costa County prompted an outpouring of kindness from strangers, including a Brentwood mechanic who donated his time to get the vehicle back on the road. (Courtesy photo)
Someone offended by a motor home that had been parked on the shoulder of Byron Highway for several days made a snap judgment about its owner, a remark that didn’t sit well with Pam Cambra-Sams.
“It’s up to us to stop bad behavior and be examples. There’s just no room for belittling anybody,” the Brentwood resident said.
She challenged the man’s assumptions, but the post so rankled her that she got up early the next morning to check on the driver herself.
A middle-aged man came to the door, and when Cambra-Sams asked if he needed help, he told her the motor home — his only home — had broken down and he hadn’t been able to restart the engine.
“He was so uncomfortable to accept things from me,” she said, adding that Thanh, as he identified himself, was nonetheless appreciative and assured her that except for the tickets he’d received for parking his motor home, he was not in trouble with the law.
Cambra-Sams swung into action, turning again to social media in hopes of finding a mechanic.
Multiple people responded, but by then Cambra-Sams had remembered a long-time friend who owned an automotive repair shop in town.
Ted Curran got the call the day before Thanksgiving while hustling to reunite customers with their cars in time for the holiday weekend. Although he doesn’t usually work on motor homes, he decided to give it a shot.
He showed up that afternoon with a few tools, and as he tinkered on the RV others who had learned of Thanh’s plight stopped by with food, water, blankets and cash.
After several hours, however, Curran decided that the vehicle needed the kind of attention he only could give from his shop. He contacted a buddy who owns a towing company in Antioch, and that man showed up the same day to transport the bulky vehicle — waiving what would have been a $220 bill.
Curran hooked the RV up to water and electricity so Thanh could sleep more comfortably that night, and the following morning he and his wife gave him a ride to Fremont; as luck would have it, both men had plans to spend Thanksgiving with relatives there.
After picking Thanh up on his way back, Curran spent much of Friday fixing the RV and threw in a tune-up for good measure — seven to eight hours of labor all told worth around $1,000.
Even if this weren’t the season of giving, he probably would have paid the kindness forward anyway, says Curran, recalling a time when he, too, was stranded on a road in the middle of the night and a stranger gave him a hand.
“It’s always about doing the right thing — that’s what it comes down to — sharing a little time, talent and treasure with people,” he said.
