Kindell Keyes embodies Goodwill’s core value of “knowing your impact and representing with respect.” She proved that when she found a purse that contained $39,000 in cash.
It was a normal day at work for Keyes, who is the assistant manager at a Goodwill on Long Island, New York. She was sifting through donations when she noticed a black purse. All purses are sorted through to make sure their empty, but this one was quite full.
Keyes looked inside the purse and noticed dozens of envelopes. Each one containing cash separated into different denominations. After counting all of it, she realized it was a grand total of $39,000. At first, Keyes thought it was all a joke.
“I thought okay, I’m getting punked,” Keyes recalls after finding the large amount of cash.
Many people might think that since the purse was donated, there were “finders keepers” rules that came into play. But Keyes knew that she had to try and find the owner of this purse. Maria Torres, another employee, found an address on one of the envelopes. She and Keyes began their sleuthwork.
“I believe in karma. You do good, good things happen to you,” Keyes said.
It turns out that the homeowner at the address had recently passed away. Her grandsons had just been at her house to sort through her things. They were able to obtain one of their phone numbers, and he was stunned by Keye’s discovery.
Bryan’s grandmother had owned the purse. He said she grew up in the Depression and had a habit of stashing valuables around the house.
“I was actually very grateful that there are people in the world that are honest and it humbles me,” he added.
Bryan flew from California to New York to collect the money and to also honor Kindell Keyes. Goodwill and Bryan wanted to recognize her honesty and integrity at a ceremony. She wasn’t only going to be recognized, but Bryan wanted to reward her as well. After thanking her for her actions, he rewarded Keyes with $3,900 — or 10% of the findings.
Kindell Keye’s honest and kind actions are a lesson in integrity for all of us. Her inspiring video is below, and it’s people like her that help restore our faith in humanity.
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