Acts of Kindness
Goodwill worker opens donated purse and finds $39K but thinks it’s a joke
Kindell was sifting through donated items when she came across a purse full of cash. Although it seemed like a prank, it wasn't - and she knew just what to do with it.
Patricia Lynn
11.08.21

A lot of us who spend our free time cruising garage sales and thrift shops do it because we love finding “treasures.” They come in different forms too. One day you might come across an antique furniture piece, and another a designer shirt with the tags still on it.

Some folks are even lucky enough to find items in these types of places that are worth BIG bucks. But what’s not so common is finding actual cash, just like one Goodwill employee did.

Flickr - Mike Mozart
Source:
Flickr - Mike Mozart

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.

Flickr - Mike Mozart
Source:
Flickr - Mike Mozart

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.

YouTube - Goodwill NYNJ
Source:
YouTube - Goodwill NYNJ

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.

YouTube - Goodwill NYNJ
Source:
YouTube - Goodwill NYNJ

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.

YouTube - Goodwill NYNJ
Source:
YouTube - Goodwill NYNJ

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.

YouTube - Goodwill NYNJ
Source:
YouTube - Goodwill NYNJ

Kindell Keye’s honest and kind actions are a lesson in integrity for all of us.

By no surprise, the story spread all across the internet with people applauding the employee. So, if you found nearly $40K, do you think you’d do the same and turn it in?

Pixabay - S K
Source:
Pixabay - S K

Watch the video below to hear more on this interesting story!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: YouTube – Goodwill NYNJ, DNA info

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