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When you work in the TV news business you report on all kinds of stories.  Some can put the biggest smile on your face while others can leave you feeling sorrow. In addition to anchoring the news on Fox16 at 5:30PM and 9PM, I was assigned to produce a monthly segment called Cash For Kindness.  The station partnered with Arkansas Diagnostic Center in Little Rock and each month give $1,000 to someone just for being kind.  Initially, I viewed this as just another assignment – but quickly discovered how happy these stories make me feel.  

The most recent story was about a woman named Monica.  She is a military veteran and after she left the service, in addition to the two children of her own, she began to take care of children in Foster Care.  Then she started adopting the children. The first child, Yasmin was adopted in 2007.  Yasmin told me she was 9 years old and thought she would never get adopted because she felt she was too old and people wanted children much younger. But Monica took her into her home and treated her no differently than her two biological children.  She loved them all. This mother of three would eventually adopt four more children and raise them all has her own.  Seven children total.

Because of all this Yasmin felt her mother should be recognized —  so she nominated her as a Cash For Kindness recipient.  
Last month with no warning, Dr. Brian McGee and our Fox16 TV camera showed up at Monica’s job to tell her how she has touched lives by adopting children out of Foster Care.  Dr. McGee told her she has change to trajectory of these young lives by giving them a forever home.  Then he proceed to, one by one, place ten $100 dollar bills into Monica’s hands.     

As I stood there watching I began to tear up.  Dr. McGee says there are so many stories of kindness all around us and Arkansas Diagnostic Center wants to promote that which is why his medical facility is involved.
I interviewed Monica right after the surprise gift.  She admitted to being caught totally off guard and was grateful.  But she said we need more people to adopt children who are living in Foster Care.  She passionately expressed how often these children are just innocent victims of an unfortunate situation. They just need someone to love them. 
Some how $1,000 seems rather small to the monumental task she’s taken on but she did it out of love.  And that’s something you can’t put a price on.