Random acts of kindness

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This article was published 09/05/2015 (3843 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In praise of two Winnipeg police officers

I am a proud and loyal lifetime Winnipegger who loves the Jets making the playoffs and us hosting the Grey Cup.

These are just a few examples of the exciting things happening in our great city, but once in a while, something really stands out that just needs to be shared.

Last month, my parents were coming out of an office building on Pembina Highway when my 87-year-old mother fell. As she stumbled, a police cruiser stopped, and the officers immediately went to help. It was evident my mother was probably dealing with a broken hip, so the officers called for an ambulance.

The ambulance took an exceedingly long time to arrive, and the officers stayed with my parents, making a pillow for my mom’s head with one of their jackets (and it was a cold day) and making sure my 91-year-old father was OK.

They assured my parents they would let me know they had been taken to the hospital and came to my office to deliver the unfortunate news.

How grateful we were for the kindness Const. Bryan Hennebury and his partner showed us.

If that wasn’t enough, Const. Hennebury called my office two days later to see how my mother was doing.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t there, but I later learned he had dropped by the hospital one day on his way home with some flowers and good wishes for my mom.

In a day with endless media coverage of the police shown in a negative context, it brings me great joy to say these officers served their community way beyond the call of duty in this incident.

Thank you, Const. Hennebury. You have blessed our family and done our city proud. You have increased this proud Winnipegger’s appreciation of her city, and your actions have served to raise your department’s esteem in everyone’s eyes who I have shared this story with.

— Darlene Thomas and parents Doug and Sue Corbett

Caring couple helps out

AFTER parking our car at The Forks, we were walking towards the human rights museum. My husband tripped and braced himself with his hands as he fell. His left hand was badly hurt.

There was an angel there for us right away. A lady who said she was a nurse wrapped his hand up, and the couple drove us to the hospital immediately. The lady even walked my husband into the emergency department. I offered to pay the man. He said ‘No, I have something for you.’ They had been to the museum and had an extra ticket, which they gave to me.

We want to give a big thank-you to this couple. This is a real act of kindness. Very much appreciated.

— Ed and Kathy Hildebrand

Special day at Sargent Sundae

ON May 1, I was at Assiniboine Park with my two-year-old grandson when we decided to go across the bridge to Sargent Sundae for some ice cream.

When I was about to pay, the friendly lady who served us kindly informed me it was cash only. I only had a five-dollar bill and was almost two dollars short, so I revised my order and said I would just take the ice cream for my grandson. To my surprise, she said I could have both ice creams for $5.

She made me realize how good people can be. It made my day. We enjoyed our ice cream and headed back to the park. I am sorry I didn’t get the lady’s name, but from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

— Lila Penner

Pleasant surprise after forgetting purse

LAST month, my husband and I and our friends had dinner at Stella’s on Portage Avenue before attending a concert at the University of Winnipeg.

We had not walked as far as the traffic light when a young man caught up with us and handed me the purse I had left hanging on my chair. I was stunned, as I had not realized it was missing.

Assuming he worked there, I went back to Stella’s a couple of weeks later to thank him. It would appear he was a customer, not a staff member. I hope he reads this, because I want to thank him very much for his honesty and caring.

— Chana Thau