Acts of Kindness

Help after flooded basement

My family has been unfortunate enough to have had our entire basement ruined by sewer back up twice in the last three years. This has been trying, to say the least, but made more bearable by a lot of special people. First and foremost, I would like to thank Joni Rodabaugh. Not only did she give us great advice on purchasing an insurance policy that has always covered our losses, but also has given us unbelievable service. She had an adjuster on our doorstep the very day our lives were disrupted, and somehow also managed to find the time to make sure we had food and drinks so we had one less thing to worry about. Thanks to Judy Hesman for calling us very early in the morning and giving us a ’heads up' about what we were about to find in our basement. Thanks to Brian and Sarah Quant for driving all over central Nebraska to pick up pumps and helping not only us, but also our neighbors. Their selflessness and willingness to help was amazing. Finally, I would like to thank our city councilman, John Gericke. Although he could not perform any miracles, he did on two occasions arrange a meeting between the people of the neighborhood and the ’powers that be' so we could discuss our concerns and look for a resolution to this ongoing problem. I trust him to stay on top of the issue until some fix is in the works. I'm sure there are people I'm forgetting to thank and to them I apologize. Once again, thank you to all of our friends for helping us through this trying time.

Janet Hoban

2640 O'Flannagan

Grand Island's good Samaritans

On Aug. 1, my mother, who is 93, and I were crossing Wheeler Street. As she stepped onto the sidewalk, her walker was off-balance, causing her to fall. Even as I was calling 911, a woman from Maudie's magically appeared and began to help. Another stopped her car and stayed with my mom while I found an umbrella for shade. A young Hispanic gentleman stopped to make sure "mama" was okay and offered to call 911. The first woman went back to Maudie's and came back with another woman carrying wet towels. Grand Island has so many good and decent people and I, for one, forget to express this. Thank you so very much for your kindness and caring. Even though we may never meet again, you will forever be in my heart as good and loving Samaritans. Thank you, dear friends.

Nancy Augustine

2316 Cottonwood Road