"Remember, there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." - Scott Adams

by Cory Unrein, Grain Valley News Co-Owner/Publisher

     This week is National Random Acts of Kindness Week, and in the weeks l​eading up to this celebration, we were planning stories and promotions to highlight kindness in Grain Valley. Last week, a message from our website's contact page would unknowingly create the feature for this week's focus on kindness. 
     Brent Fligg sent us a message, stating that he was looking for a woman who had one of our Sustaining Member stickers on the back of her car. 
     "I met a lady the day before Thanksgiving at Temp Stop. She had one of your stickers on her back window. She bought me a lottery ticket and told me 'she wanted me to win big'. I need your help in finding this lady! Give me a call and I will tell you the rest of the story."
     As I read the message to a fellow writer, our imaginations led immediately to a large jackpot. As it turned out, there was no jackpot - not in the traditional sense.
     The next morning, I connected with Fligg by phone. Fligg shared that the day before Thanksgiving, he made his usual stop at Temp Stop in Grain Valley to pick up a drink and chat with staff. As he entered the store, he opened the door for a woman, told her "good morning", and they exchanged a few pleasantries. She went one way to get a drink, he went another to get his drink, and she ended up at the counter first.
     As she headed out, the woman he had held the door for and greeted stopped for another chat. Fligg said she mentioned that she had just received a cancer diagnosis and Fligg was the first person she'd talked to since and she appreciated his kindness. She handed him a lottery ticket, and told him she "wanted him to win big". They exchanged a hug, and she left.
     As Fligg paid for his drink, he grabbed a coin and scratched off the lottery ticket, which revealed he had won a free ticket. Fligg headed quickly out to the parking lot to see if he could catch the woman, but she had already left. Fligg has held the free ticket in his wallet since, and has been on a search for the mystery woman for months.
     "I can't tell you why, but I needed to check in and make sure she was ok."
     I let him know I would reach out to our Sustaining Members and see if the person in question could be identified. Not long after I sent an email to our members, Pamela Lindsay replied that she was the women Fligg had encountered last November and she would love to see him again. A bit of scheduling back and forth, and the three of us had a date for Saturday morning at Temp Stop. 
     The night before Fligg and Lindsay met up again at Temp Stop, Lindsay sent me an email.
​     "I have never told anyone what I do for fellow human beings.  Seeing them smile is what makes me happy. A simple one dollar lottery ticket could make a difference in their lives but not just monetary. It is always my hope that it lets them know someone truly cares about them.  So many times, a stranger's smile, with or without conversation, cheers me up more than they could ever imagine. I firmly believe good deeds from the heart should be kept within.  Brent looking for me after all this time is truly one of the sweetest things that has ever happened to me. It was not an easy decision to meet, but I'm fine with it because I want to make sure Brent is ok and thank him personally for his concern for me."
     The next morning, I headed to Temp Stop to meet Fligg and Lindsay. A few minutes early, I grabbed a drink and spotted two folks chatting quietly at a booth, and I knew in an instant they were Fligg and Lindsay. They were already deep in conversation, but indulged my picture taking and questions. 
     I won't recount much of the conversation, but I will tell you about the lottery ticket. Fligg pulled the ticket from his wallet, told Lindsay about his search to find her, and said he wanted to cash it in for another ticket to scratch with her. He explained to Lindsay that the ticket in his wallet had brought him more good luck than he could have ever imagined.
     "Well, you have to keep it," Lindsay exclaimed. "You keep it in your wallet, or pass it on." 
     Fligg obliged, and put the ticket back in his wallet as a reminder of a kind gesture.
    The pair continued their conversation and reveled in their common connections around town. I know when I'm a third wheel, so I left them to continue catching up and went about my day, grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a community in which kindness is the norm, rather than the exception. 
     This week, we are proud to highlight the stories of those who brighten our community through their acts of kindness. Be sure to check out our Kindness Award honorees and follow us on social media to read some of the other nominations that we received. 

     As a part of our celebration of National Random Acts of Kindness Week, Grain Valley News partnered with Scout Coffee to solicit your nominations of individuals who deserve a shout-out for their kindness. We selected four individuals to highlight, and each will receive a $25 gift card to Scout Coffee as our thank you for being beacons of kindness. 
     We received many nominations, and we will highlight additional folks throughout the rest of the week. But, without further ado, we share the four individuals who help exemplify what it means to be kind.

Carl Condra
nominated by Tisha Homfeld and Jerry Vaughan
     Tisha Homfeld shared in her nomination, "He is an active community member and has a heart of gold. I first meet Carl when my husband and I stopped by his house to see if he might be interested in selling some of his acreage. When he answered the door, I knew he was one of a kind. He smiled after I asked him and said nope it's all going to the kids. Then I asked him if he knew anyone that might be willing to sell just 3 acres as we were personally looking to build us a new home. After talking on his porch for some time he said come in and I will get you a number of a friend. It was like going back in time. He still had a home phone hooked to the wall and the address book on the little table under the phone. When I looked around, he had an old black and white TV in the kitchen with the TV show MASH on. That's when I just fell for Carl. He reminded me of my grandpa. One I barely remember since he had passed when I was a little girl. He is one you could just sit on the porch and listen to old stories all day. Fast forward a couple years and I meet a young lady that is wanting to buy a home. When I show her the first one her grandpa comes with her. It's Carl. His granddaughter was buying her first home and I was her Realtor. Since then, my husband and I ended up finding some land. We hadn't bought a tractor to mow it yet and Carl finds out where it is and loads up his tractor and goes to mow it for us. Refuses to take any money or be compensated. He is honestly a very sweet person with a kind heart. He still asked if we need anything for the land or if we need to borrow any farm equipment to this day. He is one of a kind."

Jerry Vaughan shared his thoughts on Carl in his nomination.
     "Carl is a longtime member of the Grain Valley Assistance Council board. He picks up the food donations from the various GVAC food barrels, and is the keeper of the aluminum can recycling bin located at Old Town Marketplace for the GVAC. And he has been doing all this and more for decades! Carl is one of those people who helps make Grain Valley a great place to live!"


Nancy Craddock
nominated by Lydia Wolfe
     "Nancy exudes kindness. She has worked in the SPED (special education) department at Grain Valley for years, and has helped so many kids succeed. When she isn’t at work, she’s usually either helping out her elderly mother, or helping watch the grandkids. She deserves this award!"



Jeff and Grace Flowers
nominated by Dustin Downing
     "Jeff and Grace have won the lights contest several years running, their willingness to share the joy of Christmas in ever growing radiance is amazing. They always have a smile and a wave for their neighbors and have even called when our AC unit was frozen over or when we've left our garage door open. People like Jeff and Grace are what truly make our town such a joy to live in!"



Ken Tuttle, ACO
nominated by Sherri Rusch
     "As a new person in the community and a dog lover, I noticed the many positive comments about Ken Tuttle, Grain Valley's ACO (animal control officer) on social media. Everyone who encounters him always speaks highly of him. I met him in person one day when a large stray wandered into my yard. Ken responded promptly and meeting the dog, immediately knew the dog's owner. As soon as Ken had the dog loaded, he was on his way to reunite the dog with its owners. Ken is very deserving. Thank you for helping us honor others!"

     Thank you, Grain Valley, for sharing your nominations, and thank you to Scout Coffee for partnering with​ us in this effort!