McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

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  • On Tuesday, Lucille Martinez shows how she held up the $5 bill after it was given to her by a stranger. Kevin Harvison

    Lucille Martinez
September 21, 2012

A McAlester woman "Pays it Forward"

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

By Jeanne LeFlore Staff Writer

McALESTER — A McAlester woman said she decided  start a project to give stuffed animals to children in crisis, after receiving a $5 bill from a total stranger.

On Sept. 10, McAlester resident Lucille Martinez said she was  just getting out of her car and was headed into a local grocery store when a woman in a red truck handed her a $5 bill.
“This lady in a red truck drove up and said she wanted me to have this  money,” Martinez said. “I was dumb founded.”
She said she asked the woman where the money came from. 
“The woman told me she had just a little extra and she wanted to share it with someone,” Martinez said.
“She handed the money to me and said ‘have a blessed day,’ and I was just standing there holding this five dollar bill in the air.”
Martinez said although she was headed to the store to buy bread she didn’t want to just spend this money   on something for herself.
“I wanted to do something good with it if I could.”
She said she remembered the highway patrol had a program that gave teddy-bears to children in crisis situations and she had an idea.
She said way the woman gave her the money inspired her contact the McAlester Police Department about  starting a project to collect stuffed animals for the officers to give to children who are involved in accidents or in crisis situations. 
“So I went to the police department and I spoke with  Assistant chief Darrell Miller and he said he would be more than glad to start this program.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Miller told the McAlester News-Capital on Wednesday.
“The police department needs to put out a good impression for the children and we think if we can help a child by giving them a teddy bear it will help the children have a good impression of us and help them when they are going through a bad situation.”
Meanwhile, Martinez, a 26- year volunteer for the Literacy Council at the McAlester Public Library said she will have a playpen set up at the  soon at the library to start collecting  stuffed animals for the police department.
 And she said she put the money to good use.
“I combined the five dollars the lady gave me with five of my own and bought the first stuffed animals for the project.
 Martinez said she would like to the thank the lady in the red truck
 “I was in such a state of shock, I don’t even think I thanked her and I want her know what I did with her five dollar bill.”
For more information contact the Literacy Council at 918-421-4931.
Contact Jeanne LeFlore at jleflore@mcalesternews.com.
 

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