It is nice to hear about kindness and service in unusual places. Family friends had a very unfortunate car accident on their way to their annual beach vacation. They were traveling in two cars – dad, mom and youngest daughter in the lead and the two teenagers following behind. Traffic came to sudden and complete stop and the teens ran into the back of their parents car at a pretty high rate of speed. The girls were shaken and banged up but thankfully no real serious injuries. The car was a total loss. The parent’s car had rear end damage that needed attention in order to continue to the beach.
Here’s where the kindness comes in Sgt. Jason L. Johnson, Georgia State Patrol, Post Commander, Post 25, Grovetown was the only trooper on duty in a five county area. He reported to the accident and turned into a real hero. After doing the needed paperwork, he led them to the closest dealership for bumper and rear light repair so they could drive the car safely. It was a Saturday. Sgt. Johnson went into the dealership and quickly assessed they had no interest in staying open past the normal closing time of 1pm. This did not deter the trooper. He got on the radio and called ahead to another dealership in Augusta 30 miles down the road. He then went back to the shaken up and shocked family to let them in on the game plan. The Augusta dealership was expecting them and ready to help with any and all repairs. He followed them down the road 30 miles and made certain all was as he promised. Our friends were in great hands with Sgt. Johnson who understood how to truly serve.
Kindness continued to prevail during their trip. While at the beach recovering and relaxing, my friend returned to the rental home and found a real surprise. Sitting on the counter is a lovely cake iced with the words, “Thank you”. This note was attached – “We heard you had a tough time getting here. We also wanted to thank you for sharing your 19th year of vacationing at Sunset Beach, NC with us. We are happy you made it and wanted to show our appreciation.”
How cool is that? She is uncertain how this property management company found out about the accident so you can imagine her surprise. Another example of a person doing the right thing – being kind and serving the customer.
The lesson for all of us – Kindness and a true spirit of service will work every time. Now go and deliver some kindness today.