One Good Deed Deserves Another

The honest actions of a homeless man in Boston have garnered praise and an outpouring of generosity.
Glen James, who lives in a shelter, flagged down Boston police on Sept. 14 after he found a backpack containing $2,400 in cash and $40,000 of travelers checks at a local shopping mall. The police helped get the bag back to its rightful owner.
James, who once worked at a Boston courthouse, said even if he were desperate he wouldn’t have kept “even a penny” of the money he found. Boston police honored James with a special citation.
After hearing news reports about the incident, Ethan Whittington, an accounts manager from Midlothian, Virginia set up a crowd-funding website to help James.
“The fact that he’s in the situation he is, being homeless, it blew my mind that he would do this (turn in the backpack),” Whittington told reporters.
Donors have now contributed more than $111,000 to the fund for James, Whittington said.
“This isn’t only about rewarding a great guy. I think it’s a statement to everyone in America. If we come together and work toward one thing and work together, then we can make it happen.”
Whittington acknowledged to reporters that he has encountered some skeptics who question whether his efforts to raise money for James could be a scam.
“It’s almost kind of depressing, to do something for a great cause, and you’ve got the naysayers out there,” he said. But he assured the press he has spoken with James on the phone and hopes to travel to Boston soon to work out how the money will be distributed to him.
-Mary Otto