A Michigan woman who returned a bag containing nearly $15,000 in cash has received a generous reward from her community.
On her way home from work through the snow on Jan. 21, Dianne Gordon stopped at a local BP gas station for a snack, where she noticed a ziplock bag just outside the door containing a large sum of money.
The first thing that flashed through her mind was: “This doesn’t belong to me, I need to call a police officer,” Gordon told Fox 2 Detroit. There was no name on the bag but it contained several wedding cards. “This is how we found out that these are gifts from a wedding that occurred that day,” White Lake Police Lt. Matthew Ivory officer said.
Upon hearing that Gordon walks 2.7 miles each way to work and back since her car broke down more than a year ago, one of the police officers’ wives set up a GoFundMe page to help Gordon get a new vehicle. Shortly thereafter, White Lake Township Police announced on their Facebook page that they’d partnered up with Szott Automotive Group to get Gordon a new vehicle should enough money be raised. The message went viral.
As of Feb. 11, over $82,000 has been donated to help Gordon–well surpassing the initial $25,000 goal. An update posted on the GoFundMe page on Feb. 8 thanked everyone for the “overwhelming” support. “Dianne officially signed for her new Jeep Compass yesterday at Szott M-59 in White Lake Township.”
Though Dianne said she didn’t mind taking the long walk to work, she regretted not being able to see her family members as much as she’d like since losing her car. “My grandson is 13 and he plays hockey. And my granddaughter is 11 and she does gymnastics and I haven’t seen her play or do gymnastics yet. So that’s going to be very important that I get to see her do that,” Gordon told WXYZ Detroit. “It means the world to me. I miss them so much.”
Along with the new car, Gordon also got an extended warranty, maintenance, and insurance. The fundraiser page announced that, due to the success of the fundraiser, the rest of the money will be spent on Gordon’s house for “some much needed repairs that will be done very soon.”
“The world could probably use a few more Dianne’s,” officer Ivory said. The $14,780 have since been returned to their rightful owners, a young married couple.
