The month was December in Chicago; Mary Ann Jenkins and her three children, 9 year old Daniel, 7 year old Carl,and 5 year old Annie all live in a homeless shelter on south State street. The family became homeless when Mary’s husband Bill Jenkins was killed in a drive-by shooting in July. Bill was supporting his family by working as a handyman doing odd jobs wherever he could find work. Mary stayed home caring for the children. When Bill died, Mary could not pay the rent and the Jenkins family became homeless.
Bill and Mary met in high school. It was love at first sight. They both had no family that they knew of. Bill and Mary grew up in group homes for abandoned children. Bill dropped out of high school because the gangs would not leave him alone. Mary dropped out because she was pregnant with Daniel. They lived together until ?Bill’s death. Mary is now 24 years old trying to raise three children with no job and no place to live. She is a strong women who won’t give up.
Everyday Mary gets up at 5:30 A.M. She gets the children ready for school, and at 6:30 A.M. starts the long trip across town to their school in Rodger’s Park. After Mary drops the children off at school, she then goes back downtown where she spends the morning filling out job applications, Then she goes to a barber shop on Randolph street where she has a friend who lets her run errands for tips. At 2:00 P.M. Mary goes back out to Rodgers Park to pick up the children. The family goes back downtown to the Harold Washington library. On Thursdays, they go to Navy Pier and spend the evenings in the Children’s Museum.
The children love to go there because they get three hours worth of toys and games to play with. On Saturdays, they go to the laundromat to wash their clothes and make extra money helping people carry their clothes or fold clothes for tips. On Sundays they go to church.
Marys life was hard. The children were growing up and wanting everything she could not afford to get. Just about everything they had was given to them by the church. The children wanted video games, new clothes and shoes. Most of all they wanted their own home. Mary was really feeling beat down. She was very tired and Christmas is coming. In the shelter while the kids were playing one night Daniel came over to Mary asking her for some new shoes because the other kids were teasing him about his old shoes. Carl asked for a Gameboy.
Mary snapped and yelled out “I don’t know, I’m trying to do the best I can.” Then she started crying and said “I’m so sorry”. The children gathered around Mary and said “Mama don’t cry, we sorry.” Mary continued to cry as she put them to bed. She cried herself to sleep. After everybody was asleep Little Anne got out of bed and got on her knees and Prayed “Lord! Lord! I know you hear me cause the man at church said you listen to little kids. Will you help my mama? Okay, see you on Sunday, bye!” Then little Anne got in the bed and went to sleep.
On Friday, December 20th, Christmas is 5 days away. Mary and the children were waiting for the bus on State and Lake street, on their way to the Harold Washington Library. It was very cold and windy. Daniel looked down on the ground and saw an envelope. He picked it up and looked inside. He showed it to Mary. It was a bank envelope with $25,000 dollars cash and a receipt with a women’s name on it. The children saw the cash and got excited. Daniel started jumping up and down and telling Mary that now we can get some new clothes, toys, and a home.
The other kids were happy too. Mary told the children that the money does not belong to them and they must return it. The children became sad. Mary told Daniel that he found it and that we will go to the bank and turn the money in. She explained to her kids that turning the money in is the right thing to do. So Mary and the children walked over to the bank, which was around the corner. On the way to the bank Mary kept thinking to herself that she wanted to keep the money and use it to get back on her feet. She also thought about Christmas, just five days away and she had no money.
Then she thought about her kids, that they were all still together and that she must teach them to always do the right thing no matter how bad things are. She must teach them to be honest. The Jenkins family arrived at the bank. They went inside and Mary asked to speak to a manager. Before the Bank manager came over Mary gave the envelope to Daniel and told him that he found it now he must return the money. The bank manager came over and asked “how can I help You?” Danial walked over and handed the bank manager the envelope filled with the cash and receipt. Daniel told the bank manager that they found this and would like to return it.
The bank manager looked inside of the envelope and saw the cash and the receipt. He counted the money and said “wow! $25,000 dollars cash!” The bank manager asked Mary “is this your son?” Mary said, “Yes, his name is Daniel.” The bank manager told Mary that she had a very nice son and appreciated them returning the money. The bank manager asked Mary for her phone number and address in case the owner wanted to contact her. Mary gave the bank manager the information and they left the bank and went to the library.
On the way to the library Daniel asked Mary if they were going to get a reward or something? Mary told Daniel that rewards are good but the most important thing to understand is that no matter what you must be honest and do right. Returning that money was the right thing to do. Daniel said, “yeah, we got to be honest.”
Meanwhile on the other side of town, Sharon Johnson, who owned A real Estate company is going crazy looking for an envelope she had in her coat pocket. She looked everywhere but could not find it. She checked the car, the garage, and the house. She even called the office and had the janitor check her desk, nothing. Panic started to set in. Sharon knew that if she didn’t find that envelope she could loose everything, her house, her business, everything. She sat down at her kitchen table and cried.
Then the telephone rang. She answered still crying. It was the bank calling. They told her that a young man named Daniel Jenkins found an envelope filled with cash and a bank receipt with her name on it. Sharon stopped crying and told the person on the phone that she is on her way there to pick up the envelope. Sharon grabbed her coat, ran out of the house, jumped in her car and raced to the bank. When she arrived she met with the bank manager who returned her envelope with all of the cash. She thanked the bank manager and asked if he had the phone number and address of the young man who turned in the envelope.
The bank manager told Sharon that Daniel was a little boy with his family and gave her the information. She looked at the information as she left the bank. She drove over to the address on the paper. When she arrived she was shocked to find out that the address was a homeless shelter. She thought, “this can’t be right.” Sharon went inside and spoke with a man in the office who told her that the Jenkins family was staying there. He also told her that the family had been living there for about 5 months after the husband was killed and that they were out and would be back in a few hours. Sharon left the shelter and went home.
On the way, she wondered, how could a women raise three kids in a shelter? They could have kept the money, but they didn’t. Why? How could this be? You can’t raise a family like that. When Sharon got home she waited a couple of hours and decided to call Daniel on the phone. The Phone rang in the homeless shelter office and a man answered. Sharon asked to speak to Daniel Jenkins. The man went to go find Daniel but he was sleep so Mary came to the phone. Mary told Sharon that Daniel was Sleep. Sharon Said “that’s okay can I talk to you?” Mary said “okay.” Sharon introduced herself as the lady who lost the envelope with the money.
Mary was surprised and said “oh hello, I’m Daniel’s mother and my name is Mary Jenkins.” Sharon Said “I wanted to thank Daniel for returning the money. You have a fine son.” Mary Said “thank You, I’m very proud of him.” Sharon said “can I asked you something that’s been bothering me all night?” Mary Said “sure.” Sharon asked “why didn’t you keep the money, I know it must be hard for you right now?” Mary Answered “It is very hard for us but I must raise my children right so that someday they will grow up, get a education and become something great. If I kept that money it would have been dishonest.
I don’t want my children to be dishonest. Yes, we needed that money but it didn’t belong to us. Keeping that money would be stealing. We may not have any money but we still have our dignity. My babies know right from wrong because that’s what i teach them and that’s why Daniel turned that money in.” Sharon was silent for a moment and in tears, then she said “I want to meet you and the kids.” Mary said “sure, how about Sunday after church?” Sharon said “Sunday it is, I’ll be there.” Both ladies said goodbye.
After she got off of the phone Sharon felt that she had to find a way to help this family. She kept thinking, There must be a way. Then it hit her, Wait a minute! This is Christmas. She thought, I know what to do, since she owns a real estate company she decided that she would get them a home. Sharon got on the phone and called all of her friends. She told them about the Jenkins family and what they did. Everybody she talked to wanted to help the Jenkins family.
The story spread, Christmas was alive and well. All of a sudden Sharon’s phone was ringing off the hook with her friends wanting to do something for the Jenkins family. The next morning donations were pouring in from all over the state. A car dealer donated a car. A grocery store owner donated a year supply of groceries. Many people called donating cash and best of all several companies called offering employment for Mary. At the end of the day Sharon had a new home, a new car, food, toys, clothing, $60,000 dollars in cash and a job for the Jenkins family.
Sharon was so excited she couldn’t wait to tell the Jenkins family the good news. On Sunday, Sharon picked up Mary and the children and drove them back to her house. On the way, Sharon and Mary talked. Sharon told Mary that she had a surprise for them when they arrive at her house. The children were quite when the car pulled into the drive-way. When the car stopped everyone got out and went into the house. Sharon told Mary and the children to come into the kitchen and sit down.
After everyone was seated, Mary said “you have a very nice house.” Sharon said “thank you. Mary I have been thinking and I have made a decision. I want to help you take care of the children. I want to be there for you and your family if you let me. Well, what do you think, can I?” Mary said “yes, we need all of the help we can get. Thank You.” Sharon said, “Good, I’m glad because I have found you a house.” Mary said,”What!” Sharon said with excitement “That’s right. I own a real estate company and i found you and the children your very own house. That’s not all. I called all of my friends and told them about you and the children.
The donations started pouring in. Girl, listen. I got you a car, groceries,toys, people even donated a lot of cash, I also got you a good job offer. Mary said, “You are an angel. A guardian angel. God Bless you” Daniel said, “Hey every body, Merry Christmas!”
The Jenkins family moved in with Sharon and had a great Christmas. After the holidays the Jenkins family moved into their new house. Mary started her new job. Sharon became the god mother of the Jenkins Family and the children are doing very well. The money that was donated was placed in a trust for the children’s college education. Sharon and Mary also started a foundation called the The Guardian Angel foundation for homeless families where they volunteer to help families in need. Christmas is indeed alive and well.