Character is often revealed in small, unseen moments. For Shawn Davis, that moment arrived at a gas station in Texas when he spotted a piece of paper lying on the ground. According to a report from KENS 5, the paper was worn, bearing tire marks that suggested it had been there for some time.
Davis decided to do a simple good deed and clear away the litter. “I thought, ‘Hey, I'll just throw that away real quick,’” he recalled in a statement to LOCAL 12. But when he picked it up, he noticed it felt heavy. His curiosity led him to open it, revealing an envelope filled with a stack of $20 bills and a personal money order.
Instead of seeing it as a personal windfall, Davis immediately recognized it as someone else's loss—a significant one, as the money order was designated for a daycare payment. His focus shifted instantly from tidying up to tracking down the owner.
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He turned to social media for help. A post shared by the "Boerne Breaking News" Facebook page showed a picture of the found cash and a partial glimpse of the money order. In his post, Davis wrote, “Envelope full of cash and a personal money order for daycare payment.” He explained where he found it and asked the rightful owner to contact him and verify specific details, like the total amount, to ensure it reached the correct person.
Davis made his intentions clear, stating he would even drive to the address on the check if he couldn't find the owner online. His motivation was purely empathetic: “Just putting this here now in case it might take a weight off someone’s shoulders and let them sleep easier tonight.”
The community response was immediate and overwhelming. The post was shared widely, and as Davis noted, “It moved fast. It moved really, really quickly." Within an hour, the envelope was reunited with its owner, Rhonda Culpepper Retzloff.
She later shared a photo of herself with Davis, expressing her immense gratitude. “Thank you so much for returning the money! Your honesty is amazing!! We need more of this in the world right now!” she wrote.
The public praise for Davis’s integrity poured in. “Bravo to you…so honest and kind!” commented Lisa Kirkland Parks. Another user, Sarah Ann Sucher, summed up the sentiment perfectly: “That’s what humanity looks like!!! Good job, sir.”
This article originally appeared earlier this year. It has been updated.
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