Newspaper Page Text
1
Cover Story * TsM
fi hHF ■h
Wk m f" m
*?, ' ,■ /■* ■ <? ,;&'<-'':MBpPBHRV ~_
_._ Sang% helper Donnie Cain spreads Christmas joy in Seneca, S.C.
iH apr VA ■■ by MARTA W. ALDRICH
Contributing Editor
Acts of Kindness
■■■■■—
Each year, American Profile publishes a collection of stories
about ordinary people doing remarkable deeds for others without expecting
recognition or acknowledgement in return. Here are a few favorites sent in by
readers this year:
Saint Santa
Donnie Cain says he is shy by nature, but you’d never
know it when he dons a red suit, grows a full white beaid
and becomes Santa Claus' No. 1 helper in Seneca, S.C., (pop.
7,652) each Christmas season.
Cain, 55, and his Santa suit stay busy on nights, week
ends and even his lunch break—visiting schools, churches,
nursing homes, hospitals and businesses—to bring the
spirit of Christmas to people ages 1 to 92. He does not
accept payment and sometimes uses his vacation time to
accommodate all the requests.
"He’s so popular that we have to take appointments to
get everyone in,” says his wife, Jean.
Cam first portrayed the jolly fellow in 1990 for elderly
residents at Seneca Health & Rehab Center, where he is
maintenance director, and was hooked by the smiles and
laughter that his holiday antics elicited. He says he is equal
ly at ease with children, who "just seem to take to me."
A stranger comforted Maria Griego after a dreadful automobile accident in New Mexico.
Betty Jo Moore, of Walhalla, S.C., says Cain is one of
the few people who could get her mother to smile when
she lived at the Seneca nursing home before her death last
year at age 98. "He looks more like the real Santa than the
real Santa, she gushes. "He gets his picture made with
everyone, gives them a big hug and a kiss, interacts with
both die residents and their families. He truly reflects the
spirit of Christmas."
Guardian angel
Maria Griego doesn’t know his name or where
he lives—only that a short, dark-haired, middle
aged stranger with a soothing voice held her hand
through her cracked car window while they waited
together for an ambulance after a near-fatal crash on
a rural road outside of Santa Fe, N.M.
The 23-year-old sales associate was driving home
from work in November 2005 when an oncoming
car pulled in front of her. “I remember my car spin
ning across the highway and I was injured pretty
bad, she says. "My head hit the windshield and
shattered it, and my legs were trapped under the
steering column. I was bleeding, and I had glass in
my mouth."
The other car's driver checked on her, but it was
an anonymous passerby who came to her rescue.
He called the ambulance and police and, at Maria's
request, used her cell phone to call her parents,
who were vacationing in Albuquerque. “I asked
this voice if he was a police officer." recalls Maria’s
mom, Martha Griego. "He said, 'No. but 1 stopped
to help your daughter and I won't leave til I know
she's OK ”'
The stranger was true to his word, and left only
as Maria was being put in an ambulance. She suf
fered severe whiplash, cuts and bruises, but thanks
to her seatbelt and months of physical therapy, is
OK today.
The whole Griego family still wonders about
the stranger's identity. "We never got to personally
thank him, but we consider him our daughter's
guardian angel," says Martha Griego. “We keep him
and his family in our prayers.’’
Page 4
• www.americanprofile.com