Hannibalians Rescue Stranded Michigan Family

So I am reading with interest the lead story on the front page of Tuesday's Herald Whig about the acts of kindness bestowed upon a woman in distress from Michigan.  It's quite a story too! Last week, a woman by the name of Kristy Meadows of Allegan, Michigan was passing through Hannibal crossing into Illinois on the Mark Twain Bridge when her vehicle broke down. She had just purchased the vehicle a few days earlier before the engine blew up on the highway.  She was returning home from Kansas with her four children after attending her father's funeral last week.

So there she was stranded on the side of the road, a complete stranger to the area and in need of assistance. What took place next was amazing. According to the Herald Whig story, a man stopped and assisted her in determining the vehicle was no longer drive-able so he took her and her children to the Econo Lodge in Hannibal and then actually paid for them to stay a few days until they could figure out how to get home to Michigan. The generosity didn't stop there.

Kirstin Robbins, a front desk employee at the Econo Lodge, heard of her plight and immediately posted on Facebook about Kristy's dilemma. Then Robert and Crystal Brownell saw the post and went into action and actually towed Kristy's van to the hotel so she could retrieve the family's belongings before taking the vehicle to scrap to be sold.

The good deeds continued when Erica Jo Richardson, a Golden Corral employee, read the Facebook post and bought the family a meal at the restaurant. Still the daunting task of getting home some six hours away was still unresolved.

Enter Robert and Crystal Brownell into the generosity pool. Both saw the Facebook post and asked each other what can they do to help. According the the Herald Whig story, they thought about the mother and her four children and thought about about being in her position. You see they have 6 kids of their own. At that point it was an easy decision for them. They decided that they would just drive Kristy and her children to their home in Michigan, a six hour drive, which they did. Others offered to chip in money for gas as well.

Just when you think the world is running out of good people, a car breaks down near Hannibal, America's Hometown and restores my faith in humanity. Without even talking to Kristy Meadows, I already know what she thinks about people.

Well done... people of Hannibal!