The Big Give, Big Heroes is a social media contest hosted by the Columbus Foundation. These nominations are made by our employees, in their words.
Danielle was calling a client, just like any other day but dialed the wrong phone number. These days, it seems that most people do not answer a number that they don’t recognize.
However, Danielle was greeted by a woman named Christine.
Christine told Danielle that she thought she had the wrong number, but wanted to know more about St. Stephen’s and if Danielle could help her. While Danielle realized this wasn’t who she was supposed to be assisting, she was not one to turn her back on anyone that needed help.
Christine went on to explain how she was 80 years old, living alone near Whitehall. Christine is considered high risk for COVID-19, and she told Danielle that she did not have any family in town to assist her. The bottom line was, Christine did not know how she was going to get groceries once she ran out.
Danielle told her she would be out later that day to deliver food and 
told her she was going to help her find other resources in her area that may be easier for her to access. After that, they spoke about other things for a while and formed what turned out to be an unexpected friendship. Danielle now calls Christine every Tuesday to catch up, and it is something they both look forward too. Christine refers to Danielle as her “angel,” and said that she didn’t know what she would do if she did not make that accidental call.
To me, a hero is someone whose actions show their large heart and their true integrity. Danielle could have easily ended the conversation when she found out she had the wrong number. She listened to Christine and wanted to do everything in her power to help her. This was not in her job description, this was not one of her clients, and she did it anyway without hesitation. There are hundreds of stories about Danielle like this one, and it’s hard to know how many lives she’s touched because she is a hero even when no one is watching.
Nominated by: Madison Massey, Marketing and Database Coordinator, St. Stephen’s Community House
For more information on The Big Give, click here.