In the 1990s, while driving in the San Francisco Bay Area, philanthropist Kenneth Bering realized that his wallet was missing. His assistant suggested that the wallet might have been lost during their morning walk through the slums of Berkeley. Bering decided to wait and see if the person who found it would get in touch.
Two hours later, Bering’s assistant expressed doubt, believing that no one from the poor neighborhood would try to return the lost item. However, Bering insisted on waiting a little longer to see what would happen. The assistant was puzzled as the wallet contained business cards with all the owner’s information. A quick phone call could have resolved the situation, yet the day passed without any word. Everything pointed to the likelihood that the person who had the wallet had no intention of returning it.
Bering remained persistent, and as night fell, the phone finally rang. A bright, youthful voice on the line announced that he wanted to return the lost wallet from the street where the slum was located.
Ignoring his assistant, Bering promptly drove to Kata Street where the meeting was arranged. When he and his assistant arrived, they were approached by a boy in a ragged tunic, holding Bering’s lost wallet in his small hands. The assistant quickly checked the wallet and found that not a cent was missing, to his amazement. “Sir, may I ask for some money?” the boy said shyly. Hearing this, Bering’s assistant laughed and said, “See, I knew it…” Before he could finish, Bering interrupted him with a smile and asked, “How much do you want?” “Just a dollar,” the boy replied, blushing. “I spent a long time looking for a payphone, and when I finally found one, I didn’t have any money, so I had to borrow a dollar from the shop owner to make the call. Now I need that dollar to pay him back.” Upon hearing the boy’s explanation, Bering’s assistant was ashamed of his earlier comments and was so moved that he embraced the boy.
The story deeply touched Bering, leading him to immediately revise his charitable plans. He invested in several schools in Berkeley, aimed at educating children from the slums.
At the opening ceremony, Bering stated, “We shouldn’t assume that everyone is greedy or selfish. We need to give everyone a chance to show that they have pure intentions and kind hearts.”