CBS News contributor David Begnaud‘s latest installment of Dear David features inspiring stories sent by viewers, including the story of a Wyoming man who raised $14,000 for a teen driver and two young chess champions who donated their winnings to help a sick child.
Man helps teen replace car after crash
When 16-year-old Gracie, whose family asked that she only be referred to by her first name since she’s a minor, lost control of her car on an icy road in January and slid into Bryan Pedersen’s vehicle, she thought her world had ended. Her car was totaled, and as a high school student who had worked hard to buy the vehicle herself, she felt devastated about losing her independence.
But Pedersen, the crash victim, couldn’t stop thinking about the teenager’s situation. Despite suffering damage to his vehicle and having his children in the backseat during the crash, Pedersen felt compelled to help.
“Something deep down said we got to do something to help her,” Pedersen said.
After making calls and learning that Gracie was a good student who worked at a hardware store to pay for her car, Pedersen launched a fundraising campaign on Facebook. Adding several thousand dollars of his own money to donations from friends, he raised nearly $14,000 to buy a replacement vehicle.
“I didn’t even know what to say, I didn’t know what to do. Because it was such a huge gift, obviously,” Gracie said. “I had no idea how to express how much it really meant.”
Pedersen told the teenager she would understand the true value of the gift over the next 20 years, when opportunities arise for her to pay it forward.
“Good deeds are contagious,” Pedersen said. “We all want to help. We all want to hold the door open for someone behind us. It’s how communities are built.”
Brothers Vivaan and Sarang Sankrithi have been playing chess since they were toddlers, and their Washington home is filled with trophies and medals from tournaments. But their biggest accomplishment isn’t what they take home — it’s what they give away.
The young chess players decided to donate their tournament winnings to help 10-year-old Atlas Kaya, who has been suffering from chronic pancreatitis since age 4. With no known cure for the disease, Atlas has been hospitalized 17 times in the past year.
“I would say that we were at probably the lowest point that we’ve been since we’ve been on this journey,” said Crystal Kaya, Atlas’s mother.
After hearing about Atlas through a mutual friend’s fundraiser, the brothers pledged to donate any prize money from their upcoming chess tournament to Mission: Cure, an organization working to find a cure for pancreatitis.
Seven-year-old Vivaan placed first in his section, earning $225 that he immediately donated to the cause.
“You don’t always have to spend for yourself if you don’t need anything and you can spend it on people who actually need help,” Vivaan said.
For Atlas, the gesture meant more than the money itself.
“Someone had actually donated that was like a kid and didn’t spend it on something else, like was really meaningful,” Atlas said.
When the families met for the first time, Crystal said it provided “a spark of hope that was really needed during a very dark time.”
“Once we started winning more money, we always spent it on ourselves,” Sarang said. “Now we realize that there’s a lot of kids and adults in need. So we try to donate most of the money now because we know it’s not just about us. It’s about others.”
David Begnaud loves uncovering the heart of every story and will continue to do so, highlighting everyday heroes and proving that there is good news in the news with his exclusive “CBS Mornings” series, “Beg-Knows America.” Every Monday, get ready for moments that will make you smile or even shed a tear. Do you have a story about an ordinary person doing something extraordinary for someone else? Email David and his team at DearDavid@cbsnews.com
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