NOBLE, Okla. (KFOR) – There’s someone paying it forward in Noble, Okla., one yard at a time.
Ben and Shirley Smith found that out when their house burned to the ground.
“We were under-insured for the whole property,” says Ben.
While they were renting and saving all the cash they could for a rebuild, the Smith’s yard turned up mowed; they hadn’t even asked or paid anyone to do it.
“And after we moved in, they continued to mow our yard,” the Smiths told us. “So for four years, they have continued to mow our yard, and they won`t take any payment. And the elderly couple next to us, they mow their yard. And then I found out there are several people around here that he has mowed their yard also, and won`t take any payment.”
Turns out the mystery mower is Sam Hiller and his boys.
When Lisa Fincher at First Fidelity Bank heard about Sam’s story, she knew she had to get involved.
“We`re just so proud to have people like Sam and Amanda and their sons, their children in the community here with us, and on behalf of First Fidelity Bank, we`re thrilled to present $400 to pay it forward,” Fincher said.
Sam thought he was dropping by to mow the Smith’s yard again, but our cameras showed up instead. Shirley Smith presented the $400 to Sam, and then he turned around and immediately did something else with the money.
“What I would like to do with this is donate this to St. Judes,” Sam said. He went on to say, “I just want to take care of the neighborhood and take care of our neighbors, as a Christian thing. I’m just trying to teach my boys some values, to take care of the neighborhood and our fellow neighbors as well.”
Sam says not having fences, living side by side is how you keep a neighborhood strong.
“When you’re mowing, all of a sudden, you’re into the other lawn. Then all of a sudden, you’ve mowed three lawns, and I think that`s the key – the communities knowing each other, and that way we would know if somebody’s hurting or if somebody needs just a little bit of help,” Sam said.
Sam Hiller and sons know the meaning of Paying It Forward.
Pay It Forward is sponsored by First Fidelity Bank.
