Occasionally, the Firefighters at Station 16, 'B' shift, would stop at Peet's Coffee on Lakeshore Avenue and run into Brenda Lee sitting on the bench outside, taking a break and sipping her morning cup of coffee. Brenda, who lives with her son on 39th Avenue in East Oakland, is rearing to go every morning after breakfast, boards the bus and visits all her favorite places across town. With the help of her aluminum walker she really gets around, and there's no stopping her. So, it was no surprise that when the Firefighters ran into Brenda they noticed that her walker was getting pretty worn out from all wear and tear. They told her they might be able to do something about that and would try to get her a new one.
Firefighter Paramedic Zac Hilton called Random Acts, told us the story of Brenda Lee, and asked if we could get her a new walker. Well, it just so happened that we had recently purchased some new walkers that were on sale so we could have them on hand just in case we received a request such as this one. We were very happy to get Zac's call and to be able to fulfill his request. We made arrangements with her son to have Brenda meet the Firefighters at Peet's Coffee this morning so we could present it to her. Unfortunately, Zac was off work today, but Brenda arrived right on time and was sitting at her usual spot of the bench waiting for the Firefighters to arrive.
When the Firefighters rolled out Brenda's brand new, bright shiny red walker on wheels, all the regulars who were packed into Peet's stopped and observed the commotion through the front window, while a crowd gathered out in front to watch the presentation. One woman was so touched by the Random Act of Kindness by the Firefighters that she said she wanted to cry. The fire crew adjusted the walker for Brenda's comfort and gave her a demonstration of how to use the walker safely. Brenda was pretty overwhelmed and speechless by it all, so she just did what came naturally. She broke into a heartfelt song and sang her Thanks to the Firefighters. They were thoroughly entertained, and we could only imagine what a crooner Brenda must have been in her younger days.
So, if you're ever walking by Peet's Coffee and happen to see Brenda Lee sitting at her usual spot on the bench out in front sipping her coffee and guarding her new red walker, stop and say, "Hi Brenda, nice walker". She might even sing you a song.
