Letters to SSSSH
Some of the good-deed letters received at the Hal Reichle
Post Office Box 642 and at the SSSSH Website from
secret members of SSSSH!
To help navigate through these received good-deed letters, they are bookmarked by date and by special event.
SSSSH letters by year |
SSSSH letters from Events
|
2004
I was just hit by a SSSSH member and wanted to say thank you. I never knew a society like this existed. I've always liked to perform anonymous good deeds for others and was starting to think that not many others out there cared about people enough to do something about it. Thank you for the good deed and for strengthening my desire to care for others. It could not have come at a better time.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 4, 2004
Dear Reichle fans,
I made my sister’s bed when she woke up early one morning. She didn’t know who did it. I think she was very thankful.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 4, 2004
Dear Reichle fans,
I gave my neighbor presents. The kids I gave presents to were 2 and 5 and they told me what they wanted for Christmas. I baby-sat after Christmas and noticed that they did not get what they received. That day I went to the store and bought what they wanted (a Care Bear and horse things). The next day I put it outside their door in a big bag. That is how I "pulled a Reichle."
Mail from Post Office Box
January 4, 2004
Dear Reichle fans,
My friend was working on a project and she was having a hard time on it, so I helped her out. I also cleaned the whole house so that when my parents would arrive they would see it clean. When I visited my cousin’s house, I helped her take care of her baby so that she wouldn’t be so stressed out. I went with my mom to the mall and bought my dad and brother some clothes. I helped my cousin make Christmas cards because she needed help and couldn’t finish making them herself.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 10, 2004
Every day my mom tells me to put my dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I always forget or don’t know that they’re dirty and never put them in. Well, one day I remembered that I had to pull a Reichle. I thought that I would put the clean dishes away and put my dirty dishes in the dishwasher. This is how I pulled a Hal Reichle.
01/12/04
Hey Roger, thanks for turning me onto this site. You made my problems seem so petty. You have reminded me of the more important things in life
01/15/04
I know a women at work who has been having some financial difficulities and is a single mom w 5 kids. So at Christmas I went to the grocery store and got a $50.00 gift certificate and left it in her mail file at work signed the card "her secret Santa."
Mail from Post Office Box
January 15, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
I had pulled a Reichle on my brother. I did most of his chores. I did the dishes, I cleaned our room by myself, and I picked up all of his stuff from the living room. I did all that after school before he got home. When he got home he was surprised and happy but he still does not it was me.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
I was sitting in my English class one day and my teacher said that we were going to pull a Reichle. She gave all of my class a note card and told us about Hal Reichle. That day I went home and saw that my sister wasn’t home and I asked my mother when she would get home. My sister wasn’t going to be home for a while so I had enough time to pull a Reichle. I got the vacuum and cleaned my sister’s room with dusting and everything. When my sister got home she asked my mom if she had done it and my mom said, "No", so my sister never found out who had done it That is how I pulled a Reichle.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
I first heard of Hal Reichle in my eighth grade Communication Arts class. We brainstormed ideas of what we cold do in honor of Hal Reichle. We were supposed to "pull Reichle." I decided after a while to do something anonymously for a family member. I decided to "Reichle" my sister. Before she got home from work I had made her some cinnamon rolls. I put them on a plate and stuck them in her room where she would find them with a note explaining SSSSH.
Sincerely,
A new SSSSH member
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
It was a snowy day and my mom and I had just walked in JP’s (a coffee house). We run to the door to get out of the cold, snowy parking lot. As I opened the door I let my mom go first. Behind my mom, coming out of JP’s, was a guy with a newspaper, coffee and a bag. His arms were full and there was no way he could open the door. Before I let myself in I held open the door to let him out before me. I stayed out in the cold and let him go before me so he wouldn’t have to try and open the door with all his things.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
Dear SSSSH organization,
Just a few weeks before Christmas break, I had heard about this secret organization SSSSH from my English teacher. I knew it was perfect timing to do a good deed for someone. So, on Sunday when my family was at church we picked out an angel from the Angel Tree. We got a young boy about 13. On the angel it said that he wanted shoes, sweatshirt, gloves, mittens, a hat and some more necessities for the winter. Soon after that Sunday my mom and I went shopping for him. We ended up getting him a nice warm sweatshirt, two long-sleeved shirts and a hat. When we wrapped the gift I stuck the "Reichle" card in the box. I felt really good about what I had done, and hope many other people feel this way when they pull a "Reichle!"
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
I was a "Reichle-er" over Christmas break. At my church there was a lady that had just had a stroke. She was not able to have visitors because of her condition. Our pastor told everybody that she would appreciate a note or letter. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to "pull a Reichle." The next day I used my artistic abilities to design a card showing a teddy bear holding get-well balloons for her, and inside wrote, "God loves you!" Inside the envelope I included the card so she would know she was a victim of a "Reichle."
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
During a December weekend my church had a weekend retreat. I asked a friend of mine if he was going and he said he couldn’t. I figured that it had something to do with the cost or family plans. My mom wrote me a check for the retreat but I had lost it. She wrote another one for me. She told me if I found the old check we could drop it off at his small group leaders house and he would hand it in. The leader would also tell my friend that someone had paid for him and if he’d like to go he may. I did find the old check. I handed it in and my friend ended up going to the Spring Hill retreat. It was a great weekend and he will never know that I did pay for him. It was a God thing.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
Hello Reichle fans,
It was a very snowy day and it had snowed a lot. So, I went outside and shoveled both driveways. I also made my brother’s bed. I also helped my nephew beat a level on his Gameboy Advanced. I also watched my cousin’s baby. I bought my dad a new fishing reel that he wanted.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
Dear Reichle,
Over Christmas break I pulled a Reichle on my dad. Before he came out to go to his job, I shoveled the driveway and scraped of the car. When he came home from work he was very happy that the snow had been scraped and brushed from his car and truck and from the driveway. But he never found out it was me who did it.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
Dear Reichle,
On one of the days of Christmas break, it was snowing hard, and we had a few inches of snow. Some of my neighbor’s walkways were full of snow. One of my neighbors never is home, and another neighbor is very old and can’t shovel, so I shoveled their walkways for them. For Christmas my family wrote a letter to homes of 2 parents who are drug abusers, and they have 3 kids. The letter said we wanted to buy their kids presents for Christmas and if they wanted us to, they should leave a red ribbon with a letter of what the children wanted. The neighbors replied and said that would be fine if we bought their kids Christmas presents. So we bought presents for the 3 children, and the parents thanked us, too.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
Dear Reichle,
One day I was just sitting around doing nothing because it was our Christmas break. I decided I was going to pull a Reichle on my brother. He always is complaining about how I always have my stuff all over the bathroom, and also noticed his room looked a little messy. He was downstairs on the computer, so I quickly went into his room and started to clean it. After his floor looked good, I opened his closet and organized that, too. Then, I went into our bathroom and put all my stuff away and cleaned out the drain in the bathtub and wiped the counters and the mirrors. He thought my mom did it.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
Dear Reichle people,
My sister was playing a video-game (which was very hard by the way) and there was a level that she couldn’t get to. She gave up on the game and stopped playing. She was very mad and frustrated. So, I secretly turned the game back on and tried my best to get to the level, after about half an hour, I finally got to it. I saved the game, turned it off and left the room. When my sister came back to try the level again, she found out that the level was passed. I made it look like she had passed the level without noticing, and when she asked me if anyone had played and I said I didn’t know. After that she was very happy and kept playing video-games.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
A few weeks ago I pulled a Reichle. My teacher had us all "pull a Reichle" so for mine I made every bed in the house. It was Christmas break, and it worked out to be eight beds. I am glad to say no one saw me. That night everyone was commenting on how nicely their beds where made, and I just sat there with that warm tingly feeling inside.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
I learned about pulling Reichles at my school one day in my English class. I thought about it and decided I would bring flowers to a lady I knew who was in a short term nursing home and did not get very many visitors. I had it all planned out. I would walk in and go around the other way and ask the head nurse to deliver these flowers to her. I had the Reichle card in the plastic thing that holds the name cards. When I got to the head nurses station and asked if she would deliver these to the lady she said no. She told me that she was now living with her son. So I started to walk away but then I turned around and asked her if there was anyone else I could give these to. She told me that her roommate was having a rough day so I had the flowers delivered to her instead. She was very happy.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 16, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
The "Reichle" I pulled was over our Christmas vacation. It was snowy and my parents always need to shovel the driveway. So I decided to not just do my driveway but I also did my neighbor’s driveway, too. They still don’t have any clue who shoveled their driveway.
01/16/04
I am a Kenston Grad and Hiram Grad '96 and am the Treasurer of Kenston Schools. My brother Chris graduated with Hal from Kenston. Just wanted to let you know that our Kenston Web site, www.kenstonlocal.com has a memorial site that you may be interested in. Hal's tree and plaque are posted on the web site, and you may want tocheck with our webmaster about a link or better yet, Hal's story. I sent this to my brother in California and he is a great person who does good things for people all of the time. Thanks for keeping the magic!
Mail from post office Box
January 19, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
During Christmas break I pulled a "Reichle." I went around my neighborhood and I shoveled everyone’s front yard. After I was done I left a "Reichle" card in their mail slot of box. I think that what I did was a really good thing to everyone in my neighborhood because some people are too old and they can hurt themselves shoveling their yards. Also, some people don’t have any time to shovel their yard. I believe that what I did really helped a lot of people. This "Reichle" that I did really showed me how it would be nice, fun and easy to do things for other people to make them happy.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH
I pulled a Reichle by cleaning my basement. My parents noticed it was clean but did not ask me about it. I kept it a secret.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
Every day after school, my mom or dad picks me up and takes me back to work with them at Hope College. A couple days ago, I was sitting in my mom’s office doing homework when I decided to pull a Reichle on one of my mom’s colleagues. The office of one of her friend’s was just down the hall. I went to a vending machine at the other end of the building and bought a Pepsi. I waited until he had left his office and then put the pop and the Reichle card onto his desk. I hope he was pleased.
************************************************************************
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
I have "pulled a Reichle" when I was on Christmas break. I was cleaning my friend’s mom’s house and she didn’t know who it was. She thought it was my friend’s, her daughter. My friend told her mom that it wasn’t her and my friend’s mom thought it was but it wasn’t. The Reichle I pulled was weird because I almost got caught.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
I recently learned about your organization through my Communications Arts class at school. I really respect your cause. On Christmas break our assignment for Comm Arts was to pull a Reichle on someone. While I was at my Grandma’s, I went to the local mall. It was the day after Christmas and the mall was jammed-packed with people. I was looking around when a lady with a puzzled look on her face caught my eye. I waked up to her and asked her if she was looking for something. She said she had been looking for a particular store and she couldn’t find it. I knew where the store was so I walked her over. I dropped the Reichle card into her shopping bag as she walked into the store and she was off with her shopping.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
The person I Reichled did not know me but I knew I was helping her. An elderly lady had been driving and slid into a snow bank. I had happened to see it on my way home from school. I then knew I had to help her. So I dug snow out from under her tires and helped her get on her way to where she had to go. I felt much better after the fact.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Hello,
During winter break I pulled a Reichle. The "Reichle" I pulled was for my mother. While she was sleeping I washed the dishes so she would not have to wake up to wash them. When she woke up she asked me, "Who washed the dishes?" I told her I don’t know. SSSSH
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Hello,
Over Christmas break I pulled a Reichle. It was cleaning off the neighbor’s cars in the morning. When they came out, the look on their face was very satisfying. Then when the found the card, they were confused. They just put it in their pocket and left.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 19, 2004
SSSSH,
I am from Texas and so is my family. So when I thought about "pulling a Reichle" I knew the best place to send a letter. It was around Christmastime and I decided to buy a Christmas card and send it to my grandma who lives in Texas. I sent the letter anonymously so there is no way she would know it was me. My grandma is someone special in my life and I felt good doing something for her that she deserves.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
I will be telling you a Reichle I pulled. I hear that when Hal Reichle was still living he enjoyed helping people. I try to help as much as I can but sometimes when I try to help, people the lot of the time just be mean about it. The Reichle I pulled was at my very own school. My school collects box tops. I left some box tops on a desk in the hallway. Someone must have picked them up because when I went back to where I left them, they were gone.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Hello,
I was in my Communication Arts class around December 13 and 14 and my teacher pulls out a little green stapler and said "Class, this is my only stapler. I can’t find my two others so I’ll have to come around and staple yours papers." The next day my teacher talked about Hal and told us it would be a good thing to do so I thought, "Hey, I have a few extra staplers." So one day after Christmas break I waited until she went out of her room and I walked back in and put a large stapler on her desk. Now whenever I look at her desk I see that stapler.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Hello,
It was a cold day during Christmas break. When my brother was still sleeping at 8:00 in the morning, I got up and got ready for the day. I thought that it would be nice of me to clean the whole house and cook breakfast for my little brother even though he’s always mean to me. So he woke up and said, "Who cooked this?" and I had said to him that I didn’t know because I just woke up and it was there. But I told him that it was for him. So he said whoever made it can cook because it was really good and that he was full for the morning.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear Mr. Cram,
On Christmas Day we had to shovel our driveway because it had snowed a lot the night before. After we were done we noticed that a driveway hadn’t been shoveled. So, I went over to shovel it. Then eight days later my grandma passed away. When my family returned from the funeral, someone had shoveled our driveway. For some reason I kinda knew it was the person I shoveled the driveway for. Hal has inspired me to help others.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
I pulled a "Reichle" over Christmas break, hearing about Hal and what he did for everyone else. It made me think about what Reichle I could do. I decided that I would make my dad’s lunch for work without him knowing it. He thinks that my mom made it because she makes it for him everyday. So I thought that this would be a perfect thing to do. He didn’t ever find out; he just thinks my mom made it for him. Thanks for giving me the idea to "pill a Reichle" and follow in Hal’s footsteps.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
At my conference meet for swimming this girl broke her goggles. She was looking for her other pair but couldn’t find them. I took my old ones and put them on her towel with a note saying, "You can use these for the day."
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear Reichle fans,
About six months ago my father hurt his back when he bent over to pick something up. His back hasn’t fully recovered yet and he can’t lift anything that was over a certain amount of weight and he isn’t supposed to bend over. So, I decided to help him out. We started to fix our basement up about a month ago. I helped him out by helping carry a couch that was downstairs upstairs and helping carry a treadmill that was upstairs downstairs. The couch wasn’t a problem, but the treadmill was a lot heavier. Since it was so much heavier we put it on a dolly and rolled it downstairs. That still didn’t make it easy to get it downstairs. When we started to roll it downstairs the handle almost ripped off and so I had to hold it where it was because I was at the bottom of the treadmill. We figured out what was wrong and to fix it we had to push it back upstairs. There was a pin missing that was supposed to keep the handle connected to the bottom part of the dolly. After we fixed the problem we brought the treadmill downstairs. We had an old bar and we were getting a new one. I also helped demolish the old bar and carry it upstairs. I helped out by doing one more thing. I helped put together a foosball table that we received as a gift for Christmas.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear Mr. Hal Reichles,
I was heading to another class in school when I noticed the boy that was constantly asking for pencils. I had a few in my binder so I decided to put them on his desk before he got to class. When I arrived at that class that I have with him, his face lit up with excitement. "Who gave me these?" he exclaimed. I did not respond but had to look away to keep from smiling. The next day in school all he could talk about were his new pencils. His surprised face made my day. I believe that I gained more from that experience than he did.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
Have you ever been to a sale? The people are everywhere, so over the holiday my mom went to one of these sales. While I was there I saw a van that was covered in snow. So I went to my mom’s Jeep and grabbed the car brush. When she went inside I brushed off the van. I saw the impression on her face.
P.S. I felt really glad that I did it.
Sincerely,
Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Hello,
It was a very cold snowy day. It was January 7th and I had just gotten back from getting x-rays done on my wrist. My neighbor across the street was gone so I decided to shovel his driveway. Then I put the Reichle card in his mailbox because he always checks it when he gets home. I feel good that I did that because he was an older man and now he doesn’t have to go out there in the cold and shovel.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
My dad is always out shoveling the driveway, so on January 4th while the halftime show of the Sugar Bowl was on, I went up for a "snack." I snuck outside and shoveled not only the driveway, but the front walkway, too. Before my dad went to bed, he went outside to shovel the driveway, but he didn’t need to. I heard him come back in only a few seconds after he’d gone outside. It made me feel so happy.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
I recently over the holiday season pulled a somewhat creative Reichle and bought five packs of gum while getting groceries in the supermarket. I then gave them to the cashier and told her to give them out to five people who were nice to her over the day. Along with the gum I also gave her five of the Reichle cards off the web site to give to people with the gum. I really hope my Reichle made some peoples’ days al little better.
Sincerely,
Xxxxxx Xxxx
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
This past Christmas I really found out how much my swim coach means to me. I was having a bad day and came into practice and there was my coach just as happy as can be and he really helped me get through my day. So after practice I took a trip down to the local 7-Eleven and bought him a Slurpee with my own money and went back to the pool and left it on his desk. I know how much he loves Slurpees so I hope I helped make his day get better.
Sincerely,
New SSSSH member
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
The "Reichle" that I pulled over Christmas break was, when my mom left the house I went in the kitchen and mop the floor and clean all the counter tops and organized the cabinets.
Mail from Post Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
A while ago, (before Christmas break) I heard about the Reichle incident and what Hall did to make a difference. Our teacher decided that what Hal did was such a great thing too, that she suggested that we "pull Reichle." At first I didn’t know what to do but then I remembered all of the things I had already done. I think people technically "pull a Reichle" everyday, and they just don’t realize it. Sometimes when I walk home from school I find these dogs running around the neighborhood. Of course the first time I saw them I didn’t know if they were good or bad dogs. I finally decided that if I see them running around a lot, what harm could they do? I then thought about my dog that had to be put to sleep and decided I didn’t want someone to go through the misery of coming home to find their dead dog in the road. I couldn’t catch these dogs of course because they were little and fast, so I decided to round them up. It took me a while of course but at least the dogs were safe. I had rounded the dogs up and put them on that person’s porch.
Sincerely,
A new Member of SSSSH
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
My driveway was covered with snow so I waited for my dad to leave then I shoveled the driveway for him when he was gone.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
While I was shoveling my driveway I noticed my neighbor’s car was covered in snow. Quickly I brushed off their car and left the Reichle card under the windshield wiper.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Hello,
On the 20th of December my family and I along with my grandparents and cousins and their mom and dad all ‘pulled a Reichle" by buying gifts for a family we chose and wrapped up the gifts that we bought so they could have something to open at Christmas.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Hello Reichle,
It was a very snowy day in Holland MI. I was brushing the snow off the one of my mom’s cars and I looked over and saw a car that had a lot of snow on it. I decided to stop brushing off the snow on my mom’s car and started brushing off the other car. I did not really know the person but it was one of my mom’s friends. When I saw that person get into the car she was very happy because it was very cold and she did not have to brush the snow off.
From your friend
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Anonymous good deed for Hal,
It was the first day back from Christmas break and it was the first class. Everyone was tired and not happy to be back to school. Everyone had left the classroom but myself and I noticed someone’s planner laying on their desk. I knew whose planner it was and they were in my next class. I quickly ran to my next class and put the planner on their desk. When I came back the boy was very excited because he thought that he lost it. That was the "Reichle" that I pulled during school.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Hello,
Over Christmas break I "pulled" a couple of Reichles. One Reichle I "pulled" was cleaning my sister’s shoes. Also over break I helped my mom secretly by organizing our kitchen cupboards neatly. I stuck the cards in the shoe and in the kitchen. My sister and my mom were very pleased and confused.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
I had a math teacher who always did his math problems on the white board. All of his markers were running dry except for his yellow marker, which we couldn’t see, from a far distance. So during Christmas break I went out and bought him some dry erase markers, and put it on his desk with a note explaining that a "Reichle" had been pulled on him, before school when we came back from our break. When I asked him how he had got new markers, he replied, "A Reichle gave them to me."
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
Dear SSSSH,
I pulled a fun "Reichle" over my Christmas break. When my mom sent me outside to start and warm up the car in the morning, I also cleaned the snow off of the car. I put the card in the car door. My mom found it later and thought that the neighbors did it. She has no idea that it was me.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 20, 2004
To Whom It May Concern,
Before the Christmas break I "pulled a Reichle." What I did was I put a dollar behind the handle of a shovel at school, so when the person who shoveled the sidewalk or whatever they could get a drink.
01/21/04
Hi whoever, just wanted to say thank you so much for your very kind deed. Having the snow removed was so wonderful as I usually do it myself. How very thoughtful, Hal must have been a special person.
01/22/04
I managed to "pull a Reichle" before I heard of SSSSH! I was in a truck stop, eating a meal, when I noticed someone sitting at the counter, carrying a bedroll and a small backpack. Figuring he was a homeless drifter, I thought, "there but for the grace of God go I." The thought hit like a ton of bricks: I am currently in deep financial distress and considering bankruptcy -- it wouldn't take much to put me in this man's situation, so it was true, that there but for the grace of God, would be me.
So, as I left, I asked the waitress to add a meal to my ticket for the man and to not tell him where it came from or let him know it was coming until I left the truck stop.
I later found out that someone had taken care of the rest of this man's immediate trouble. After eating the meal, a minister bought the man a bus ticket to his destination and drove him to the bus station.
I went to Hiram with Hal but did not know him well. The wild, cackling Hal is in my memory, though, yet the secret good deeds described here fit him as well.
I will continue to do good deeds, but to honor Hal's memory.
01/22/04
I recently became a member of this great group and have had two wonderful experiences. First, on Christmas eve, while in the drive thru at Mc Donalds I picked up the cost of the car behind me. I drove away very fast so the guy couldn't see or stop me. The feeling I had all day was wonderful.
Last week I paid for the woman behind me in the car wash. Initially she looked a little concerned, then she smiled and read the card. Again a good feling all day. I know its not about money, but I have found that, though not wealthy, I can spot an additional 5 bucks here and there to make someone happy. I kust hope they continue and pass it on.
Mail from Post Office Box
January 23, 2004
Good deed done by SSSSH
In honor of Hal Reichle, we gave a $100.00 gift certificate to Giant Eagle anonymously to a woman with five children (who lives paycheck to paycheck) so she and her family could enjoy a nice Christmas dinner.
Happy Holidays To All And God Bless!
01/26/04
Someone I know has to travel a significant distance to and from work. The job doesn't pay that well and this person never has a full tank of gas or the money to constantly fill the tank. I bought him a $60 gas card and mailed it to him with no return address. IN the evelope simply was the gas card and the SSSSH card.
02/06/04
Someone or Many Someones have recently "Pulled a Reichle" on me and my new husband. I would just like to share the overwhelming feeling of thanks we are experiencing. Our entire wedding was planned, catered, and donated by people we do not know! the best feeling of all is that these people did it out of the kindness of their hearts. Our lives are forever changed for the better because others cared! It has really made us and our family and friends think about the inner potential of every human being. Because of God we are all connected and because of the ability to express love we know it!
02/08/04
I have two coworkers (sisters) who have had a terrible year - several deaths of older relatives that they loved and cared for. These sisters are hard workers and caring human beings. I bought them a gift certificate to a nice local restaurant and was able to get it to them anonymously with a SSSSH card. Thank your for your inspiration in doing kind things for others. Bless you.
02/12/04
Visited a local Nursing Home and had the receptionist and staff personnel present a Valentine plant to a patient who has no visitors.
02/16/04
I was a very good high school friend of Hal's. I think of him so often. We have emailed before, but after reading the newspaper today, I had to email you again and thank you. Thank you for keeping Hal alive in our thoughts in such a Hal way! He would be so proud of this organization. Reading about Hal today was truly the greatest Christmas gift I could have asked for today. Thank you Mr. Cram for keeping Hal's good deeds and zest for life very much alive. I'd love to be a part of this organization. I've left my address.
02/16/04
Roger,
I saw the news coverage of SSSSH on Thanksgiving Day and have been thinking about your program ever since. I'm trying to develop a similar program and was wondering if I might be able to schedule a 15 minute phone call in the near future. I'm particularly interested to hear you thoughts on the power of anonymity and how well the cards work. Similar kindness movements like Random Acts of Kindness and Pay It Forward have failed to reach a sustainable critical mass, but your appears to be different.
Your doing great, pioneering work and I look forward to talking with you.
Best regards,
03/16/04
I was a classmate of Hal's in Flight School (way back in '86), and also a fellow veteran of "Gulf War I". He was a good man, and I'm touched that you are keeping his memory alive in this way. Count me in.
05/05/04
I can't believe I've been a SSSSH member and didn't know it! Perhaps Hal is secretly recruiting from above without anyone's knowledge (giggling all the while). My favorite random act of kindness occurs while I travel on business.
Since I have a per diem for meals, I get a free lunch -- so I spend my own money on someone else's lunch. And since I have a little extra time while I'm in airports waiting for my flights, I have time to spot soldiers traveling. I find a soldier eating his/her lunch (which can be expensive at the airport). Then I slip the waitress money for the food with a note to give the soldier. My note will usually read "I think you need a pay raise - lunch is on me - thank you for your service soldier. -signed A. Friend"
Afterward I see a HUGE smile and that's all the thanks I need!
05/08/04
After completing your first anonymous good deed for a total stranger, I suggest you sit quietly alone for a few minutes. Listen to the silence. Something deep inside you has slightly stirred, as if an awakening spirit’s first tiny movement. You sense it, but it does not necessarily feel good or satisfying, it’s just an ever-so-slightly stirring deep within your spiritual abyss.
roger, i know from this email, you will have my name, but that is OK. This is my first visit to the web, having found it in W. Johnson letter re May 21 award dinner. As I read this, I got to thinking: what would be so non-Hal about my giving a Vietnam vet, with a dog, a $10 bill, during a visit (or any stranger I select). AND also giving him/her the SSSSH card? I know the recipient would "know" but really not know me, but they would know that I was giving in the spirit of Pulling a Reichle? To me, that would be OK as this is what I like to do, and because we knew both Hal and his mother, Barbara, and Wayne, I would be doing it also in the spirit of Hal. BTW, we lost touch with Hal, but not Barbara, just before he entered Hiram. peace, gary
05/15/04
I think this group is absolutely wonderful. I tore out the article from People a while back and have had it hanging in my dorm room this whole year to inspire me. Unfortunately my only truly anonymous act this year was donating my hair to a group called "Locks of Love" that you give 10 inches of hair to a kid who lost their hair to cancer. They make wigs for them. I could have gotten a letter of acknowledgement, but I chose to stay anonymous in memory of Hal!
08/18/04
Today a friend and I performed an anonymous act of good will for complete and total strangers in the name of Hal Reichle. One Sunday morning we drove to the local McDonald's restaurant, approaching the drive-through with a handful of cash ($12). We then proceeded to put a ten dollar credit towards the order of the next customer. As there was no customer directly behind us, we requested the cashier carry out the good deed in our stead, providing the customer with a reichle card in addition to their credit. This man was very helpful, so we gave him one dollar and any change that may have remained after the purchase for his efforts. He smiled as we drove away.
08/18/04
When my daughter fist left home, she applied for a job with a disabled person for health care and companionship. When she arrived for her interview, the person she was interviewing for was all alone in the house, under nourished, and falling out of bed because her aid never showed up. My daughter cleaned her up changed her diaper, made her a meal, and tried desperately to contact someone to come and help. She waited with this women for 5 hours before the aid finally arrived. She was not paid or even given a thank you from both the aid and the women. An was never called back about the job.
09/03/04
Hi Roger, I was reading my September 2004 Guideposts magazine and saw the article about SSSSH. Was I surprised when I read your name! What a great idea! I have really enjoyed doing such things for my family but will now include strangers. I will write again (of course you won't know it because it will be anonymous)when I pull my first Reichle. Thanks.
09/07/04
Dear Roger Cram,
I read your article in Guideposts with much interest because it is in Hiram. You probably dont remember me (Susan Messmore) But I remember you. I attended Hiram for just a sememster, and worked as a dispatcher for you in 1975. I just thought you would like to hear that I thought very highly of you. You took me on a photo shoot and for a ride in a plane over the Biology station. I still visit Hiram on occasion and wonder what became of you. How wonderful that you started this organization. That is just the nice thing I could imagine you doing. Keep up the good works.
Your friend,
09/10/04
I would like to express my gratitude to the person who generously gave me a cat carrier today. I received it when I brought my cat in for a follow up appt. at Aloha Vet. Thanks for your kindness.
09/16/04
I used to mow my neighbor's grass after they moved and the house was for sale. Does that qualify me for membership in SSSSH?
09/19/04
Dear Mr. Cram;
I just wanted to thank you for your article in Guideposts, Sept. 2004 issue. I haven't read a Guideposts for many years, but was compelled to pick this one up. I enjoyed your article so much that I shared it with my 13-year-old's Sunday School class. They liked it enough to share in your SSSSH Society, but they chose to title it their Secret Society of Serendipitous Service for Heavenly Father. I challenged them to do at least one secret service this past week, and will be meeting with them today to follow up. Hal must have been an exceptional person. His story certainly touched our hearts. And thanks to you as well for reminding us that there still are beautiful people out in this crazy, mixed up world! Most sincerely, LuAnne McGuire, along with Degory, Hayden, Brady, Linnea, Apoima, Adriana, Hannah, Ashley, and Katie (Wasilla 3rd Ward's best!) P.S. Don't be surprised if you hear from any of these good young people. I gave them your website and told them to write to you. Hopefully they will.
09/24/04
on September 1 2004, Colorado governor bill Owens instituted a faulty computer system to replace the standard one within the welfare system. he knew the system had a 37% failure rate before he incorporated it. As a result, 500,000 Colorado residents are not receiving their full welfare benefits.
this means that electric bills cannot be paid, rent cannot be paid, and food cannot be purchased. amy perry has worked very had to be a voice for these people who have grown accustomed to not being heard. she has contacted the governor himself, her district's senator, the local media, and the national media to help the people who are not getting what they need. she maintains contact with local food banks and agencies, she develops personal relationships with the people and families hurt by the new faulty computer system. she is active in her church and volunteers in both the soundbooth on sundays, and the food bank on wednesdays. amy continually works at a ground level to better the lives of others. thank you for having a scholarship fund set up to help this type of person.
09/28/04
Dear Roger,
I read a small article in the Sept. 2004 issue of Guideposts magazine and then went to your web site. I cried as I read all the stories. What a guy Hal must have been. Carla
10/18/04
Loved the story in Guideposts! Thanks
10/18/04
Perfect timing to see this website! Each December 6th, my son and I pick a person we are aware of that is going through financial stress. We get a gift certificate for a local and large supermarket that carries EVERYTHING. We sent it to a recipient in a secret Santa card unsigned and the envelope hand typed and postmarked from a town we cannot be identified. Having personally walked the financial stress path before we know that some Mom can either use the certificate to fill Holiday stockings or buy herself some stockings at the time of the year a mom has the hardest time spending a little something on herself. May all who participate be blessed. No matter what we always have a little something to share with someone else.
11/14/04
Roger,
Extremely nice and warm story. I was surprised when I read the international magazine Guideposts to see an article which included the Hiram College website. The words were touching and then to see they were from the college my daughter just started as a freshman. It is a nurturing place. Please keep up the good work.
11/04/04
Since the last Reichle I pulled in Bar Harbor, I have done several more. The last one was really fun. While camping at Bayleys for two weeks I brought a huge bag of change with me to use at the arcades. One morning I tossed a few coins on the dirt road to see what the kids would do when they found them. One little boy found 4 and turned to his dad and said, This must be my lucky day! As soon as he had left I took a walk down the road and really seeded it down and returned to my campfire. We had a great time watching people find coins. I noticed one little girl come back two times and search the road, she always found something. The next day we did this again and some of the same kids we watched yesterday were finding more today. One girl told her sister, somebody has a big hole in their pocket. After going to a flea market in the afternoon, I came back with a bag of foreign coins from all over the world. The next morning I would place some of these on the road and the walkway to the camp store. One dad was walking with his kids and his boy starting finding coins so he stopped and looked around and would point to others his kids had missed. You could almost hear him wondering where they all came from. They continued on to the store and on the way back, they happened to find more and the kids were very excited. He had quite a time getting them to go back to their campsite. We asked two little girls what they were looking for and they said, we have been finding money people lost every day we have been here and we found over three dollars and some foreign coins. She said she has a coin collection with her sister and they collect foreign coins. As luck would have it, she had very good luck for the next two days.
One dad whose kids were finding change everywhere they looked it seemed was looking around wondering where it all came from. When he saw us sitting by the campfire watching with innocent looks on our faces, he figured it out and grinned but he kept it to himself.
11/07/04
I DONT LIKE TO THINK OF SOME OF THE THINGS I DO AS ACTS OF KINDNESS, BUT AS THINGS IM SUPPOSED TO. I THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO PUT YOURSELF IN THE OTHER PERSON'S SHOES SO THAT'S WHAT I DID. I HAVE TRIED TO BE THEIR AND KEEP KIDS FROM GOING TO STREET CORNERS. TO THOSE THAT HAD NO FATHER FIGURE I TRIED TO BE ONE. A LOT OF THE KIDS OUT HERE ARE YOUNG BOYS SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO GO BY THEM A BASKETBALL COURT TO PLAY ON. SO WHEN MY BIRTHDAY CAME AROUND I TOOK MY MONEY AND GOT IT. AFTER AWHILE OLDER KIDS CAME AROUND AND TRIED NOT TO LET THE YOUNGER ONES PLAY SO THAT'S WHEN ME AND A FEW OTHER GUYS ORGANIZED IT INTO A LEAGUE. NOW EVERYONE GOT TO PLAY EVERYDAY.
11/13/04
I just wanted to tell you how touched I was by Hal when I came across this while searching for scholarships for my little sister Nellie. I think the greatest heart is the one that acts with out question for the thought of a smile from the other. I too have committed some secret deeds. But I get embarrassed and they will remain secret. Thank you for the warm heart that was given to me! tonight.
11/14/04
Hi Roger.
I was visiting the SSSSH website again. Just wanted to update your "where people have learned about Hal" media page. The September 2004 issue of Guidposts magazine had a small article about SSSSH on page 15-16.
I was at Hiram with Hal and we took classes together (I believe you were in charge of housing at the time).
With my son, I am leading a Cub Scout den and one of the fathers of the boys heard me mention Hiram. He asked if I knew Hal. Turns out he graduated from the Marine Academy with Hal. Small world. We've been sharing the articles and media stories, along with yearbooks and stories about Hal, and have taken it upon ourselves to "pull a Reichle" or two.