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
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People Magazine
May 6, 2003
Hi Roger,
I just read the article in People magazine and I am smiling from ear to ear. I love what you do in honor of your friend, Hal. I try to teach my daughters on a daily basis to do for others just because they can. We here in Chicago would love to become Reichlites and wondered how to go about it. There is nothing more satisfying than making someone’s day just a little brighter. Thank You for what you have started, I hope it becomes infectious.
June 4, 2003
To: Roger Cram
I read about your SSSSH group in People and found it very inspiring. We now need more of this kind of human kindness. I’d like to participate in my area-can you send me any information or a newsletter"
June 11, 2003
Dear SSSSH
A police officer friend of mine recently sent me an article about your acts of kindness on behalf of the memory of Hal Reichle. My friend is a pretty sweet guy himself. Please accept the enclosed in his honor. Please send him a note telling him that a donation has been made in his honor. I would appreciate that. Thank you
June 16, 2003
A dear friend with three mentally disabled sons (all grown and living with her) was locked out of her car in the parking lot of a restaurant where we were meeting for lunch. She is a widow with a very small income. Since she doesn’t belong to AAA, we called the police, who said they were unable to give us assistance, but gave us the number of a man who does that kind of work. His charge was $53.50 which I was happy to pay for her. She, of course, is unable to repay me, and I certainly didn’t expect her to. My sincere condolences to the family of Hal Reichle.
June 16, 2003
Reading about your SSSSH organization in People Magazine and the Cleveland Plain Dealer inspired me to do recent acts of anonymous kindness. They were simple ones that made me feel good.
I was driving back to the Cleveland area from Pittsburgh, and I anonymously paid tolls for the drivers behind me. I did that at two tollbooths. It’s not much, but I hope the people who didn’t have to pay their tolls were pleasantly surprised.
I think it’s terrific to honor your late friend, Hal Reichle, in this way. He sounded like a great guy, and he truly lives on in such tremendous acts of generosity that your organization inspires in people. I plan to continue to do these anonymous acts of kindness myself. it’s a privilege to be connected to such giving people as yourself, even in a small way.
June 16, 2003
I read "Secret Service" in Jun9 People magazine. I hope you get this letter since you stated no return addresses or signatures and you left no real address to contact you. I would however like to receive your newsletter.
I know the feeling of doing good deeds and not taking the credit for them. I work for an airline in Chicago Small Package Dispatch and last Christmas I bought presents for my co-workers working third shift regularly and even the Security Guards. All gifts had a personal meaning and I even bought myself one. Then I had a friend of mine not known to anyone else dress in a Santa costume and deliver to us while I was on duty. No one knows that I was responsible yet today six months later and I don’t think I will ever tell.
Not only is it fun with the people who received the gifts that no knows who the giver is, we have customers still asking if we ever found out where our Christmas presents came from.
Secret Santa
June 19, 2003
Dear Mr. Cram,
I am an old friend of Hal Reichle's from high school. I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the scholarship dinner. It was a wonderful night! As we were driving to Hiram from Warren, we were discussing Hal. It amazed me how much you and the other speakers at the dinner copied our conversation. It seems that whenever Hal's name is mentioned and Hal is remembered, everyone uses the same words, kind, helpful, friendly, always going out of his way, funny, etc....It warmed my heart tremendously!
I was thrilled with the SSSSH also! I know Hal would be embarrassed by all of the notoriety surrounding him, but I know he would be honored! I like to think that he is smiling down on you and your group with great admiration. You are doing a great service and I am proud to know that Hal made such a lasting impression on you.
The article in People Magazine was exciting. I bought several and have been sharing them and also the SSSSH business cards with people who knew Hal. I will keep doing my small anonymous acts of kindness in Hal's honor. I hope people will carry on the acts also. I will continue to pray for you and your group while you are performing your good deeds. I will always be grateful to you for keeping my wonderful friend "alive". Please use this small donation for your work or for the scholarship fund. I am so glad you and Hal found each other.
With warm regards
Jodi C.
August 23, 2003
Dear SSSSH:
I was in a nice restaurant with my wife and saw a man eating by himself. I told the waitress I wanted to secretly pay for his meal and gave the waitress a Hal Reichle card to give to the man instead of his check. Soon the manager came over to my table. She was so touched by what we were doing and she stated she saw the People Magazine article about SSSSH. She was even more surprised that a member of SSSSH would show up at her restaurant pulling Reichles. The manager was so touched by what we were doing that she picked out another table where a couple was eating and decided to buy their dinner too. The manager asked me for more Reichle cards. I saw her a couple weeks ago and she stated she goes through about 20 Reichle cards a month and that she needed more.
September 22, 2003
Dear family and friends of Hal Reichle,
I recently read about Hal Reichle in an old copy of People Magazine. This inspired me, on a trip to Denny's restaurant this past Sunday, to tell the waiter that I would like to pay for the meals for the five people seated at the counter. The waiter promptly asked if I was serious and I said yes, that I just wanted to make someone's day. He said he had never had this request before and seemed pleased. After eating, I saw three of the five customers wandering around the crowded restaurant trying to determine who their benefactor was, obviously wanting to give a thank-you. When they approached me, I just shook my head and they walked away a little confused.
After leaving the restaurant, I bought four boxes of Popsicles and handed them out at the student union on our local campus.
That's 53 people who benefited from Hal's kindness on Sunday!
October 2003
I read the article in People magazine and I thought it was fantastic. Since then when I was
on vacation in Bar Harbor, I saw a older lady taking care of a breakfast bar and decided to
pull a Reichle on her. I had an envelope with the money and a copy of the article about Hal,
delivered to her by our waitress. The waitress was delighted to be part of this and was sworn
to secrecy and asked if I had another copy of the article, which I did. I think you have
another convert :) As for the lady that received the envelope, she was amazed and said,
"Nothing like this has ever happened to me before!" Everything went great, the waitress
does not know my name and Nellie never saw me. I will be doing this often :)