Roy Exum
Richie Specht is a school teacher in Long Island, N.Y., who was just about to go to bed several weeks ago when he got a most-unusual email. The day before he had gotten a strange request from a woman who said she desperately wanted to share something with him but wasn’t sure that she should. Richie texted her back, saying he couldn’t help her since he had no idea what it was she was so intent on sharing.
The rest of his family already in bed, Ritchie opened the email to find a picture of a restaurant receipt. The bill for the anonymous stranger’s meal was $43.50. But the tip was for $3,000 and on the back of the cash register receipt the diner had written these words to the waitress:
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“Thank you for your kindness and humility. My teacher in middle school had such a difficult experience a few years ago which has sparked me to do this. My only requirements are:
1) Go to ReesSpechtLife.com and learn!
2) Don’t let “Pay it forward” end with you.
3) Since it’s about the idea and not about you, or me, if you decide to share this, don’t use either of our names!
Thank you for being around for all of my shows on and off Broadway. I hope that someday someone gives as much love and happiness into the world as you do.”
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The second after Richie read the note, he knew exactly what to do – he had a gutsy and very wet cry. He deserved it – oh did he ever -- because “ReesSpechtLife” is a foundation the Specht family started after their two-year-old son accidentally drowned in a pond behind their house. The goal is simple – “Pay it Forward,” this after Richie and his wife Samantha will never forget or be able to repay the blanket of kindness and warmth the entire community gave them two years and five months ago.
“In staring at that receipt I never noticed the name and it wasn’t until I read the note did I realize that it was a former student of mine,” Specht explained. “I immediately recalled who he was and realized that I had him at least ten years ago. “
“This young man used to come up to my room to talk with me and I remember many of our conversations that we had over the course of that year. Sadly, as with most of my students, I never really had a chance to talk to him again after he left my classroom and moved on to the 9th grade.
“To think that someone I had a decade ago would honor my little boy or even remember his 8th grade science teacher in such a way blows me away. In an age where politicians wish to identify “High Effective” teachers simply by test scores and data points, this moment could not be better timed … I am a firm believer that what makes a good teacher is the inherently intangible aspects that no amount of data could ever quantify.”
Now comes the fun part. After little Rees was buried, the Specht family wanted nothing to do with drowning. They wanted Rees’ memory to be all about kindness. Since then, they have been asked to partner with the Long Island Drowning Prevention Task Force and Richie is all in. Tomorrow night at the Atlantis Aquarium in Riverhead, NY, the “ReesSpecht Water Campaign” will be introduced at a gala banquet.
Here’s why: “According the Centers for Disease Control, drowning is, by far, the number one cause of unintentional, preventable death of children aged 1-4. The problem with drowning is the fact it is preventable, but most people don’t actually know how to truly prevent it. My family was wrapped in the blanket of false security in our knowledge of how to protect our children,” the teacher in Richie began to come out.
“There are so many aspects of drowning prevention that I know now that could have possibly prevented Rees’ death,” he said. “I cannot go back in time and save my son. If I cannot save him, then I am going to make sure that no other family suffers needlessly due to this awful, avoidable tragedy.”
What a phenomenal reaction to the worst tragedy a family can suffer. I cannot attend the ReesSpecht Water Campaign tomorrow night because I couldn’t find Riverhead, NY on a bet. But I can, indeed, “Pay it Forward” with a modest donation to www.reesspechtlife.com
I am going to make my donation in honor of “Mr. Anonymous” who, quite unintentionally, used kindness to startle news outlets all over the world. Then what? They, in turn, spread the message of how an eighth-grade teacher taught us how to handle tragedy with gentle kindness.
Those who want to stuff a couple of bucks in an envelope – the best way to “Pay It Forward” is in secret – can put a stamp or two on a plain envelope and, with no return address, mail it to: ReesSpecht Life, PO Box 1484 Miller Place, NY 11764. (All donations are tax deductible, since ReesSpecht Life is a registered 5o1(c)(3) non profit organization but you must include your return address for the necessary receipt.)
royexum@aol.com