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DENVER -- In the news business, we occasionally come across Good Samaritans; people helping people with no ulterior motive. Nothing in it for them. Even at great personal cost. It's rare we get to help those same Good Samaritans in their time of need.
HOW TO HELP: To give to the Contact7 Gives Fund and to the Jeffrey Paulson, click here.
All his life, Jeffrey Paulson has served. His country. His community. Even complete strangers.
"I was with the second infantry division," said Paulson. "I spent my 18th birthday on the DMZ in Korea."
Contact7's Jaclyn Allen met Paulson nine months ago, after he handed a $150 check to Contact7 Gives.
"For Channel7 I'm going to offer this check to you guys, and I wish I could do more," he said, after watching a story about an elderly couple that had been scammed, he wanted to help buy them a mobility scooter.
"I felt really bad for that couple," he said. "They took her for a ride."
He never expected anything in return. Then, last weekend, the George Floyd protests started outside his downtown apartment building.
"I'm telling you, it was like a rock concert, standing room only," said Paulson.
On Saturday night, he want outside to see the crowds and saw that where his prized Buddy 50 scooter had been parked was an empty space.
"It had been chained up tight and had a big U lock on the front," he said, calling it his lifeline. "Having scoliosis and being not able to walk -- I can't even walk three blocks -- It takes me 40 minutes to walk three blocks for crying out loud."
So, he reached out to Contact7 to see if we could help him this time to find his scooter.
"I looked all over for that thing and I couldn't find it, so I gave up," he said, sobbing in frustration and anger. "I don't like to ask for help. It's really hard for me to do this."
He is proud of how he budgets, but he didn't budget for his scooter to be stolen.
"That scooter meant a lot to me because I went to the bank, I did the grocery shopping," said Paulson. "Everything around here, I could do on that little scooter."
Denver7 has created an easy way for people to help others in our community. We have featured the stories of people who need help and now you help them with a cash donation through Contact7 Gives. One hundred percent of contributions to the fund will be used to help people in our local community.
