Chelsea Rhynold thought her October rent money and wallet were gone after a late night Wal-Mart trip, however it was found by a passerby along Hwy. 19A. (Kyle Ireland/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

faith in humanity

‘It’s just kind of shocking almost:’ Nanaimo server reunited with lost wallet, containing $1,000 cash

Oct 10, 2022 | 6:53 AM

NANAIMO — It’s proof positive good people still exist.

A late-evening shopping trip to Wal-Mart on Wednesday, Sept. 28, for Chelsea Rhynold and her roommate turned into a frantic search for her wallet and a considerable amount of money

Rhynold told NanaimoNewsNOW they got home to discover her wallet, containing $1,000 in cash, was missing.

“I guess it’s one of those things where I accidentally put it on the roof of my car which is just so unlike me, my wallet is so thick and heavy and there’s so much change in it so it’s not something I would just put down.”

The cash was her October rent.

significant work

Ladysmith's enhanced Forrest Field project nears completion

1h ago

fishing season

Nanaimo-area lake stocked with popular freshwater Sockeye

3h ago

Last Minute Win

Clippers pull out late Game 1 victory over Bulldogs

8h ago

Search efforts Wednesday night and into Thursday morning failed to turn up the wallet, which also contained her identification, bank and credit cards.

Rhynold was confident things were gone and said she’d “come to terms with it” as she made a report to the Nanaimo RCMP.

Unbeknownst to Rhynold, her wallet would be found.

A man, identified only as “Dan from Nanoose Bay” spotted it while driving along Hwy. 19A on Thursday.

He was unable to grab it initially due to heavy traffic, but circled back a few minutes later, parked on the side of the road, found a gap in the traffic and ran out onto the road to pick it up.

He immediately delivered it to the Nanaimo detachment, complete with every card and every dime of the $1,000 cash.

Officers were then able to call with the good news by calling Rhynold and opening the conversation with “Chelsea, are you feeling lucky today?”

“I was crying and said “I hope so!” That’s how I got my wallet back. I never actually met the guy in person, but I gave him a call and it was super sweet and he just told me to pay it forward.”

Rhynold works at a restaurant in Nanaimo’s north end. She said Dan has a standing invitation for a free meal, but she’s unsure whether or not he’ll stop in.

Originally from Prince Rupert, Rhynold recently moved to Nanaimo to attend university and said the experience helped reaffirm her faith in good people.

“I’m a server, so I see lots of good people but I also see lots of bad people and I do see the bad and the worst in people. I thought it was gone, and to know there are (good) people out there, it’s just kind of shocking almost.”

She plans to move on from the experience with a better outlook and is committed to honouring her promise to Dan to pay it forward.

“If you were in this situation, what would you do? Would you return the wallet? I really hope that you would. I’m just so thankful it happened to me, but just keep it in the back of your mind, you could be changing someone’s life.”

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @NanaimoNewsNOW