Hurst Goodwill worker returns $5,000 she found in donated jacket

When a man from the Hurst area found out his wife accidentally donated $5,000 to Goodwill, he was panicked. He rushed to the Goodwill SuperStore in Hurst and spoke to the manager, according to a news release from the thrift store chain.

Rhonda Davis, the retail manager, told him they would do their best to find the jacket the man’s wife had mistakenly donated with the money in a pocket, but couldn’t make promises. They get hundreds of donations a day, Davis said, so it could be hard to find.

Now, about two weeks later, the man has been reunited with his cash thanks to Goodwill sorter Maqayla Delapena, according to the news release.

Delapena found the jacket and the envelope containing the cash along with a bank receipt for the withdrawal. She told Davis.

“I felt happy and it was important to make sure to represent the Goodwill company and myself like this, with honesty and integrity,” Delapena, who has a hearing disability, said through an American Sign Language interpreter.

For her part in facilitating a reunion between the donor and his money, Delapena received the Goodwill Medal for Integrity and a bonus check.

She said she hopes this story of her helping someone else will inspire young children with hearing disabilities.

“Deaf people can be honest and we can work hard to do something good even though we can’t hear,” Delapena said. “We can still work and we can still make a difference. And getting the medal helps.”