Providence House Employee Praised for Turning in Cash Found Inside Donated Purse

More than $1,500 cash found inside a purse donated to Providence House is now back with its rightful owner.
The agency's director Simone Hennessey tells KEEL News that employee Carolyn Boyce was going through donations, when she found the money. She immediately notified the director of programs, who attempted to track down the donor.

"We give out donation receipts to everybody, for tax purposes and a way to say thank-you," Hennessey said. "Fortunately, we had the person's address, but we were having a hard time finding her. So we Facebooked her, we did everything we could think of."

Hennessey said Boyce could have easily pocketed the money, but she didn't. Now, the donor and her money have been reunited.

"She was to tears," Hennessey said. "She had forgotten that she had left that in her purse. She was collecting some dollars, I understand, for her son's activities, and had put it away and just forgotten where she put it. She was absolutely taken aback."

The woman gave Boyce a personal thank-you -- and a nice reward. "I think it speaks to the integrity of not only our staff, but it gives us hope for humanity," Hennessey said.