RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS: KIND ACTS CAN BE FOUND ANY MONTH OF THE YEAR

On a hot August day last summer, Tom Nelson, a truck driver, made a delivery next to a local convenience store. He then went into the store to check in with his terminal manager.

While he was there, says his wife, Dena Nelson, two small boys came in to ask if their bottles were worth any money. They left disappointed when the clerk said no.

When Nelson got back to his truck, he saw the boys going through a large trash container behind the store.

Nelson called the boys over and gave them each a dollar. They thanked him and headed for the store "like two whirlwinds," said Mrs. Nelson.

The story, she says, is just one example of her husband's many good deeds. "Tom gives money, groceries or time without expecting anything other than a good feeling," says his wife.

Nelson is the May winner of the Random Acts of Kindness contest. This month marks the first anniversary of the promotion, sponsored by K103FM and Arrangements by Joyce.

Each month, listeners send in names of people who have made a positive difference in their lives. The first week of every month, K103 DJ Kent Crider delivers a floral arrangement from Arrangements by Joyce to that month's winner. (Entries can be mailed to P.O. Box 1610, Cape Girardeau. Mo. 63702-1610.)

Following is a list of the past year's winners.

-- Tonia Rae Bogener -- Last spring, with only a few days until her law school finals, Tonia took a full day to help distraught strangers find a livable house in their price range. The newcomers, a couple from New York who were enrolling in college at SIU-Carbondale, were despondent when real estate agents were unable to help them.

-- Vince Bowman -- The 1996 Cape Girardeau Central High School Lady Tigers basketball team said that Bowman, the team bus driver for several years, "gives team members individual encouragement when they have an off game. He's not only their bus driver, he's their friend!"

-- Jean Dudley -- Her Cape Girardeau co-worker said Dudley "is a lady who puts many smiles on my face and brightens many days for me." The co-worker said Dudley listens when she needs to talk, shares lunches made at home and brings fresh flowers from her garden.

-- Sandy Estes -- A friend who nominated her said Estes "transports my children back from swim team practice and to meets." The friend said, "Sandy's warmth and giving spirit spill into the lives of everyone who is blessed to know her."

-- Tracy Henry -- A Cape Girardeau beautician, Henry helped a friend move and made a quilt for the friend's new house. "She always thinks of others and ways to help," said the friend.

-- Jack Kitchen -- The staff, patients and families of patients at Renal Treatment Centers of Cape Girardeau submitted Kitchen's name for his many acts of kindness in transporting patients to and from the centers.

A taxi driver for Kelley Transportation, Kitchen takes the extra minute to help patients on and off with their coats, informs the staff when a patient is not feeling well and asks about them when they are in the hospital.

"We are sure Jack treats everyone this way," said staff members and patients. "So when we say thank you, Jack, we're sure we're speaking for everyone who knows you."

-- Glenda Riggins -- The entire second-grade class at Scott City Elementary signed a letter that sang the praises of Riggins.

"She is good and she is kind to each of us," the letter said. "She is not your mean kind of teacher. She takes time with each of us. She never gives up on us. She thinks each one of us is special and makes us feel it."

-- Karen Sanders -- Her day starts at 5 a.m., when she helps her father arise and take his insulin. After working at Dr. James Main's office all day, she stops at a nursing home several evenings a week and checks on her mother-in-law and an elderly patient.

-- Lori Vavak -- A friend says customers have to "stand in line" at Capital Bank if they want Vavak to wait on them "because everyone wants her to take care of their banking needs." The reason: "She will always go that extra mile to make sure you are taken care of to your satisfaction."

-- Margaret Watkins -- A co-worker at Gibson Recovery Center said that Watkins "has such a big heart in wanting to help or do something for someone." This includes giving out birthday presents.