TODAY'S RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS: STATION HONORS YEAR OF KIND PEOPLE

Shoppers in Lois McFadden's checkout lane at Schnucks are likely to get a little something extra for their grocery dollar.

If a customer has purchased just one of a buy-one-get-one-free item, McFadden points that out. She also helps shoppers get the best deal on sale items and treats every customer as if they were the only one in the store.

For her efforts at work and with volunteer programs, McFadden was the K103 Random Acts of Kindness winner for May. She received a floral arrangement from Arrangements by Joyce and a personal thank-you from her favorite disc jockey, Kent Crider.

The radio station honors an unsung hero for their kind acts each month. People can nominate someone by sending a letter to the station.

Among other monthly K103 kindness winners this year:

When Sharon Botello accidentally opened a letter delivered to her mailbox but addressed to someone else, she found a check. Her friends said she should sign the check and cash it.

Botello needed the money desperately. Close to the Christmas holidays, she had three cans of peas and two oranges in her kitchen and no money to buy food. She couldn't buy gasoline so she could get to church.

But Botello decided that honesty is the best policy and forwarded the check to its rightful recipient, a woman named Carole. Carole is a single working parent who also faced a tight financial situation. Since Carole couldn't repay Botello with cash, she nominated her for the Random Acts of Kindness award.

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While on the job, Sikeston Public Works employee Harold Pruitt met a little boy sitting on the hood of a car. The little boy told Pruitt he hoped for a Nintendo game for Christmas, but knew he wouldn't be getting one.

The car needed brakes and his mother couldn't afford the repairs. The child explained that there wouldn't be any Christmas presents that year. Pruitt retold the story to other public works employees, who decided to make a difference: They fixed the brakes, replaced two bad tires and a broken water pump.

When they took the car back, they also delivered a Nintendo and some other gifts for the other children in the home. The boy's mother, Phyllis Clark, wrote, "I would like to say thank you to Harold Pruitt and the rest of the Sikeston Public Works employees for their kindness and generosity to a little boy and his family."

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Fifth-grader Amanda Scherer of Benton was nominated by her mother after her brave response to a medical crisis. Her mother, Judy, had a seizure while driving on Interstate 55. Amanda helped her mother stop the car, turned on the flashers and called for help. After three days in the hospital, mom was well again. "She is my little angel," she said.

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When John and Patsy Kennedy's car broke down, they didn't know where to turn. Over the past two years they had terrible luck with cars, and had just purchased the car from Burk's Automotive Sales in Chaffee.

Their son, Patrick Kennedy took the car back to the car lot after hours and left it. Tim Burk fixed the car and gave the Kennedy's another car to drive while their's was in the shop. "I just wanted to thank Tim for what I feel is going above and beyond for Mom and Dad and for putting their worries, along with mine, to rest."

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Ken Myles, owner of Ken Myles Insurance Agency, was recognized for his kind work throughout the year. He teaches insurance classes that help others become agents. He also takes special care with each of his clients.

He is involved in the Shriners, especially the organization's work with handicapped and burned children. He also volunteers for community events, including the SEMO District Fair, Cape West Rotary Club and Grace United Methodist Church.

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When friends find themselves facing an unexpected situation, Lisa Curtis often steps in to help. She delivers prepared meals when an illness or accident or even a blessing occurs. She also steps in to care for other people's children when needed.

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Carol Sparkman is like a second mother to at least two of the girls she works with at 15 Doctors' Park. "She can read our minds," Robin Johnson and Jennifer Wessell wrote. "Whether we are having a problem or having a bad day, she can tell." She always has a smile and a kind word for the people she meets.

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Cy Glueck spends his time off visiting friends at the Lutheran Home, Saxony Manor, Fountainbleau Lodge, Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center. His friends look forward to seeing him. Among Cy's Thoughts for the Day: "I came into this world with nothing, but I still have most of it" and, "If you don't have time to stop whatever you're doing and help a friend, then you are doing too much for yourself."