An 11-year-old tracks down owner of lost wallet: although his family could use the money, he gave every cent back

No one ever said that doing the right thing is easy. Sometimes, life puts us in all kinds of binds, forcing us to make choices we otherwise wouldn't have made. Going through a difficult period in our life, however, shouldn't give us a free pass to act however or do whatever we want. No matter our circumstances, we should always try to do the right thing. Even when it's not the most convenient choice. 

Take Vince Hietpas, for example. Vince comes from a poor family. When he found a wallet on the ground, he could have kept the money and given it to his family. Vince did the right thing, though. He tracked the owner down and returned the wallet without taking a cent. 

via Facebook / Michelle Dahlke

Vince and his father were taking a walk through the park when Vince noticed a wallet lying on the ground. When he opened the wallet, he noticed the person had lost some money, personal documents, and his driver's license. Vince quickly found out that the wallet belonged to a Chase Dahlke and, upon futher inspection, was able to call and find out where he lived. Chase wasn't at home when Vince came to drop off his wallet, but his dad, Jason, was. Although to Vince, returning someone's wallet didn't seem like a big deal, Jason was extremely moved by the boy's sincerity. Jason may have given him some money for returning the wallet, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to do something more for the boy to show him how grateful he was. 

That's when Jason's wife, Michelle, published a post on Facebook asking if anyone knew any information about the boy and his family. It didn't take very long, however, for the internet to put Michelle in contact with the 11-year-old. She found out that Vince's family had suffered a lot during Covid-19. Vince's father, Lorenzo, had initially contracted the virus and, although he recovered, couldn't go back to work due to previous respiratory issues that prevented him from wearing a mask. That's when the Dahlke family decided to open a GoFundMe for Vince's family; they wanted to do something to help them get through these rough times. In the end, they raised $9,000 dollars, and Vince's family couldn't be more grateful for their gesture.  

Vince's is an incredible story that demonstrates how honesty really can pay off. Way to go, Vince!