It seems that all we hear these days is bad news, but in Okeechobee, there are actually many behind-the-scenes good deeds that go unreported almost daily. Last week a young woman was stranded on the side of the road after an argument with her boyfriend, and a line of five cars pulled off the road to see if she needed help. Finally one woman drove her to a relative’s home. Okeechobee was not going to let a woman cry on the side of the road without stopping to help her.

In scrolling through posts on some of the local Facebook groups, these were some of the examples of the good in Okeechobee:

• After the terrible fire near her property, Amanda Causey said, “On behalf of all the animals at Area 51 Sanctuary, we would like to say thank you to the dozens of people who reached out offering assistance to evacuate, to all of the emergency response teams for quickly putting out the fire and making sure all of the animals remained safe, and to everyone else who called, messaged and texted making sure we were all okay and the animals were taken care of. Thank you all so much! It is truly great to live in a such a wonderful community where you don’t have to ask for help, and it is graciously offered.”

• Alyssa Weeks said, “To whoever turned my wallet in that was left in a cart at Walmart Monday night, I cannot thank you enough! You are a very good person! Some people in this world would have kept what was in it and threw the rest down or away! Thank you! Bless you!”

• Glendra Henry said, “I would like to take a moment to say Thank You to the group who put the beautiful wreaths on all the Veterans graves at Evergreen Cemetery. It means so much to know there are people who still respect our men and women who served our country so we can enjoy our freedom.”

• Krystal Avant said, “Thank you to the person who paid for my order at Dunkin’ Donuts this morning! It made my day! I paid it forward by paying for the person behind me.”

• Delores Johnson-Smith said, “A big thank you to the person who paid for our ticket at Parrott Island. Bless you.”

• Lyn Tee said, “I went shopping at Walmart and accidentally left my wallet in the cart. I got all the way to Home Depot before I realized it. When I returned to the parking lot it was gone so I went inside to customer service and it was there! Everything, including my phone, was still in my wallet. I love Okeechobee and the people who reside here. Thank You, whomever you are, for your kindness.”

• Heather Quiroz said, “My husband Ezekiel Quiroz and I want to thank everyone that came to our aid and helped us when we were in the car wreck Saturday night. I can’t thank you all enough for helping us get our daughters out of the vehicle as fast as all of you did. I also wanted to thank the police officers and the Firefighters/ EMT/Paramedics. Jeanni Bayless and Jack Bayless and the rest of the BuckHead Ridge Fire Department for helping us in our time of need.”

• Shawna Tai said, “I would just like to say thank you to whomever turned in my husband’s wallet today at Publix! You didn’t leave your name, but you definitely have our gratitude. Your act of kindness was probably second nature due to your good heart but it saved us hours and hours of trouble and stress. May God bless you.”

• Lonnie Steiert said, “Thank you to the sweet lady in the vehicle behind my son at Dunkin Donuts this morning who paid for his dozen when she saw him pull out of line and search his car for his debit card which he realized he had lost. We thank you for your kindness and setting an example for others!”

Often there are stories on Facebook about one person paying for the person behind them at McDonald’s or Duncan Donuts, and many times someone posts about a need and the next thing you hear is that someone has fulfilled the need. So while it is true that the squeaky wheel gets the most grease, and bad news and crime are always squeakier than good news, there is good news in Okeechobee, and if you look for it, you will find it.